Maya Keyes, the openly lesbian daughter of former U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes, stood between two giant rainbow flags and spoke to a crowd in front the Illini Union yesterday about the dangers faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.

Maya Keyes visited campus yesterday to talk about the difficulties of being a lesbian and coming from a very conservative family – difficulties which, for her, included being shunned by her parents, thrown out of the house and denied financial support for college from her mother and father.

“I’ve seen it first hand,” Maya Keyes told the crowd of about 450 supporters and onlookers of the LGBT organization’s fifth annual “Breaking of the Silence.”

“After all I’ve seen, how could I stay silent?” she asked.

Maya Keyes’ speech was part of the rally which concluded the “Day of Silence,” a nationwide protest of the hatred, violence and oppression that LGBT people face daily. The “Day of Silence” was held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, during which supporters remained silent and wore black clothing with rainbow pins. When prompted as to why they were not speaking, their instructions were to hand out a card that described the goals of the day.

Maya Keyes said that after facing rejection from her family, she was given offers of help, places to live and scholarships. But she said she realized this was because of who her father was and that there were a lot of people in her same situation that would never be offered help.

Shane Windemeyer, best-selling author of “Brotherhood: Gay Life In College Fraternities” and a speaker on the national circuit, also spoke to the crowd. He talked about how calling someone a “fag” or even casually calling something “gay” can spread hate.

After his speech, Windemeyer said the University is one of best universities in the Midwest for addressing the concerns of the LBGT community. But he noted there is still space for change.

“It’s impressive UIUC has such a commitment to making sure the student voices are heard inside the LGBT Community,” Windmeyer said.

Earlier in the day, behind where the crowd was gathered, small black paper tombstones marked with the names of those murdered in hate crimes for being “queer,” dotted along a grassy section of the Quad in front of Henry Administration Building.

Carolyn Tomchik, senior in engineering, headed the Tombstone Project. She said the intention of the project was to draw awareness of the hate and danger the LGBT community faces. Tomchik stood by the graveyard throughout the day to answer questions from people who took notice. She hopes when students look at it, they think about how something so awful could happen to people their own age.

“I hope it made a good impression,” Tomchik said. “I hope they weren’t put off by it.”

Also on the Quad was a mosaic scene leaning against a wall with pictures of celebrities and other famous people throughout history who were LGBT. Among the celebrities featured were Janis Joplin, Socrates, James Dean, Sean Hayes and Oscar Wilde.

Curt McKay, director of the LGBT concerns office, participated in the speeches given to the crowd, which grew to a size of several hundred people.

“You are my heroes. You are my family,” he said as he addressed the crowd.

After his speech, McKay said he thinks it is amazing to see all the people gathered. As the director of the LGBT concerns office, McKay has a unique opportunity to understand what is happening around the community. He talked about several churches that are supportive and reach out to the LGBT population in the community. In contrast, he said, there are churches that offer 12-step programs to “cure” a person from being LGBT.

Ross Wantland, who works in the Office of Women’s Programs, is an “ally” of the LGBT concerns office. An “ally” is an individual who is not a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, but supports them through the challenges they face.

A bystander, Ben Lothson, junior in LAS, said he was interested in what the speakers had to say. In his women’s studies class, he said, the professor addressed the issue of problems LGBT individuals face because a participating student was in her class. Lothson said the professor talked about how LGBT citizens don’t have a voice in society.

Carly Decristofaro, senior in LAS, said she showed up to the rally to support one of her students at the high school she works at.

“I don’t think enough people care about it,” said Decristofaro, referring to the problems faced by LGBT individuals. She said she hoped the rally and the Day of Silence would promote awareness.

At the end of the ceremonial “Breaking of the Silence,” members of the crowd were allowed to approach the microphone and testify to their personal experiences. One woman talked about her discriminations faced at work, one man described problems he faced while at church and a high school girl talked about how she was denied by her principal to have the “Day of Silence” at her school.