A Stitch in Haste

(Introductory note: Ten years later, and we still have to write pieces such as this. How sad…)

I found this hilarious:

For the last several years, the Religious Right has been complaining about GLSEN’s annual “Day of Silence” in which students pledge to “be quiet all day to protest the discrimination, harassment and abuse — in effect, the silencing — faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and their allies in schools.”

Among those most active in fighting the “Day of Silence” has been the Alliance Defense Fund which launched its own counter mobilization effort called “The Day of Truth” because, as they see it, “the Day of Silence is a misnomer, because what is truly being silenced is the Truth.”

Ignore for the moment the pesky fact that the Day of Silence folks advise participating students not to press the issue in the classroom setting itself, unless the teacher is willing to accommodate it (for a student to refuse to answer a question is, somehow, considered “disruptive” and therefore not entitled to First Amendment protection as originally laid down in Tinker v. Des Moines). That’s another blogpost.

Ignore also the equally pesky fact that the “Day of Truth” is no way the “equal and opposite” response to the Day of Silence. The messages, “we face obstacles” and “you are sinners” are not equal and opposite and are not entitled to equal standing in a school setting, as the bigots would have you think:

“Unlike the Day of Silence, on which students are supposed to refuse to speak to teachers and school administrators, the Day of Truth does not call for students to engage in activities which are likely to disrupt the school’s academic mission,” [the ADF's CEO] explained. “It is a day to speak the truth in a polite, winsome, and attractive manner, not a day to cause hardship.”

The ADF’s idea of “polite, winsome and attractive” is, incidentally, to hand out cards summarily accusing all gays of — their words — “detrimental personal and social behavior.”

In any case, it is beyond perverse to suggest, as the bigots do, that highlighting the existence of a hostile environment (the Day of Silence) is the functional equivalent of creating a hostile environment (the Day of Truth).

(This was also the horrendous error the noteworthy — “notorious” is a better word these days — Seventh Circuit judge Richard Posner made in a recent “anti-gay t-shirt” case.)

Anyway, here’s what you shouldn’t ignore:

On October 21st, people from all over this nation will give up their voices for a day in solidarity for these [unborn] children. Red arm bands and duct tape will identify them as taking part in the Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity. They will carry fliers explaining why they are silent and educate others about the plight of the innocent children we are losing every day.

But surely this “Day of Silent Solidarity” is not meant for students in a school setting, right? That would be “disruptive,” right?

We need to keep track of how many people participate and how many schools are involved with the event. The only required information is your school name and state.
…
We suggest that you talk to your school staff and let them know that you will be participating in this day. You have a legal right and the school cannot stop you from doing this or from distributing the flyers.

The event is not only targeting schools, it is exclusively targeting schools. Go figure.

And for students who choose to elevate their principles above the interests of the greater school community?

If your school harasses you about participating in the Pro-life Day of Silent Solidarity we can help you. The lawyers at the Alliance Defense Fund have put together a letter for you which explains your rights.

So when pro-life students participate in a day of silence, ADF’s focus is on supporting “your” rights. But when anti-bigotry students participate in a day of silence, ADF’s focus is on opposing “special” rights. Go figure.

When they say it’s not about bigotry, they lie.

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