Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by Kittredge Cherry
A prayer by Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry is one of the few religious voices supporting Day of Silence, a global student-led protest of anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment. In 2024, it is renamed Day of (No) Silence and set for April 12, 2024. The new name encourages students to speak out and take action against more than 800 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in the United States in the previous year.
Russian LGBTQ activists were arrested at a 2019 Day of Silence demonstration where the prayer was read in St. Petersburg. Details posted after the prayer.
Christianity has been used to justify the harassment that Day of Silence seeks to prevent. The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family even organized an alternative event, Day of Dialogue, to urge students to speak up about “God’s design for sexuality.”
Once again religious faith gets wrongly equated with discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender expression. The Day of Silence prayer gives voice to the deeper truth that LGBTQ people are part of God’s good creation.
Signs appear saying “We say queer,” “We say gay” and “We say trans” in a Day of (No) Silence animation posted on Instagram by GLSEN in 2024.
Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence is sponsored in the United States by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The first Day of Silence was organized at the University of Virginia in response to a class assignment on non-violent protest. More than 8,000 schools have participated in the event, which is held every year in April. The idea was for students to take a day-long vow of silence to call attention to the silencing of LGBTQ students.
Silence is memory
Remembering those
Driven to suicide by bullies
Silence is action
Calling attention to those who are silenced
When bigotry is disguised as humor
Silence is solidarity
Students, family, teachers, friends
Who stand with the queer and questioning
Silence is pride, LGBTQ pride
Ignoring bullies,
Claiming our right to be
Part of God’s rainbow.
Silence is prayer
When any child is bullied,
Christ is bullied.
Listen in the silence
For God.
“For Mary’s Child: A Way of Hope” was posted by For Mary’s Child, a Facebook page calling on faith communities to support Day of Silence in 2015.
Silence is memory….
Remembering those who died young,
Driven to suicide by bullying
Or killed
Because of who they loved
Because of the way God created them
Because they were called
Gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer, sodomite…
Remembering Tyler Clementi, Leelah Alcorn, Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, Gwen Araujo, and many, many more. (Other names can be added here.)
Silence is action….
Calling attention to how people are silenced
When bigotry is disguised as humor,
When prejudice turns into threats
And even violence.
Silence is solidarity…
Students, family, teachers, friends
Who care enough
To share the stigma,
To stand with the queer and questioning
Stopping hate with compassion.
Silence is pride, LGBTQ pride…
Not letting the bullies win,
Claiming our right to be
With dignity
Part of God’s rainbow.
Silence is prayer…
For Mary’s child.
Whenever any child is bullied,
Christ is bullied.
Whenever any child is called names,
Christ is called names.
Mary’s child said,
“Whatever you do to the least of these,
you do to me.”
With sighs too deep for words,
Listening in the silence
For the still small voice of God.
Amen.
Books on LGBTQ youth ministry
BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens” by Leigh Finke (editor).
LGBTQ teens are assured that their queerness is part of God’s plan in this fun, enlightening and compassionate guide for young people ages 12 and up. A broad range of LGBTQ religious issues are covered, including Biblical arguments, church reactions, conversion therapy, and “queer icons of Christianity” such as saints Sebastian and Joan of Arc. Others on the queer icon list are Hildegard of Bingen, Perpetua and Felicity, and Michelangelo. Additional chapters cover definitions, self-care, coming out, consent, sex, being queer online and much more, with personal stories scattered throughout the text. The book ends with a helpful glossary and resource list. It is edited by religion writer Leigh Finke and written by a team of writers with expertise in ministry, mental health, art, education, and LGBTQ+ activism. Foreword by Jennifer Knapp, contemporary Christian music star who came out as lesbian. The companion book, “Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Teens,” helps adults learn to affirm LGBTQ Christian teens as God does. Published by Beaming Books, an imprint of 1517 Media in 2020.
BESTSELLER AT Q SPIRIT
“Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Youth” by Leigh Finke (editor).
Learn to affirm LGBTQ Christian teens as God does with this comprehensive guide. Topics include Biblical arguments, creating an affirming church culture, recognizing one’s own biases, definitions, dealing with parents, sex education, and much more. It is edited by religion writer Leigh Finke and written by a team of LGBTQ adults, with personal stories from queer youth. A section on “Queer People in the Early Church” has profiles of Aelred, Augustine of Hippo, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, and Joan of Arc. Foreword by bishop Kevin Strickland of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is the companion book to “Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: A Guide for LGBTQ+ Christian Teens.” Published by Broadleaf Books, an imprint of 1517 Media in 2020.
BESTSELLER AT JESUS IN LOVE / Q SPIRIT
“A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth” by Cody J. Sanders.
How can a church’s youth ministry have a positive impact on adolescents who struggle to live out their faith and their LGBTQIA orientation/identity? This guide for affirming congregations includes practical advice and a glossary. The author is pastor of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Harvard Square. Published by Westminster John Knox Press.
“Pastoral Care to and Ministry with LGBTQ Youth and Young Adults” by Arthur David Canales.
New ways for churches to support God’s queer young people are offered in a book that weaves together queer theology and successful practice: “Pastoral Care to and Ministry with LGBTQ Youth and Young Adults” by Arthur David Canales. It critiques the Bible’s anti-LGBTQ “texts of terror” and provides liberating interpretations of scriptures on homosexuality and transgender issues from a marginalized perspective. A practical framework shows how to provide pastoral care and support serving sexual minorities. The author describes himself as “a Hispanic, Catholic, pastoral and liberation theologian who specializes in youth and young adult ministry.” He is associate professor of pastoral theology and ministry at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Published by Wipf and Stock, 2022.
“Made, Known, Loved: Developing LGBTQ-Inclusive Youth Ministry” by Ross Murray.
Churches can learn how to affirm LGBTQ teens in this guide based on a youth ministry with 15+ years of success. The author is founding director of The Naming Project, a faith-based youth ministry and summer camp for LGBTQ young people and allies. He is also an ELCA deacon who works at the GLAAD Media Institute. Published in April 2021 by Fortress Press, the official publisher for the Lutheran (ELCA) Church.
“Making Space for Queer-Identifying Religious Youth” by Yvette Taylor.
A scholar charts the experiences, choices and identities of LGBTQ youth in inclusive churches. Sexuality and religion are seen as mutual paths that can help youth manage marginalization, discrimination and other issues. The author is education professor at the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom and has held posts at universities in Australia, Canada and the United States. Published by Palgrave.
Russians arrested at Day of Silence protest
Openly gay priest Aleksandr Khmelyov read a Russian translation of the Day of Silence Prayer in St. Petersburg, Russia, as part of a demonstration for LGBTQ rights. Police arrested 11 demonstrators there at the annual Day of Silence protest on April 17, 2019.
Police confront openly gay priest Aleksandr Khmelyov in St. Petersburg at the Day of Silence demonstration
According to news reports, police began arresting activists as they walked on Nevsky Prospect toward the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood with their mouths covered by red tape.
Day of Silence Day Prayer translations
Day of Silence Day Prayer in Russian:
Молитва на день молчания
Translated by Benjamin Werther for the Association of Christian Eucharistic Communities, Община ACEC «Матерь Солидарности» in St. Petersburg. Also posted at Nuntiare.org.
Молитва на день молчания (короткая версия)
Авторка: Kittredge Cherry
Переводчик: Веня Вертер
Молчание – это память.
Мы вспоминаем тех, кого довели до суицида травлей.
Молчание – это действие.
Мы призываем обратить внимание на тех, о ком молчат,
когда нетерпимость выдаётся за шутку.
Молчание – это солидарность.
Солидарность семей,
учениц и учеников,
учительниц и учителей,
подруг и друзей –
в том, чтобы стоять рядом с квир-людьми
и с теми, кто находится в поиске.
Молчание – это гордость, ЛГБТК-гордость.
Несмотря на ненавистников,
мы заявляем, что имеем право быть частью радуги, созданной
Богом.
Молчание – это молитва.
Травля любого ребёнка – это травля Христа.
Прислушайтесь к молчанию
ради Бога.
*************
Молчание – это молитва.
Травля любого ребёнка – это травля Христа.
Прислушайтесь к молчанию
ради Бога.
Молитва на день молчания (длинная версия)
Китридж Черри
Молчание – это память.
Вспомним тех, кто умерли молодыми,
тех, кого довели до суицида травлей,
тех, кто были убиты
за то, кого они любили, за то, какими Бог создал их,
за то, что их называли
геями, лесбиянками, бисексуальными, трансгендерными, квирами –
содомитами.
вспомним Тайлера Клементи, Лилу Алхорн, Брендона Тину, Мэтью
Шепарда, Гвен Араухо, Хейли Фентресс, Пейдж Моравец и многих,
многих других.
Молчание – это действие.
Мы призываем обратить внимание на то, что
когда нетерпимость выдаётся за шутку,
когда предубеждения переходят в угрозы
и даже в насилие,
о людях молчат.
Молчание – это солидарность.
Солидарность семей,
учениц и учеников,
учительниц и учителей,
подруг и друзей,
которым не всё равно –
в том, чтобы стоять рядом с квир-людьми
и с теми, кто находится в поиске,
разделить с ними стигму,
состраданием остановить ненависть.
Молчание – это гордость, ЛГБТК-гордость.
Мы не позволим ненавистникам победить.
Мы заявляем, что имеем право с гордостью быть частью радуги,
созданной Богом.
Молчание – это молитва за ребёнка Богоматери.
Травля любого ребёнка – это травля Христа.
Слова ненависти, сказанные любому ребёнку, сказаны Христу. Потому что Он сказал: “Так как вы сделали это одному из братьев
Моих меньших, то сделали Мне”.
Вздохи слишком глубоки, чтобы говорить.
В молчании мы прислушиваемся к голосу Бога, и это голос ребёнка.
Аминь.
Day of Silence Day Prayer in Portuguese:
Oração apoiando o Dia do Silêncio
Translated by Deco Ribeiro for Temple de Antinoo Brasil
Alterando um pouco a Oração apoiando o Dia do Silêncio, um protesto estudantil contra o bullying a jovens LGBT que acontece hoje (15 de abril) em todo o mundo (escrito por Kittredge Cherry e traduzido por Deco Ribeiro):
Silêncio é memória
Lembrando daqueles
Que se suicidaram por causa do bullying.
Silêncio é ação
Chamando atenção àqueles que são silenciados
Quando o preconceito é disfarçado de humor.
Silêncio é solidariedade
Estudantes, famílias, professores, amigos
Que se levantam em apoio aos que questionam a norma.
Silêncio é orgulho, orgulho LGBT
Ignorando agressores,
Lutando por nosso direito de sermos
Parte do Arco de Íris.
Silêncio é oração
Quando uma criança sofre bullying,
Antínoo sofre bullying.
Ouça no silêncio
Ave Antinovs.
Day of Silence Day Prayer in Spanish:
Día del Silencio
Translated by Diego M. Pizone
Oración por Kittredge Cherry
Traducción de Diego M. Pizone
El silencio es la memoria ….
Recordando a los que murieron joven,
Suicidándose debido a la intimidación
o asesinados
Debido a quienes amaban
Debido a la forma en que Dios los creó
Debido a que fueron llamados
Gay, lesbiana, bi, trans, raro, sodomita …
Recordando a Tyler Clementi, Leelah Alcorn, Brandon Teena, Matthew Shepard, Gwen Araujo, Haylee Fentress, Paige Moravetz, y muchos, muchos más.
El silencio es la acción ….
Llamando la atención sobre cómo se silencia a las personas
Cuando la intolerancia se disfraza de humor,
Cuando el perjuicio se convierte en amenazas
E incluso la violencia.
El silencio es la solidaridad …
Estudiantes, familiares, profesores, amigos
Que se han preocupado
Para compartir el estigma,
De estar junto al extraño y al cuestionamiento
Deteniendo el odio con compasión.
El silencio es el orgullo, el orgullo de LGBTQ …
No dejando que los agresores ganen.
Reclamando nuestro derecho a ser.
Con dignidad
Parte del arco iris de dios.
El silencio es la oración …
Para el hijo de María.
Siempre que cualquier niño está siendo intimidado,
Cristo es intimidado.
Siempre que cualquier niño sea llamado por diversos nombres,
Cristo es llamado por esos nombres.
El hijo de María, dijo,
“Hagan lo que hagan al más pequeño de éstos,
A mí me haces “.
Con gemidos de palabras,
El escuchar en el silencio
Para la pequeña voz de Dios.
Amén.
___
Related link:
Spirit Day: Stand up to bullying of LGBTQ youth
___
This post is part of the LGBTQ Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBTQ history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and our allies.
This article was originally published on Q Spirit in April 2017, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on April 10, 2024.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.
