“The Silence Itself Is Enough of a Statement”: The Day of Silence and LGBTQ Awareness Raising

This ethnographic study of a high school gay–straight alliance club examines unintended consequences of silence during the D ay of S ilence, a day of action aimed at addressing anti‐ LGBTQ bias in schools. While this strategy calls for students to engage in intentional silences to raise awareness of anti‐ LGBTQ bias, it does not necessarily lead others to address harassment or silences around gender and sexuality. Rather, silence makes students more defenseless in the face of verbal harassment. [ LGBTQ youth, homophobia, harassment, D ay of S ilence, gay–straight alliance]