Speaking out by being silent
Reporter's notebook
By: Lanz Christian Banes
Issue date: 5/4/06 Section: LifeStyle
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And, I guess, that's the way I was supposed to feel - the numbing helplessness felt by countless members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community.
It was very humbling.
On April 26, I and several other Gorloks joined an estimated 500,000 students across the nation for the tenth annual Day of Silence, during which students pledge their silence in honor of the members of the LGBT community that cannot speak due to fear and oppression.
After signing up for the event, I was issued a pink button with the word "silenced" slicing across a screaming mouth. With it came several business cards that I was to give to any curious people I met - cards that spelled out in clear, concise language why I refused to talk.
I, like many of my fellow students, set aside the entire day for silence - from dawn until dusk - though how long our silence would endure was ultimately up to the individual.
I failed almost immediately.
Who knew how often I talked or sang to myself as I got ready in the morning? Or how difficult it was to refrain from answering a neighborly "good morning" as I clambered down the stairs.
But that's just small potatoes. By the time I got to work at the Writing Center that morning, I knew I'd be screwed. After all, it's hard to coach someone when all you have to work with are erratic hand signals and a few business cards explaining why you aren't doing your job. Besides, I was beginning to notice that my silence was disconcerting to others.
So, after speaking profusely for two hours, I left a little dazed and somewhat irritated at failing so wonderfully so quickly. Fortunately, I managed to get through the rest of my classes without saying a word, picked up a camera kit, and then got ready to photograph Cedric the Entertainer with my reporter, Michelle Oyola, who was kind enough to tell everyone we met that I was unable to speak.
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