LGBTQ Services to hold anti-bullying, anti-suicide photo shoot Sept. 26
Courtesy Photo | Office of LGBTQ Services website
Students will have the opportunity to take a stand against bullying and suicide by participating in the Office of LGBTQ Services' Silence Shoot 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept 26 in the Down Under Food Court.
Participants in the event will have their photograph taken with piece of red duct tape across their mouth. The tape symbolizes both the silence and bloodshed that arises from suicide and violent bullying, according to the Silence Shoot’s “About” page on Central Michigan University's event schedule.
The photos will all be edited the same way: black and white except for the red of the duct tape.
The editing aims to show unity against bullying and suicide, but participants are able to wear whatever kind of clothing they wish for the shoot.
Photographer Matthew Bryan Pruitt started the project out of a Mount Pleasant apartment in 2010 as a way to show his siblings, who had been bullied, that they were not alone.
“In the end, Matthew Bryan Pruitt just wants people to see these images and understand that there are survivors out there who understand what is happening to them, and that suicide is not the way to overpower the hate in the world,” the Silence Shoot website’s “About” section reads.
“By participating (in the photo shoot) you are partaking in a symbol of love and support,” Office of LGBTQ Services Director Shannon Jolliff-Dettore said.
Still, students who can’t attend are welcome to show support by being an open and supportive friend, sharing resources about LBTQ issues on social media and following the advice given by the phrase, “If you see something, say something,” Jolliff-Dettore said.
For more information, visit thesilenceshoot.com, or contact LGBTQ Services Executive Secretary at 989-774-2508 or smith6cr@cmich.edu.
