Students within The Hudson High community will be participating in the Day of Silence on Friday, May 3.

The Day of Silence “provides awareness for the LGBT people who have been silenced in their lives,” members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) said.

HHS has been participating in this event for five years, but nationally it has been going on for eleven years.

“It’s very heartwarming to participate in,” junior Casey Carlino explained, “to express your care, as well as helping the school and community around it to be more welcoming.”

Though this day is supposed to bring a sense of unity, it doesn’t always turn out that way.

“The people participating felt more connected and part of something, like they were not alone in the situation,” history teacher Caitlin Murphy said, “But in the school population, it is the opposite, there are more negative feelings and people who comment and criticize.”

The participation in this day varies every year, but in the past, they have gotten up to 120 students involved.

“I participate for personal reasons,” Carlino said, “I have very close friends who have been faced with extreme homophobia and transphobia, to the point of physical violence.”

Students who are participating are asked to remain silent on Friday, May 3rd from the moment classes begin until 1:10, students who have participated are then able to go into the mini theatre and discuss what they have learned from the day.

“It’s a very eye-opening experience,” Carlino said, “in a way when staying silent it really gives a wake-up call to what so many go through on a daily basis.”

If you are interested you can sign up during lunches or talk to Murphy in F203, to find out more information make sure to visit the official Day of Silence website.