Students shut their mouths Thursday in support of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.

Thursday was the annual day of silence, a project sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Allies Union. Supporters and union members spent the day without speaking to show the world how silent the world would be without the input of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Guidelines for the day required silence of the participants from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. unless there was a specific reason a participant needed to speak.

Sarah Newton, co-president of LGBAU, gave a written description of the type of impact students involved attempted to make on the campus.

“It was to make people aware of the loss of our voices,” Newton said. “It is the same as a voice that has been silenced through violence.”

At the conclusion of the day participants were encouraged to join the women of the first two floors of Pemberton Hall in the basement lounge to share in a discussion about the event and its affects.