Many people helped to make members of the student body aware of the silence that lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender (glbt) people face daily by participating in the Day of Silence on Wednesday. Now, it is time to take the next step and focus on ending the silence.

Ending the silence means creating an environment where we actively show that it is as acceptable and normal for people to be glbt as it is for people to be straight. Ending the silence means letting glbt people know that we are supportive, and that we will stand up for them. This process can be as simple as not assuming everyone is straight in your circle of friends. Ask people if they have a significant other, rather than a boyfriend or girlfriend. Don't set up your friend with an opposite sex partner for a stranger dance unless you're sure he or she really wants to be set up with the opposite sex. Make people aware that you are sensitive to the possibility that people can be glbt.

Then, stand up for glbt rights. It should not be exclusively the glbt person's responsibility to stand up against hateful comments and to advocate inclusion of glbt issues. It can mean something as simple as correcting slurs against gays and lesbians or even not being afraid to say the word "gay." Earlier in the year, I was having dinner with a friend and her friends, whom I did not know. A man in the group made a joke about a gay man -- and the whole table laughed, except my friend, who looked at me rather apologetically.

I didn't say anything. But then, my straight friend didn't say anything either. Please tell your friends you will not tolerate homophobic comments. Stand up against hatred. We should do this whether we are gay or straight. glbt rights are human rights. Promoting glbt rights simply means you believe glbt people should have the same rights as everyone else -- to be treated as a complete human being. People say sometimes that they don't mind if people are glbt as long as they don't make a display of it. Well, consider how much of life involves our sexuality -- it's not just talking about sex. It's talking about our partners at work; it's telling those we live with or vacation with; it's discussing which "side of the family" we are going to spend holidays with. We would not ask heterosexuals to avoid these topics. Let's try together to make the standards equal for glbt people.

Sincerely,
Jessie Gilliam