The day demonstrates that when individuals are homophobic and oppressive toward gay people, it makes us feel that our sexual orientation and identity is being silenced. For me, personally, it's an exciting and empowering way to stand up against homophobia.

As many as half of the participants were straight allies, and they consider themselves part of the gay community even though they themselves are not gay. One of my goals next year as V.P. of Multicultural Affairs is to make the Day of Silence even more visible.

I was raised around heterosexuals, as all heterosexuals are, that's where us gay people come from... you heterosexuals.

It was like 9-11 or the Holocaust for gay men. It not only destroyed us, but it made people to recognize that we were really there and that we really were part of the world and that we think, feel and react like anyone else.

One of the things that happens for the gay population is threatening to out people at their jobs, threatening to out people in their communities. People have felt that there is no protection ... because it's via the Internet.

The day [ Darrell died] was the 9/11 of rock. A little of us died that day, too.