In April, Venice High observes several days including Day of Silence, Denim Day, and Pink Day. These events have become more important for students here at Venice.

April 12 was Pink Day, which is a very important for the LGBTQIA+ community. It highlights the issue of transphobia and homophobia. The Venice community on this day was encouraged to wear pink to support the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Pink Day shows that there is support for queer youth in educational environments, and it provides a safe space that some students might not have at home,” said senior CJ Rivera.

Day of Silence is a day in which some students choose to take a vow of silence out of respect for the LGBTQIA+ community, who frequently endure challenges because of their identities. This day helps them feel heard and seen. This year, Day of Silence was April 14. 

Magnet Coordinator Cris Vicente said that this day helps people speak up for what they believe. 

“When we can’t speak because it’s too tough or too difficult, we need to also call on friends for support. It’s important to have our friends and to trust others to help us,” Vicente said.

Rivera said Day of Silence is important for students and they represent others of the community.

“It represents the oppression that students in the LGBTQ community face—especially if they are a person of color—go through,and this is one of the few active protests that anyone can do to support the movement,” they said.

Venice then observed Denim Day April 26, which is an event by Margaret’s Place. Denim Day is a day of awareness about the destructive attitudes surrounding sexual assault, such as victim blaming.  Denim Day is very important to the survivers that have been raped.

According to senior Dalina Santillana, the president of Margaret’s Place, Denim Day came about after a girl was sexually assaulted by a driving instructor. When they brought it to court, she was blamed for provoking the instructor, because she was wearing jeans.

Rivera is someone who participated in Denim Day at Venice. 

”As a survivor, I think the intention is there to show support for victims of sexual violence, but I dont think it is enough. Everyone has at least one pair of jeans—they are pretty cheap to get in stores like Sears or Macy’s. I think if we truly wanted to show support for victims of sexual assault and rape, there needs to be a more efficient way in telling the origins of Denim Day.”

Vicente thinks Denim Day is about teaching others the basics of saying no.

“No means no—and it does not matter what someone wears if someone says no. Iit means no,” he said. 

These days are needed to remember what people often go through on campus, Vicente said.

“We need to make sure that we do remind students and everyone to support each other,” he said.