The Sexuality and Gender Alliance Club (SAGA) encouraged its members to observe a Day of Silence on Friday April 21 to raise awareness for the continued struggles of the LGBTQ+ community.

100,000 students around the world participated, according to GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network,) the organization behind the idea for the event. Their motto is “Strength in numbers. Soladarity in silence.”

Senior SAGA member Liv Slaby said that the Day of Silence was an opportunity “to stand up for kids who have been bullied or harassed.”

According to senior SAGA member Maya Ramesh, participants wore name tags and emailed teachers to inform them of their intentions and avoid confusion. “I heard about it a few years ago and I thought it was a really good way [to show] activism on a smaller scale,” she said. “It’s a fairly easy way to show change.”

Her sister, senior SAGA member Meera Ramesh, said that she participated “to bring attention to issues that people don’t usually think about and hear about [at Campo].”

The club promoted the event through flyers posted around campus. “I think we worked hard to advertise it,” said Slaby.

Slaby added that this year, more people participated than last year.

Maya Ramesh said, “Many people didn’t do it at all, but everybody in SAGA did it. Some people didn’t do it for personal reasons and stuff like that. No people outside our club did, though we did push it harder.”