April 18 is the 11th Annual Day of Silence.

The Day of Silence is an annual event held to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination in schools. Students and teachers nationwide will observe the day in silence to echo the silence that LGBT and ally students face everyday. In it's 11th year, the Day of Silence is one of the largest student-led actions in the country.

Pittsburgh's chapter of GLSEN leads the charge on the student-driven effort to educate and empower their fellow students around LGBT bias in America's schools and the school systems. 

So what happens?  Essentially, participants remain silent that day in solidarity with those who are "silenced" because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or alliance with the LGBT students.  According to the national website, more than half a million students have participated over the past ten years.

Why do we need a Day of Silence?GLSEN?s 2005 National School Climate Survey found that 4 out of 5 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety. The Day of Silence helps bring us closer to making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and name-calling unacceptable in America?s schools.

The Day of Silence is a call to action. Students can use this day, as well as other GLSEN Days of Action, as a means of achieving an ?ask.? An ask is a very specific action that calls for a change in school policies, climate, and culture to achieve a larger goal of safe schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Some examples of an ask include: adding sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in your school?s non-discrimination or anti-harassment policy, or training teachers to respond effectively to anti-LGBT bullying, harassment, and name-calling.

Here's a good example of why this day is so important.  Christian-opponents have begun organizing "Days of Truth" to spread their message of gay-intolerance in the schools.  They believe that the learning environment should not respect or protect the rights of all students to pursue an education without harassment or discrimination.  They twist this into a Christianity versus homosexuality situation and have gone to court to force school districts to recognize their free speech and freedom of religion in this context.  The schools are backing down because its a fine line.

What's interesting is the Christo arguement that a Day of Silence impedes their free speech.  Ironic, no? 

Check out the GLSEN website and take a moment on April 18 to contemplate all the ways in which you are silenced. 

Well, I got one out of seven right.  LOL.  Sarah Claire will be part of the 2007 PrideFest Entertainment lineup.  Another local fav that I forgot to put in my list is Tracy Drach. 

Here's the rest of the lineup and it looks rather interesting ... a little reggae/ska, a little folk music and a comedian from the national scene. 

Dreams of Hope

Cindy Shaffer (organizer of Celebrate the Night)

Sasha - Miss Pittsburgh 2007

Renaissance City Choir

The Flow Band - what's better on a June afternoon than some reggae by the river?

Eric Himan  - a Pittsburgh boy done good on the national scene

The comedian is Poppy Champlin who is billed as the lovechild of Ellen Degeneres and Dennis Leary.  Hmm. Her website looks interesting, but I'm still torn. Tapping into local talent seems really important to building community, but tapping into national names is also important into building the event which builds community.  Decisions, decisions.

Overall, I'm looking forward to PrideFest.  That evening there's a sort of street festival planned (I think by the Tavern Guild).  Whole bunch of behind the scenes rumors floating around about that which I am investigating.  Apparently, they are bringing in Bruce Villanch and Tiffany (yes, the mall princess of the 80's). 

I don't think an alcohol laced street festival is my personal style, but at least its something ...and hopefully, there will be the 2nd Annual Dyke March Friday before PrideFest. 

I can't believe PrideFest is only two months away.

My favorite headline of recent days ...

Dennis Miller leads a pack of hosts pining for a fan base that's young, smart, sassy and male

Not sure how many yinzers want to be chalked up as sassy males, but you never know.  I've been wrong about these things before. 

Has anyone listened to the Zone?  Thoughts?  Comments?  I do have to point out that I made my break into Pittsburgh radio on the original The Zone 98.7 out of Charleroi.  I was on the sister AM station but occasionally sat in for a segment or two.  I digress.

I can't listen to McIntire's show b/c I'm at work and would get fired for hoo-haa discussions on my radio.  Plus Thom Hartmann is on during that time slot and I LOVE Thom Hartmann -- just picked up his new book at the library.  So in a sick sort of way the hoo-haa debate makes me choice easy.  LOL.   I'm not gonna listen to Dennis Miller. I did tune in to hear Scott Paulsen talk with Tom Sokoloski -- that was an interesting segment. 

Inquiring lesbians want to know if The Zone brings out the sassy in its listeners.  That's something we'd have to investigate. 

He's my 120 lb baby.  And he was the runt of the litter ...

Fear not!  I was on vacation last week, but spent my time cleaning out my empty house and preparing for the arrival of Pittsburgh's newest lesbian, B.  I inhaled enough dust, cleaning fluid and spider webs to bring down the mightiest of women, but persevered in the knowledge that I could spend this week going back to work AND cleaning the house in which I actually live.  Oh Joy!

Stuff has happened while I've been gone.  No, I haven't listened to John McIntire's new radio program -- unfortunately, I am at work and it is not really work appropriate topicishly.  Sigh.  So I just have to be content with all the gossip from you guys.  I understand he is a self-styled lesbian flipper.  You don't see much lesbian flipping these days so that's something I'd like to watch.  With popcorn, of course.  And maybe an ice cold Coke. 

Dav-y-oe was on Lynn Cullen's show today.  Also missed that one because of work.  Darn pesky work.  Imagine those foster kids needing homes and funding and services when I'm trying to listen to progressive talk radio.  Darn kids!

Ledcat and I went to see Blades of Glory this weekend.  Hys-teri-ical. Emphasis on the hyphens.  I was high on sushi so no popcorn, but trust me -- funny laugh out loud stuff.  Not funny cerebral stuff.  But a great send up of manly homophobia.  Dynamite!

I watched like 10 seconds of news last week.  I did read For Better or For Worse in the paper everyday -- April turned 16.  I also went to the Carnegie Library one morning and copied my great-grandmother's obituary. I have to prove she's dead to the folks at the Catholic Diocese Research Chapel in order to get her baptismal certificate.  My grandmother, her daughter, suggested I take her in as proof -- Gma is 90! So anyway, I got a chance to check out their geneaologial section which is pretty cool.  I've traced my family back as far as about 1700ish on some branches.  Basically, we've been in Pittsburgh (or Pennsylvania in general) for at least 6 or 7 generations.  I've even discovered I qualify for the Daughters of the American Revolution, which I would love to join just to lord it over my snooty aunt.  But I can't do that.  I'm not sure they acknowledge that patriots sired lesbians.  Oh, blunderbuss!

Ledcat and I also caught a show at the Brillobox two weekends ago.  It was funny, but I felt kind of sad.  You know when you show up at a party and all the hosts sort of talk to each other after giving you a perfunctory "thanks for coming" brush off? That's how it went down that evening.  It is like I am interesting enough to pay money to come here (SMOKING ALLOWED btw), but not interesting enough for a real conversation.  I could have stayed home and watched 60 Minutes and Cold Case during that time slot.  But instead I ate quasi-Italian food and parallel parked in Lawrenceville -- to be ignored.  Sigh.  It was probably a combination of PMS and a mood swing, but it still felt crappy.  I think I'm going to keep the smoking/non-smoking barrier as a protective aura for my self-esteem when I go to these things.  Non-smoking venues are filled with people who smile and chat and discuss and emote.  Smoking venues are filled with people who hack, cough, posture and cop attitudes.  Overly simplistic perhaps, but it works for me.  Plus, the mood swing thing seems under control.  I did resist the urge to stand up, give the peformers the old man fist shake and rail against myspacemania.  But only because Ledcat duct taped my hands to the chair. 

That's pretty much the news from Lesbian Central. I have a lot of blogs to read tomorrow.  Sigh.  Plus, that pesky work to do.  And get ready for the great Easter trek to my cousin's house in Dormont. Those streets always confuse me.  And just when I learned my way to G. Street, they move the dinner to her fiance's house around the corner and through three traffic lights.  What the hell is that about?  You don't move Easter dinner.  You just don't.