Niles West High School junior Caitlin Shropshire was one of many voices who ended the 2014 Day of Silence with a Night of Noise in Thompson Center Plaza on April 11. "Stop silencing us, stop pushing us away, beating us down, spitting Bible-bashing, superstitious hate," she cried from the stage to enthusiastic agreement. "Stop allowing us to be tossed about like trash, simply because you disagree with our lifestyle!"
See additional photos at www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .
The biggest news reported from the stage that the staff and youth committee members of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (ISSA) set up was that there was no news. Unlike previous years, kids from schools across the city reported that their experiences during the 18-year-old, nationwide student-led protest were positive (and supported by peers, staff and administrators), indicating to them that the tide is changing.
"I did this event last year and I heard some legitimate horror stories about people being attacked for what they were doing," Riverside Brookfield High School student Nick Malone said. "This year it's gotten so much more accepted and widely recognized."
Clarissa Troncoso, a senior at Schurz High School, agreed that all the stories the students shared this year had dramatically improved in positivity since 2013. "I think it shows that we're making an impact," she said. "Change that drastic has to mean something. My school was very positive about it. The administration was encouraging and supportive of us. It's just been great!"
ISSA Program Director David Fischer estimated that 130 schools across the state participated in the 2014 Day of Silence. "The Night of Noise is not a traditional rally," he said. "It's an opportunity for kids to break the silence with stories, performances and an ask for systemic change."
The ask for change was presented as a fashion show. Kids walked the runway modeling signs from a students' bill of rights, including the right to healthy food in schools, free healthcare, free or reduced public transportation, the right to safe and secure housing, and the right to have the histories of both people of color and the LGBTQ community included in school curriculums.
"This is something that is happening nationally," Joel De Leon—a senior from Northside College Prep and member of the ISSA youth committee—told Windy City Times. "We wanted to integrate it into the Night of Noise so that the youth of Chicagoland know about it."
When asked how students are responding to critics like anti-gay activist Linda Harvey's assertions that the Day of Silence promotes a "gay agenda" and is detrimental to kids, De Leon laughed. "I don't know how you can hurt someone with support," he said. "And hurt someone with trying to love them and show them that they are equal. Obviously, she has a delusional view of youth because we're all loving the Day of Silence. As for the 'gay agenda,' it's just love and equality. That should be everyone's agenda."
