Education > Night of Noise

GSA Night of Noise -- A Green Bay First
by John Olski
Posted 4/3/2004

A Night of Noise rally for Green Bay Gay-Straight Alliances will follow the annual Day of Silence on Wednesday, April 21.  GSA Students and allies will gather at the Historic West Theatre from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for dinner, music, games, socializing and a talk-back session.

The Night of Noise rally will be open to all Day of Silence participants, their parents, family members, and supportive adults from the community.  Tickets will not be sold at the door, and no one without a ticket will be admitted.

All students wishing to attend must pre-pay with their GSA advisor before the Day of Silence.  The cost of the event is $7.00 per student or adult and includes a dinner of hamburgers, chips, taco dip, cookies and a 21-oz soda (with $1.00 refills). For tickets contact: Susan Allen

The Historic West Theatre is located at 405 W. Walnut Street in Green Bay (at the corner of Walnut and Broadway).

The Day of Silence project, founded in 1996, has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.  Students refrain from speaking on the Day of Silence, making visible the silencing of LGBT people and their allies.

LGBT people have long contended with a lack of LGBT-inclusive educational resources, as well as with unquestioned role assignments based upon assumed gender or gender stereotypes.  The Day of Silence turns that culturally enforced silence into a tool of protest against anti-LGBT discrimination and abuse.

The Day of Silence allows all students to reflect upon the power of silencing, and to consider the importance of individual voices and identities.  In turn, visible silence converts personal experience into a powerful, community effort for LGBT recognition and equality.

The Day of Silence was started at the University of Virginia in 1996.  By the year 2002, the annual event was observed in more than 1,900 middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the country.  For more information, visit the national Day of Silence website at www.dayofsilence.org .

Green Bay’s first Night of Noise rally will serve to break the traditionally powerful and destructive silence.  For more information on the Night of Noise, send e-mail to educationtf@pvinc.org .

T-shirts for the 2004 Day of Silence will be available at the Night of Noise.  The cost is $5.00 for sizes small through large, and an additional dollar for each size increment beyond large (XL, XXL, etc.).  The T-shirt graphic design is shown below:

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We believe all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, along with their families and friends, have the right to come together and treat each other with respect, dignity and friendship. We must work together as a unified group to create a positive atmosphere that allows us to share our viewpoints and feelings, to grow, and to gain a greater sense of fulfillment in our lives.

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