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Today is the National Day of Silence. It seems a bit counter-intuitive to try to bring attention to something by being silent. But, that's exactly what nearly half of a million middle school, high school, and college students are doing. The National Day of Silence was started in 1996 by University of Virginia student Maria Pulzetti as a grassroots effort to bring "attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies", according to event organizers from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and the United States Student Association.

Statistically speaking, 1 in 7,700 gay, lesbians, and bisexuals people will report being the victim of a hate crime in the United States this year. The actual numbers — the unreported numbers, like all hate crimes, will be much higher. That means at least every hour, one more person will have their self-worth stolen by the cruel actions of another person. And, in a way, there are two victims: the target of the crime, and the person who feels compelled to act on their fears and prejudice.

Two lives were shattered on February 12 this year. While sitting in a computer lab at E. O. Green School in Oxnard, CA, 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King was shot and killed by a classmate. Earlier in the school year King had "come out" to his fellow students as being gay. His alleged assailant, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, took a gun from his family home and shot the victim in the head.

In an instant, two families were irreparable shattered. Today's National Day of Silence is dedicated to King's memory.

Many conservatives and Christians oppose the National Day of Silence. Some point out that it encourages a lifestyle of casual sexual activity that is dangerous. They'll point out that around 50% of new cases of HIV, about 29-thousand cases each year in the United States, and among gay men. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control, this number is on the rise. "Information from 33 states with the most precise form of reporting showed a 13 percent increase in HIV infections in homosexual men from 2001 to 2005," writes reporter David Brown in a December Washington Post article.

But, I see things differently. In a world where people who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender are rejected from their places of worship, and told by society that their lives are "abominations" to God; and, in a world where the foundations of morality are ripped away from nearly 22 million Americans; and, in a world where the only way to fit in at their church, for the most part, is to hide and lie about who they are, or spend exhaustive amounts of their time and energy trying to "cure" themselves; and in a world where according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, up to 30% of "completed youth suicides annually" are among teens struggling with their orientation; it is no wonder that Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people reject traditional morality. They've been cast out and denied participation.

The same Church that rails against the moral turpitude of the so-called "gay lifestyle" plays a big role in helping foster it.

But, the world is changing. In October 2006, after years of self-hatred and attempts to "cure" myself, I finally came to a place of reconciling my faith and orientation. It was a lifelong struggle and fear that accepting myself would be a deathblow to my faith. But, now, more than ever, I am fully committed to be uncompromisingly Christian, and unapologetically gay.

This afternoon, I'm headed to Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, as part of my next step in this journey. I'm going to a prospective student weekend. My hope is to begin taking classes in 2009, pursing either a Master of Divinity degree, or some equivalent. I think I have hope to offer. I think that I can be one of many voices helping to turn the tide of hatred from within the Church and helping alleviate the moral vacuum within the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities.

I think everyone matters to God. It took me so long to learn that I matter.

Thanks for reading.

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Scott Straley is the founder of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. As part of the RIMOFTHEWORLD.net team, he is dedicated to keeping our community informed and engaged.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RIMOFTHEWORLD.net. This column is copyrighted by Scott Straley.