If you know me, you’ll know that I do not have the physical ability to keep my mouth shut for more than 30 seconds; so why would I ever want to keep quiet for an entire day? Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens are being verbally and physically abused every day.

But it isn’t just about LGBT teens, but many teens have been physically or verbally abused by their race, ethnicity, religion, creed or anything that makes them different. But why should we care? On April 6, 2009, 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover committed suicide due to LGBT bullying.

The saddest thing about this is that this story has happened over and over and over. One year, a gay student asked another male to the prom, and the student’s friend shot him and killed him. I overheard a student at our school say, “That kid had no right to hit on him.  He deserved what he got.”

So how could one person make a difference? Awareness, show that you care, show that you don’t agree with the statement “that’s so gay.” So next time you’re about to mindlessly make fun of someone because of their sexuality or just call them a “synonym” for stupid, think about it.