The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network held a rally on the Capitol Steps Wednesday after maintaining a national Day of Silence to protest discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
High school students all across Wisconsin traveled to Madison to share how their Day of Silence went at school and how many signatures they had collected for a civil-rights petition. The petition calls for school boards to add “gender identity” and “gender protection” to non-discrimination laws already in place in schools. The students gathered at least 1,123 signatures from their high school classmates and teachers, according to an announcement during the rally.
Madison East High School student Brianna Buhr said most people were nice about her commitment to stay silent throughout the day, but that others would try to get her to talk.
Discrimination occurs more often than most people realize, according to students from Marshall High School.
Marshall High senior Chris Fischer said he experiences discrimination against his sexual preference all the time during school.
“It happens every day,” Fischer said. “I’ll walk down the hall, and people will yell out ‘faggot.'”
Marshall High junior Angie Remington marveled that she could openly wear a rainbow ribbon in Madison.
“You wouldn’t think of doing that in a small town like Marshall,” she said.
Despite Remington’s enthusiasm, discrimination still pervades the Madison campus, according to UW student Lilia Williams. She said people have frequently thrown things at her and taunted her because of her identity.
“We have this idealism of Madison, but we have to acknowledge the fact that students get harassed on our campus,” Williams said.
Alder-elect Austin King said Madison has a better climate for LGBT students than most of the smaller towns in Wisconsin but is not perfect.
“The negative aspect is the apathy that is ushered in,” King said. “The idea of the disappearance of homophobia in Madison is hugely false.”
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and District 27 Dane County Board supervisor Kyle Richmond presented ordinances they passed in the city and county to make the annual April 9 Day of Silence official.
Verveer said he was touched that even the most conservative members of the City Council spoke eloquently in favor of the ordinance.
“I can’t thank you enough, from the bottom of my heart.” Verveer said to the audience.
GLSEN is the largest national network of individuals working to end anti-LGBT discrimination.
