In light of the recent student suicides around the nation, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center is holding a vigil tomorrow night on Library Mall.
Following a brief introduction, there will be a moment of silence to recognize all those who have been touched by bullying and all the families and friends who have lost loved ones to suicide due to harassment and homophobia, said Robin Matthies, interim director of the LGBT Campus Center.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam said students, staff and community members will then be given the opportunity to share stories of how they have been impacted by bullying, how they helped someone who was bullied, how they will commit to stopping bullying on campus and similar experiences.
“The speak-out forum allows us to put a face to the true impact bullying has had on students, on our campus and in our community,” Matthies said. “These are serious stories of the pain families and friends have gone through, which we hope will drive home why this is important for the whole community to get involved with, not just a few people.”
Berquam said she believes by exposing students to this bullying issue now, UW is showing future teachers how to be a part of the solution.
Specifically, the vigil is a way for UW to acknowledge the struggle LGBT students here and around the country are currently having with their sexual identities, which will hopefully prevent suicide, Berquam said.
By sharing their stories, students will be able to not only validate their own experiences, but also become aware of and empathize with the circumstances LGBT students have dealt with and lived through.
“I hope the sympathy and empathy will send a charge through us to step up and stop the bullying here on campus and when we leave,” Berquam said. “We can bring this to our workplace, to our children and together interrupt this behavior; it is a lifelong journey in terms of addressing this.”
Both Matthies and Berquam said they do not anticipate insensitive disruptions at the vigil. However, if one were to occur, Matthies said it would only reinforce the importance of the vigil’s message.
