Georgetown students taking part in the National Day of Silence on Wednesday donned bright green T-shirts marked with the words “What are you doing to end the silence?” and refused to talk until a 5:30 p.m. barbecue that afternoon.

A handful of student groups, including MeCHA de Georgetown, the AIDS Coalition, GU Pride and the Georgetown University College Democrats, all joined the students in their support of the LGTBQ community by sponsoring the National Day of Silence.

Liz Fossett, president of the College Democrats, said that silence throughout the day was meant to represent those who are not usually heard. She called the day a success, pointing to over 100 university students who remained silent throughout the day, most members of the College Democrats.

Fosset called the LGTBQ community one of “many oppressed groups both on campus and around the world,” Fossett said. “We definitely hope that, in some way, we helped these people voice their concerns and beliefs.”

Nicolas Sementelli (SFS ’09), who sits on the Pride executive board, said that the Day of Silence was an enlightening experience.

“It was my first time doing the Day of Silence,” Sementelli said. “The silence that members of [the LGBTQ] community have to endure is something I’ll never fully understand, but participating yesterday gave me an insight.”

Sementelli said that the most poignant part of the day was when he wanted to be a part of normal conversation, but then realized that he had to remain silent.

“I found it was really difficult when I wanted to say something, and I just realized I couldn’t talk,” he said.

Rachel Cohen (COL ’09), a member of both the GU College Democrats and Pride, agreed that not being able to make conversation with friends around campus was an intense experience. She said that the national event illustrated the silence the LGTBQ community often experiences through discrimination or intolerance.

“It was a huge moment in my life,” she said.

Cohen said that while she had never been the victim of discrimination on campus, the majority of the LGTBQ community has had some difficultly finding acceptance at Georgetown. She said that the event was an important way to gain support for LGTBQ rights on campus.

“I came from a high school that wasn’t really accepting to a place with adults facing adult issues,” Cohen said. “But here at Georgetown we still have difficulty having discussion.”

Sementelli said that the Day of Silence helped raise awareness about the LGTBQ cause of equality and dignity on campus.

“I think that there was a pretty visible effect, especially from the shirts,” Semetelli said. “A lot of people learned something about what the day was all about.”

Fossett said that the ultimate goal of organizations such as College Democrats and Pride is equality among all groups, both on campus and around the world. “It is my hope that people on Georgetown’s campus will feel comfortable expressing themselves, regardless of sexual orientation or other characteristics,” Fossett said.

The National Day of Silence, first held at the University of Virginia in 1996, is a student-run, nationwide initiative aimed at “making anti-LGBT bullying and harassment unacceptable in schools,” according to https://www.dayofsilence.org