Golden Rule Pledge 2010
The Day of Silence is being observed on Friday, April 16 this year.
On the Day of Silence, many young people around the nation will remain silent at school in order to bring attention to name-calling, bullying and harassment of gay and lesbian students in schools. When other students ask about the reason for their silence, many will hand out a card with the following message:
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.
DAY of SILENCE – What are you going to do to end the Silence?
We believe these students are asking for and should receive an answer to their question. We believe the answer should be a commitment to mutual respect and safety. The Golden Rule Pledge provides an way to communicate that pledge of respect. In reply to the question asked on the Day of Silence card, students can offer a verbal pledge to treat others with respect and/or a silent reply with a Golden Rule Pledge card.
Some Christian and conservative groups called for a boycott of the Day of Silence in 2008 and 2009, in some cases leading to loud protests. Many of the same groups are calling for a similar boycott this year. Still others are organizing what they call a “Day or Truth.” The DOT event seeks to inform gay students that Christianity does not approve of homosexual behavior via the wearing of T-shirts and passing out of cards. This year this event is being held on April 15, the day before the Day of Silence. We believe this event builds more walls than bridges.
We seek a different approach. The Golden Rule Pledgers will show up at school on both the 15th and 16th and live out the teaching of Christ to treat others as they want to be treated. Rather than engage in debates over beliefs about homosexuality, we advocate a pledge to live by the Golden Rule. This can be offered verbally and/or by giving out a Golden Rule Pledge card.
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The Golden Rule Pledge on CBN
This brief report aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network on April 17.
Hero by Superchick
This song is emblematic of the Golden Rule Pledge.
Golden Rule Pledge endorsements
DOWNLOAD THE PLEDGE CARDS BY CLICKING THIS LINK
The Golden Rule Pledge has been endorsed by several evangelical leaders. Here are just three…
Andrew Marin, president of the Marin Foundation and author of the new book, Love is an Orientation, recently wrote to endorse the Golden Rule Pledge. Marin said:
I am a full believer in the Golden [...]
Contacting the Goldren Rule Pledge organizers
For quick information regarding the Golden Rule Pledge, use this email address:
warrenthrockmorton@gmail.com
Download the Golden Rule Pledge cards
We have the Golden Rule Pledge cards via .pdf file here. This year we have them in various colors and black and white.
Just print them on card stock (or the paper of choice), cut them out and you are ready to go.
Multiple colors background option
Red background option one
Red background option two
Black and white option [...]
Golden Rule Pledge – How about something really different?
Golden Rule Pledge – How about something really different?
Warren Throckmorton, PhD
On April 17, 2008 thousands of high school and college students will attempt to remain silent during parts of the school day to bring awareness to bullying and harassment of gay, lesbian and bisexually identified students. In its 12th year, this student-run event, called [...]
Golden Rule Pledge 2009
The Day of Silence is being observed on Friday, April 17 this year.
The Golden Rule Pledge remains an option for students who do not feel a part of the Day of Silence event to engage in a positive and safe response. Some Christian and conservative groups called for a boycott of the Day of [...]
Golden Rule Pledge on the Day of Silence: University of North Carolina-Greensboro
Meryl P. is a youth leader, student at UNC-G and a singer-songwriter. She wrote to me here her experience on the Day of Silence (4/25/08). She also helped some of her youth group to pledge the Golden Rule. These reports will come in a separate post.
For me, it was an incredible day. The Lord [...]
Day of Silence and Golden Rule Pledge at Appalachian State University
I want to share one very early report of efforts on the Day of from Jordyne Krumroy, a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. Jordyne was an early supporter of the Golden Rule Pledge and as you will see, used it as a springboard to mobilize Christian groups on her campus for [...]
