The UW-Madison Allies Program raised awareness and support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights in a march to the Capitol Friday.
Tony Giuffre, a member of the Allies Program, said participants gathered at Library Mall Friday to protest with signs and listen to speakers before marching down State Street to the Capitol.
Giuffre said the event was part of the national Day of Silence that recognizes the discrimination faced by students who identify as LGBT.
""The Day of Silence is a national holiday that raises awareness to show support for the LGBT community,"" Giuffre said. ""The silence reflects the silence faced by people who identify themselves as LGBT on a daily basis.""
Emma Zaffiro, Allies Program co-president, said the event specifically raised awareness for the name-calling, bullying and harassment that many LGBT students experience.
Zaffiro said the Allies Program is a student organization that works to educate the UW-Madison community about LGBT rights by organizing activities like the Day of Silence throughout the year.
""Allies welcomes everybody regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identification,"" Zaffiro said. ""We are a peer education group, and we work to inform people about LGBT rights and issues that face the community.""
According to Zaffiro, approximately 100 community members participated in the march, a significant increase from the 2008 Day of Silence.
""It went much better than last year,"" Zaffiro said. ""We organized it a lot better, we had perfect weather and so many people turned out to show their support.""
Giuffre said several anti-gay rights activists protested along with the group, but said he was satisfied with how the participants handled the opposition.
""We just stood next to them and silently protested,"" Giuffre said. ""It was great.""
Giuffre also said he felt the event was a success, and the group did a great job expressing their support for LGBT rights.
""[The march] helped get our message across that people in Madison still care about LGBT rights, and also that everyone should be able to be who they are,"" Giuffre said.
According to Zaffiro, the Allies Program organized the march in conjunction with Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools, an organization that promotes LGBT rights among high school and middle school students.
