Western Carolina UNITY group to sponsor anti-bullying event

Details: Category: News; Published on Tuesday, 05 April 2011 18:00; Written by Lara Landis; Hits: 539

Note: This article is part of a series Asexual News is running on bullying. Read the other installments here;

Unity, a student group at Western Carolina University plans to hold a “Day of Silence” on April 15. Zachary Reed, president of the UNITY group has invited Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Intersex, Transgendered and Asexual individuals to join him in the event, according to MountainX.com.

What makes UNITY’s attempt unique was the inclusion of groups not normally included in LGBT bullying discussions. While bullying can happen to anyone and does not happen to anyone group exclusively, Asexual people have often been left out of the discussions based on the assumption that Asexuals do not get bullied because of their orientation. As many Asexuals know, an Asexual may get bullied because of perceived social awkwardness or perceived orientation.

The proposed Day of Silence asks participants what they plan to do to end the silence. An event dubbed the ‘not-so-silent’ march will start at 5 p.m. Students gathered around the fountain plan to engage in screaming and yelling when the march ends around Sunset.