This Blog is silent today

A Day of Silence Prayer: Stop bullying God's LGBTQ youth

Day of Silence Prayer (long version)

by Kittredge Cherry

Silence is memory....

Remembering those who died young,

Driven to suicide by bullying

Or killed 

Because of who they loved

Because of the way God created them

Because they were called 

Gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, sodomite…

Remembering Tyler Clementi, Leelah Alcorn, Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, Gwen Araujo, Haylee Fentress, Paige Moravetz, and many, many more.

Silence is action….

Calling attention to how people are silenced

When bigotry is disguised as humor,

When prejudice turns into threats

And even violence.

Silence is solidarity…

Students, family, teachers, friends

Who care enough

To share the stigma,

To stand with the queer and questioning

Stopping hate with compassion.

Silence is pride, LGBTQ pride…

Not letting the bullies win.

Claiming our right to be.

With dignity

Part of God’s rainbow.

Silence is prayer…

For Mary’s child.

Whenever any child is bullied,

Christ is bullied.

Whenever any child is called names,

Christ is called names.

Mary’s child said,

“Whatever you do to the least of these,

you do to me.”

With sighs too deep for words,

Listening in the silence

For the still small voice of God.

Amen.

Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The first Day of Silence was organized at the University of Virginia in response to a class assignment on non-violent protest. More than 8,000 schools have participated in the event, which is held every year in April.

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