Students around the country participate in Day of Silence on Friday

On Friday, students around the country will be staying silent to speak out.

Almost 9 out of 10 LGBTQ students experience harassment at school. Because of the challenges that LGBTQ students face every day such as name-calling and bullying, students are participating in a Day of Silence to show respect and support.

The Day of Silence was first organized by a group of college students in 1996. Today hundreds of thousands of students participate in schools and on social media through education organization GLSEN.

There are many different ways that school groups participate, according to GLSEN. You can stay silent for the whole day, organize a silent march through the halls or even take a vow of silence on social media. Some groups host a "Breaking the Silence" rally or workshop.

No matter what students do, GLSEN encourages them to coordinate with school administrators and to understand that Day of Silence doesn't exclude anyone from class participation.

If there are no groups at your school who organize Day of Silence, you can still register as an individual, or you can register your school group with GLSEN.