If 15-year-old Zach King knew what was waiting for him on the other side of the door, he never would have walked into his high school classroom that day in October of 2011.
By now, you may have seen the video. Millions of people have. Zach, an openly gay student at Unioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, was thrown to the ground and repeatedly pummeled by a classmate. Zach tried to escape. He tried to reason. And then he just tried to survive. The brutal assault left him with a concussion, a broken tooth, and a feeling of insecurity he will likely carry with him the rest of his school days — particularly after his school district allegedly tried to blame Zach and his sexual orientation for the attack.
Sadly, Zach is not alone. The deplorable bullying and harassment faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students like Zach is rampant in schools today. According to the 2011 National School Climate Survey by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, nearly 82 percent of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed — and more than six in 10 LGBT students said they do not feel safe at school.
New York is hardly immune from the anti-LGBT bullying epidemic. Ninety percent of New York LGBT students who responded to GLSEN's national survey said they regularly heard homophobic remarks and slurs at school — and one in six said they heard these hurtful remarks from school staff.
The bullying of LGBT students in New York schools takes many forms. Students frequently are excluded by their peers, are subjected to cruel taunts in person or online, or are even physically harmed. Roughly 10 percent of New York LGBT students said they had been assaulted at school. Tragically, many of these cases of bullying and abuse go unreported, as LGBT students struggle with feelings of shame and fears of reprisal.
Bullying leaves lasting physical and emotional scars on thousands of LGBT students in New York each year. But on Friday, students from every corner of New York will be taking a stand — through silence.
Students across New York are participating in GLSEN's annual Day of Silence today, when students vow to take some form of silence to draw attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action toward creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
GLSEN New York Capital Region will be supporting efforts at area schools to help students participate in the Day of Silence in their own unique ways. We are proud to sponsor our 11th Annual "Breaking the Silence" rally at The Egg in Albany. We also host workshops, retreats, and speakers throughout the year to help increase awareness of LGBT issues and to ensure students have a strong network of support.
Schools should be more than places of learning. They should be sanctuaries, where difference is valued and all students feel safe to thrive. We thank the schools in every corner of New York that will stand shoulder to shoulder with LGBT students and participate in today's Day of Silence. We ask for your help in ensuring all students feel safe and welcome at school. For ideas on getting involved, visit www.dayofsilence.org http://www.glsen.org/.
Rick Marchant is co-chair of GLSEN New York Capital Region.