Recognizing the Day of Silence

On Friday, April 12, Hopkins recognized the Day of Silence, organized by SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Advocates). The Day of Silence is an action day to recognize gender and sexuality diversity, and to call attention to the silencing of students, which occurs through bullying, harassment, and, more subtly, erasure. Some members of the community chose to observe the day by pledging to remain silent for the day, or by wearing a sticker or ribbon to show support.

In assembly, Fi Schoth-Douma ’19 and Lexi Dawson’20 shared the history of the Day of Silence as well as the struggles of LGBTQ+ youth, as well as a video highlighting the Ali Forney Center in NYC, a shelter for LGBTQ+ youth. The presentation continued as SAGA members shared anonymous stories about lived experiences in the LGBTQ+ community at Hopkins. Students Beck Isaacs ’23 and Cici Liu ’20 created original artwork to commemorate the day, Adrian Horsley ’20 shared a powerful and personal essay, and another group shared a musical mashup of “Wildewoman” by Lucius and “1950” by King Princess. To see the assembly presentation in full, please watch the video below.

At the end of the day, the community broke the silence together on the Big H. Many thanks to SAGA for arranging a poignant and powerful day on the Hill.