UWI students in day of silence against bullying

Ten people clad in white or red T-shirts stood or sat opposite UWI’s Alma Jordan Library yesterday with strips of red tape over their mouths, faces, or throats, and remained silent in a symbolic protest. They were demonstrating against the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens.  

The Silver Lining Foundation held its day of silence at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies yesterday. By 12 pm the board they had set up was full of inspirational quotations and sayings such as “Stay strong, there is a rainbow after every storm.”

Students and supporters such as Colin Robinson of the Coalition Advocating for the Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO) were seen around campus also wearing pieces of red tape. Although as far as the foundation was concerned, the activity was successful, there were members of the student body who felt the event should have been better advertised.

Many people on campus were not aware of the protest. Jaleesa, a 23-year-old social sciences student, felt, “If it was a bit more widespread more people would have taken part.” The Faculty of Social Sciences was not aware of the silent protest, and neither was the Marketing and Communications Department, which asked the foundation to end it at 2 pm instead of 6 pm as scheduled.