Day of Silence

STUDENTS SPEAK UP FOR SAFER SCHOOLS BY SAYING NOTHING AT ALL
Apr 25, 2008

DALLAS – April 4, 2008 – Hundreds of thousands of students from over 5,000 middle schools, high schools and colleges will ban together in silence on April 25 in the largest student-led action in the country calling for an end to the bullying, harassment and name-calling endured by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students.

\tSponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), participants in the National Day of Silence vow not to speak in an effort to bring attention to harassment – in effect, the silencing – experienced by LGBT students and their allies. Rather than speaking, participants hand out “speaking cards” explaining their reasons for remaining silent throughout the day.

\tIn an effort to educate the community about school violence and the need for safe school policies that protect all youth, the Dallas chapter of GLSEN, in partnership with Youth First Texas, has organized over 20 Dallas and Ft. Worth community organizations to join with the Day of Silence student participants for the first ever Breaking the Silence Rally. The event, designed to show support for schools that are free from violence and harassment, will be held at 7:00 p.m. on April 25 in Reverchon Park, located near the intersection of Maple and Oak Lawn in Dallas.

\t“It is time that the entire community, gay and straight, stands up to make our schools safe for all students,” said Beau Heyen, co-chair of the Dallas chapter of GLSEN. “Just imagine what it would be like for a student to go to school and actual be able to concentrate on what the teacher is saying, rather than the harassing comments of their peers.” This year’s National Day of Silence will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old California student who was shot and killed at school in February by a 14-year-old classmate because of King’s sexual orientation and gender expression.

\tThe Day of Silence is an opportunity for students to take the initiative to teach one another about diversity, respect and safety for all students. Students gain leadership skills, provide a valuable service to the school community and empower themselves by realizing their ability to make a difference in their school. For more information regarding the National Day of Silence visit dayofsilence.org.

# # # Partnering Organizations in alphabetical order

Cathedral of Hope strives to reclaim Christianity as a faith of extravagant grace, radical inclusion and relentless compassion by proclaiming God’s inclusive love, removing barriers to faith, and empowering all people to grow in grace toward wholeness. Contact: Beau Heyen, Minister for Youth\t beau@cathedralofhope.com Website: www.cathedralofhope.com

Collin County Gay and Lesbian Alliance was created to advocate equal civil rights, achieve full participation in society and promote dignity and respect for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender individuals by providing education, political awareness and social interaction. Contact: Morris Garcia, President\t\t directors@ccgla.org Website: www.ccgla.org

The Mission of the Dallas Peace Center is based on a vision of reconciliation: to promote Education, Dialogue and Action for Peace and Justice. Contact: Daniel Williams, Operations Manager \t office@dallaspeacecenter.org Website: www.dallaspeacecenter.org

Equality Texas Foundation serves to educate the public as to how policies regarding sexual orientation and gender identity and expression affect the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans. Contact: Paul Scott, Executive Director\t \t Paul@equalitytexas.org Website: www.equalitytexas.org

Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) – Dallas Chapter envisions a future in which every child learns to respect all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Contact: Beau Heyen, Co-Chair \t\t dallas@chapters.glsen.org\t Website: www.glsen.org/dallas

JEWEL (Joining & Educating Women Empowering Leaders) focuses on increasing the well-being of women in our community by providing health care information, basic education…Creating a women’s community. Contact: Patricia Granados, Evening Coordinator \t pgranados@rcdallas.org Website: http://jewelrcd.com

Lambda Weekly and KNON 83.9 AM blends political talk, news that affects the gay and lesbian community and interviews, with fun segments like 'Those Darn Heterosexuals!' and America's favorite game show, 'Who Wants To Be A Lesbian.' Contact: Lambdaweekly@aol.com Website: www.knon.org/index.php?id=254

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) 4871, The Dallas Rainbow Council, has a mission to create dialogue between the Hispanic and LGBT community, which have a common goal: full equality. Contact: Patricia Mancha, President\t LULAC4871@aol.com Website: www.lulac4871.org

National Education Association – Dallas (NEA-Dallas): Our mission is to unify education professionals, students, parents and the community to insure a great public school for every child. Contact: Dale D. Kaiser, President \t neadprez@aol.com Website: www.neadallas.org

The mission of the North Texas Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Chamber is to empower GLBT businesses and promote economic development in North Texas. Contact: Tony Veda, President \t tony.vedda@glbtchamber.org Website: www.glbtchamber.org

North Texas Gender Friends (NTGF) is primarily social with the hope of building community in the gender free world. Contact: Renee Baker, Ph.D., Group Moderator \t renee@genderpower.com Website: www.ntgf.org

Out & Equal™ Workplace Advocates champions safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. We advocate building and strengthening successful organizations that value all employees, customers and communities by providing a variety of services to companies, human resource professionals, employee resource groups (ERGs) and individuals. Contact: Ron Ausemus, Regional Council Chair \t dfw@outandequal.org Website: www.outandequal.org

The mission of OUT TAKES Dallas is to enlighten, educate, enrich and entertain diverse communities about gays and lesbians through the medium of film and video and to contribute funds to organizations seeking to foster similar goals. Contact: D'wayne Teague, Board Secretary secretary@outtakesdallas.org Website: www.outtakesdallas.org

Out Youth Austin's mission is to promote the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of sexual minority youth so that they can openly and safely explore and affirm their identities. Contact: Matt Smith, Executive Director matt@outyouth.org Website: www.outyouth.org

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG) promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Contact: Kathy Collier & Kathy Connell, Co-Presidents info@pflagdallas.org Website: www.pflagdallas.org

Serving homeless, runaway and at-risk teens, Promise House is dedicated to providing the strength, stability and hope they need to fulfill their promise for a healthy, productive and self-sufficient tomorrow. Contact: Joshua D. Collier, Communications Manager \t communicationsmanager@promisehouse.org Website: www.promisehouse.org

The mission of the Resource Center of Dallas is to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) and North Texas communities by providing: support to GLBT individuals and organizations; health, HIV and social services; and education and advocacy. Contact: Henry Ramirez III, Center Programs Manager \t HRamirez@rcdallas.org Website: www.rcdallas.org

Stonewall Democrats of Dallas registers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Voters and ensures LGBT turnout in elections to support LGBT-friendly Democrats. Contact: Jesse Garcia, President jesse.garcia@stonewalldemocratsofdallas.org Website: www.stonewalldemocratsofdallas.org

Texas Gay-Straight Alliance Network connects school-based Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) to each other and community resources, we are empowering youth activist to fight homophobia and transphobia in schools. Contact: Monica Arrambide, Director of Programming monica@outyouth.org Website: www.texasgsa.org

The mission of the Turtle Creek Chorale is to entertain, educate, unite and uplift our audiences and members through music that is distinguished for its innovation, diversity and artistic excellence. Contact: Jonathan Palant, Artistic Director \t jpalant@turtlecreek.org Website: www.turtlecreek.org

Valiente: To mobilize the Dallas/Fort Worth Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning community to foster pride, promote community building and involvement and increase advocacy. Contact: Fernie Sanchez, President \t contact@valiente.org Website: www.valiente.org

The Women’s Chorus of Dallas promotes the strength, diversity and joy of women by performing high quality music to entertain, inspire and serve the community. Contact: Katy Graham, Executive Director \t katy@twcd.org Website: www.twcd.org

Youth First Texas - "Empowering Youth, Embracing Diversity, and Developing Tomorrow's Leaders" Contact: Judith Dumont, Director of Administration judithd@youthfirsttexas.org Website: www.youthfirsttexas.com