Silence Day is an international youth protest action against discrimination, humiliation and violence towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.

This year the action takes place in 21 Russian cities. In Saint-Petersburg it was initiated by students of different universities and high schools. Action’s participants are to be silent and to hand out "telling cards" with the following text: "Please, understand why I am silent today. I participate in the Silence Day - the international youth protest movement against suppression of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) and their sympathizers. My deliberate silence is an echo of a greater silence caused by violence, persecution, prejudice and discrimination. I believe that the first step in a direction to eliminate these injustices would be to stop suppression and hushing up of problems in the lives of LGBT people. Please consider the voices that you do not hear today... What would you do to stop the silence?".

Valery Sozayev, Silence Day coordinator and active gay member says, "Homophobia harms not only LGBT people. Very often it harms the heterosexuals themselves. That’s why not only LGBT people but also heterosexuals who understand that homophobia, defamation and violence is bad, participate in the Silence Day".

For reference: in 2009 more that a hundred of people participated in Silence Day in Saint-Petersburg. They had their mouths glued with red tape and walked through Nevskiy avenue. This year other 21 Russian cities will held similar action - Arkhangelsk, Voronezh, Vladivostok, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Kemerovo, Kirov, Krasnodar, Moscow and others.

Translated by Yerdna Bananes