TEMECULA - Every year, tens of thousands of students across the nation participate in the Day of Silence, a nationwide event organized by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network that aims to fight against what the group says are common anti-gay biases in schools.

While students at several Southwest County high schools annually participate in the event, Wednesday marked the first time since Great Oak High opened in 2004 that its students joined in.

About 300 students at the southern Temecula high school agreed to not speak during the day, but instead to wear small, orange cards explaining their silence in support of gay students.

"I hate seeing people mistreated, especially for something they can't help," Great Oak High junior Olivia Lucas, 16, said of why she participated. "I think this will help people be more open-minded."

The cards state that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students in schools face discrimination, and pupils' action Wednesday is meant to echo the silence caused by harassment and prejudice.

Ritesh Gupta, a 17-year-old junior who participated, said he was being made fun of during class because he wore a card, and was furious that he couldn't respond. He said it helped him relate to those who have been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

"I felt I didn't have a voice," he said. "I felt I didn't have a say over what people thought of me."

Three of the students who helped organize the event at Great Oak High - including Olivia, 16-year-old Kaleigh Constantino and 17-year-old Caitlin Kelly - agreed to an interview during lunch.

Kaleigh and Olivia are co-presidents of the student club Socially Together and Naturally Diverse, and Caitlin is a member. The three organized the event as one of the club's activities.

They said that while hundreds of students agreed to wear the orange cards, those who did were also often subjected to ridicule throughout the day. Some students were told they were stupid or misguided for participating, and others questioned why there isn't a "Straight Day of Silence," the girls said.

For Kaleigh, she may have lost a friend over it. Kaleigh said a fellow swim team member told her that she would not be friends with her anymore if she went through with her observance of the day.

"I just tried to teach her about what we are doing," Kaleigh said," but some people are really closed-minded and ignorant about what this is all about."

The girls said discrimination at Great Oak is mainly prevalent against lesbian students, that teens often refer to a certain peer as "that lesbian," or call topics "gay" during classroom discussions.

They said they believed many male students were afraid to participate Wednesday out of fear of being tormented by other students. About 80 percent of those who wore the cards were female.

A 2005 survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found that more than 64 percent of gay students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school, and 29 percent report missing at least a day of school in the previous month out of fear for their personal safety.

Great Oak Junior Cassandra Wells, 16, said she participated Wednesday in honor of her cousin, who lives in the Midwest and who, last year, was beaten up because he is homosexual.

"People are very unaccepting of anyone who is different," she said. "It's wrong to hate."

Counselor Richard Sypniewski, STAND's faculty adviser, said he was very proud of the students who wore the cards and remained silent throughout the day.

"Whenever there is change, there is always going to be some resistance," he said of the reaction of some students to the inaugural observance. "But what we are trying to bring about is awareness."

- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.