Anti-bullying group to bring LGBT Day of Silence to schools in New Zealand
A group which aims to stamp out bullying against LGBT young people is to bring the Day of Silence to schools across New Zealand.
Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) will bring the campaign, founded in 1996, to schools.
The Day of Silence takes place in over 70 countries, including New Zealand since 2007.
Students in schools and colleges pledge to stay silent, in order to reflect the silence that LGBT people face about their sexuality and gender identity.
“The campaign is about drawing attention to the silencing effect that bullying can have on young people who have a diverse sexual orientation or gender identity,” says Tabby Besley, Chairperson of QSA Network Aotearoa.
“The idea behind the campaign is to bring attention to the issue so there can then be follow up actions to break the silence – like starting up a queer straight alliance group, or improving sexuality education.”
QSA also encourages students to get involved by posting a ‘Selfie for Silence’ using the hashtag #dayofsilence.
The Day of Silence takes place on 27 June, and schools are able to register to take part at the Day of Silence website.
