Students hold silent vigil for gay rights

Numerous Blair student groups sponsored a silent vigil to protest the proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage. Organizers estimated that approximately 250 students and staff participated, standing silently in a line outside of the SAC on March 26.

"[Students demonstrated] to oppose any amendment that would infringe on the rights of Americans," said freshman Adam Yalowitz, one of the organizers of the event and member of Students for Global Responsibility. "We stand in solidarity with the gay and lesbian community in their struggle for equal protection under the law," he added. According to Yalowitz, the majority of the demonstrators were not gay or lesbian. "You don't have to be gay to support gay rights, just like you don't have to be black to support civil rights, or female to support women's rights," he said.

Yalowitz believes that showing support for the gay and lesbian community in high schools is very important, because in high school, "kids are starting to realize that they may be gay or lesbian, and they might be facing trouble trying to come out." The specific act of silence was designed to represent silence that many gays and lesbians must keep before revealing their sexual orientation. The event was reminiscent of the Day of Silence, which was sponsored by the Gay-Straight Alliance in previous years. The national Day of Silence is scheduled for April 21.

Students also circulated a petition which expressed support for gays and lesbians and condemned any law or constitutional amendment that would "infringe upon the rights of the gay and lesbian community and all Americans." According to Yalowitz, the petition will also be circulated during lunch on March 29.

The event was organized by the Students for Global Responsibility and supported by Amnesty International, the Gay-Straight Alliance, the Young Democrats, the ACLU Chapter, Diversity Workshop, Responsible Individuals of Tomorrow and Angeni.