On this Day of Silence, I'm thinking about how the words of a few can have a lasting and dangerous impact on the lives of many. I'm thinking about how some people think it's okay to say "that's so gay" as long as there aren't any gay people around. I'm thinking about how people can justify using the term "Lezzy Hipster" in a school newspaper by calling it satire, without thinking of its broader implications. I'm thinking about how language can be used to silence, to stereotype, to isolate, to alienate, and to dismiss entire groups of people. I'm thinking about how, after our language dismisses a group of people, it becomes easier to treat that group as less than human...about how theoretical separation can turn into physical violence.
In his book The Language of Oppression, Haig Bosmajian states that, "The importance, significance, and ramifications of naming and defining people cannot be over-emphasized." That, "while names, words, and language can be and are used to inspire us, to motivate us to humane acts, to liberate us, they can also be used to dehumanize human beings and to 'justify' their suppression and even their extermination." That, "just as our thoughts affect our language, so does our language affect our thoughts and eventually our actions and behavior."
Can words hurt me? You bet! Freedom of speech is such an easy shield to throw up as a way to protect hate speech...and hate speech creates irreparable harm. On this Day of Silence, I'm thinking about how we all have an ethical obligation to protect free speech, but to also consider the ethics of that speech, and to question whether the satirical value of our words can outweigh the very real, heart-breaking violence that speech can incite.
Finally, I'm thinking about Bosmajian's call to action. He states, "One way for us to curtail the use of the language of oppression is for those who find themselves being defined into subjugation to rebel against such linguistic suppression." That we should, "identify the decadence in our language, the inhumane uses of language, the 'silly words and expressions' which have been used to justify the unjustifiable, to make palatable the unpalatable, to make reasonable the unreasonable, to make decent the indecent."
I am hopeful that the silence of those who participated today can help end the silence of our LGBT community in the future.
To find out more about the Day of Silence, please visit the Day of Silence website.