Called the Day of Silence, the student-led event brings attention to anti-gay bullying in schools. Today every state in the nation participates in the event.
"We are the voices of the people who are not able to have a voice because of who they are," said Sara Ling, a student at El Camino High School.
Sandra Jiang, a fellow student, wore a T-shirt in memory of Kenneth Weishuhn.
"He was a student of Iowa. He was 14 and he came out as a gay teen earlier this year. In light of that he received a lot of bullying in the form of death threats and he ultimately chose to end his life," she said.
Greg Thompson is the principal at El Camino High School. He says the Day of Silence is meant to create any kind of positive social change.
"In my mind I look at it as a broader thing. I want respect for all students and this is an opportunity for that to happen," he said.
Wristbands were also worn to celebrate a greater tolerance for the LGBT community.
"We are more open as a society but even then bullying will still occur but I'm really thankful to live in California," said Jiang.
President Obama said Friday he would support two bills meant to protect LGBT students against bullying. The White House also held a screening Friday of the much-talked-about movie "Bully."
