Rockville High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance sponsored a Day of Silence April 25, protesting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bullying. This year’s protest was held in memory of Lawrence King.

King was shot and murdered by 14-year-old Brandon McInerney at E.O. Green Junior High School February 12, 2008. McInerney was charged with premeditated murder with enhancements of use of a firearm. He was also charged with a hate crime because his suspected motivation was the fact that King openly proclaimed himself gay. “This incident is another heartbreaking reminder of how often young people must endure intimidation or violence in school because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

The Day of Silence began in 1996 by a group of students at the University of Virginia in response to a class assignment on non-violent protests The day usually takes place in mid to late April each year and requires students to refrain from speaking for an entire day; in order to communicate, they may write, use hand gestures or sign. After spending half the day completely silent, the participants met in the staff dining room to break the silence and to share thoughts about their experiences. Following this temporary emotional break, they revert back to complete silence and complete the day of non-violent protest.

The word about the event spread through school posters and through Facebook. An event was set up on Facebook where people could find out information such as when the event took place and what was required. In addition to publicity, staff and administration were also informed about the event, as was the rest of the student body, through the daily morning announcements.

Several students at RHS chose to take part in this year’s Day of Silence, including freshman Teddy Vossler, sophomore Zoe Hill, junior Theresa Wambach, junior Clarke Trippland and junior Dani Krohn. “I’ve always supported [lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders], but this has had a true effect on me, and I believe this really does make a statement,” junior Laura Cooper-Martin. This impacting event takes place annually and continues to gain followers as the years progress.