The Pride and Gender Equity (PAGE) Center participated in the LGBTQ Day of Silence in the Ceddia Union Building’s (CUB) PAGE Center and Ampitheatre on April 11.

The goal of this event was to encourage students to recognize the power they have to combat LGBTQ discrimination, and how they can use their voices for those who have unfortunately been silenced in the past. 

The LGBTQ Day of Silence is an annual event celebrated by many people around the world, and it was founded after a vow of silence queer students at the University of Virginia took in 1996 in response to the silencing and discrimination they experienced. In the following years, the event gained support and became a national movement with the support of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

Shippensburg University students continue the legacy of this important event by participating on campus. Emmett O’Bell, peer-educator at the PAGE Center and organizer of the event, noted the power queer individuals have. 

“We have a voice,” O’Bell said. “Whether it is stepped upon and silenced, we can use it. We can be loud together, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it.”

Another aspect the PAGE Center recognized is the importance of LGBTQ allies using their voices as well to help combat discrimination with their queer friends and family. 

“As much as queer people need our own voices and our own community, we also need allies,” O’Bell said. “It’s ok to rise up. It’s ok to take action.”

The Day of Silence concluded with students breaking their silence outside the CUB, recognizing all those who have been silenced and lost their lives due to LGBTQ discrimination, and the power students currently have to combat this today and live their lives proudly without shame.  

The PAGE Center is open to everyone offering a wide variety of resources for all those who need them, including a safe and welcoming community looking to support students throughout their journey in college.  

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