The 2005 Day of Silence is reported as "the largest one-day student-led grassroots action on [[LGBT rights]] in American history" [http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/1920.html].
==Opposition==
The [[Christian]] political and legal foundation the [[Alliance Defense Fund]] has organized an annual counter-protest which they call the [[Day of Truth]] ([http://www.dayoftruth.org website]) which takes place on the day following the Day of Silence and whose stated purpose is "to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda". On this day, small groups of Christian students are organized to express their opinion and distribute literature that expresses their opposition to homosexuality and [[gay rights]]. As part of the effort, students who are prevented or discouraged from expressing their anti-gay beliefs are encouraged to call for legal support from the ADF on [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|first amendment]] grounds. The protest is currently in its second year. The ADF reports that 1,100 students at approximately 350 schools participated in 2005.
Other Christian groups including students and adults often organize similar opposition at their local schools to take place on the same day as the original event.
