Sometimes silence can say a lot.

The national Day of Silence was celebrated on Wednesday across the country. The day is meant to protest the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, people and their allies.

Supporters of the cause taped their mouths, or at least kept silent for all or part of the day, and passed out flyers explaining the reasoning behind their silence. Some of the flyers also advertised a discussion held in the Multicultural Center, located in the basement of the Union, at 7 p.m. to discuss the issue.

This is a great example of how a subtle protest tactic can make a large impact.

Day of Silence started at the University of Virginia 10 years ago with the hope of spreading awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues and developing a safe learning environment for all — regardless of gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.

The Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action toward creating safer schools, which shows what a huge impact students can make if they come together and join forces.

A campus, classroom or university can be a scary place if you don't feel accepted. Addressing the issue of tolerance is critical on a campus as large and diverse as MSU's.

The silent protest is meant to echo the silence that is caused by discrimination, prejudice and harassment toward the LGBT community.

On flyers handed out by participants it read, "Think about the voices you are not hearing today."

This is a strong statement and, if nothing else, got people who were given flyers to think about the issue at hand. If no one speaks out against discrimination, there is no hope for change.

Although the silence is important, the most commendable part of the movement on MSU's campus happened once the silence stopped.

People gathered in the Union basement for a "Breaking the Silence Discussion" to talk about the day and harassment toward the LGBT community.

As our government continues to infringe on the LGBT community by taking away rights that every American deserves — marriage, same-sex domestic partner benefits and the ability to adopt — it becomes imperative that people begin to stand up for what is right.

Day of Silence has the ability to start change in a very relevant area — schools. Education is the only way to elicit change.