Bullying at school continues to ruin the lives of many young students all across America. It is an age-old problem that, as a society, we have not managed to properly address, and each year dozens of young men and women drop out of school, society, or commit suicide as a result.

For students who may be questioning their sexuality, or who are having a hard time coming to terms with the defined roles of their gender that society demands, life is a whole lot tougher.

For young lesbian, gay and transgender students, the hallways and playgrounds of school can be a lonely place.

A study by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found that more than 9 out of 10 lesbian, gay and transgender students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 30 percent report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety.

Homophobic slurs, such as “that is so gay,” and worse, are a widely accepted part of our dialect, and most students have little understanding of the difficult sexuality and identity issues their peers deal with every day.

But at the Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus (PCFC), that ain’t gonna fly.

This Friday, more than 60 students will take part in a nationally organized demonstration to protest the bullying, harassment, and name-calling of their fellow students due to their sexual orientation, race and ethnicity.

The Day of Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-lesbian, gay or transgender bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in American’s schools.

Participating students will wear a card on their backpack that says “I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices.”

Sounds like a convenient way to avoid a teacher’s question? Not quite.

“We will be silent for the whole day, but are allowed to speak if we are asked a direct question by a teacher,” said PCFC student Andra Marinescu. She said that homophobic remarks and behavior were sometimes a part of school culture, and that many students did not think of the impact of their words and actions on people whose sexuality did not fit in with society’s accepted norms.

“A lot of people in my classes don’t believe in things like gay rights, and some are definitely homophobic,” she said. “There is a lot of bias out there. If not for events like this, students who feel bullied or alienated will feel like they don’t have any support. Hopefully, we will encourage people to think about what they are saying, and to not just toss words around casually that do hurt people.”

Fellow ninth grader Priya Malhotra said that each day this week, a fact about the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay and transgender students

was read out during morning announcements – such as: those students are two to six times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Is this type of harassment a problem at your school?

“Yeah, it is,” Malhotra said. “You hear things in the hallway. I hope that the Day of Silence will make people realize that this affects more people than they think.”

Malhotra and Marinescu are part of the school’s Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA), a group of about 20 students who want to promote unity amongst their peers, regardless of their sexuality, and combat the stereotypes which often lead to bullying and harassment.

Teacher Shannon Henderson staff advisor to the student GSA, said the message of the Day of Silence was about being more conscious of others.

“So we say things like, ‘your homework can’t be gay, but your best friend might be,'” she said. “It’s about understanding that the people around you can be different from you, and being sensitive to that.”

PCFC has had a GSA group since the school opened five years ago. Henderson said that the mere existence of the group was a vital support for many, at an age when most young people are scared to be open about their sexuality.

“I tell the students, nobody is going to come up to you and say ‘thanks for supporting me,'” she said. “But I have had e-mails from past students, now that they have left the school, that said ‘it meant a lot to me – that support was really important and I am forever grateful.'”

Although, that support will go unspoken on Friday, the students of PCFC are getting their message of tolerance and unity across loud and clear.

For more information about Day of Silence, visit www.dayofsilence.org.