Have you ever been bullied because of who you are?

I've been bullied once physically - although weirdly I'm now good friends with the bully, otherwise, I've teased and picked on quite a lot - I was a weird kid but slowly I started reacting less and it became more and more joking until it was more of a friendly mutual mick-taking. One sort of bullying that I refused to roll over and take was a more sexual one. When I was about 13, one of my classmates started flirting with me and wouldn't take no for an answer. He would hug me when I told him not to, ping my bra straps and even once unzipped his trousers in front of me. It only stopped when I threatened to sue him for sexual harrassment.
I also came out rather spectacularly at school when people stole my phone and went through it and spread the contents to everyone.
To be honest, I was more the kid who got the reputation for befriending and defending the bullied kids. Most I befriended on my own, some the teachers would casually partner me with on something, some I was even told outright to befriend becuase 's/he isn't fitting in so well with his/her peers'. It made for a very diverse group of friends considering how tiny and undiverse my school was. My very popular older brother hated it - even tried to forbid me from being friends with one girl. I then made it my mission to become her best friend.

 

Yes, I was bullied at school and work. I lost most of my friends between 4th-5th grades. It was mostly open season after then. I was a quiet, studious kid who had no sense of fashion at all because my mom bought my clothes. I had learning disabilities as a young 1st and 2nd grader. I was called "Ms.(my last name)" after I played soccer at recess in 4th grade. I loved football, but they never let me play and forced me to referee the game. They would gossip about me behind my back. I became so anxious that I would break out in a sweat and start to smell. I would sit in the corner and sometimes push my chair against the wall so as to isolate myself from my classmates. I played the clown to get attention and did stupid impressions in hopes to be more popular, and it backfired BIG TIME.

I had fallen asleep one day in class in 8th grade, and they took my picture and put it in the yearbook. I had my gymn shirt thrown in the urinal once. I was so insecure of my body that I could not change with the other guys, so I changed in the single bathroom near the teacher's lounge. In 11th grade, I had a flashlight shined in my eyes while I was taking a test. Then there was this kid once who asked me, "What is the capitol of Thailand?" I said "What?" Then he said, "Bangkok" and punched me in the penis and balls. I was made fun of for driving the car I had and also my voice. I was called gay several times. My mother taught at the school, and I got made fun of for that too.

At work, I had two difficulties at two different jobs. At the grocery job, I had trouble getting the cigarette cabinet open because the locks would stick as well as problems with the bottle return bins. This joker would laugh hysterically and would not stop!

When I worked at McDonald's at front counter, the guy at the grill said that it was "woman's work" and that I was a woman. He would talk sarcastically to me. His friends came in and stole cups from behind the counter and filled their drinks when the manager wasn't around. I was going to clean the bathroom and his friends quickly opened the door right after I went in, hitting me in the back hard.

This is what I can remember. There was obviously more. It's been 12 years, but the scars are still there.

 

I think I was a bit bullied by some boys in the first day of 2nd grade haha, but it was silly and I came to good terms to them later. I've always tried to be as diplomatic as possible, so I can't remember being bullied in middle school either.
In highschool, I've never had much of a presence and looking back I think most people perceived me as cold and unpredictable, so I was never bothered.

 

It is nice to know that I am not alone, as I am sure that others feel. I just wish that it was under different circumstances since it means everyone else has received trauma as well. :c I hope that the future will bring more tolerance and less bullying in schools specifically. So many of us end up damaged.

 

I was honestly bullied but never face to face excepting one moment in high school, two really tall boys made fun of my rapping, which I did in high school to be a bit more masculine, they twerked up against me and made me feel so claustrophobic. I knew they were teasing me at the time. I was also the weird guy at school, I had supposed dark desires, coming from video games I played. I was bullied behind my back for that. I also was teased for being different, I was laughed at a lot and so many people did it. One guy even pretended to be a friend to pick on me. It was always guys who picked on me. Admittedly I did hang out with female friends way more than guys and when I was 14 or 13, I was picked on for my taste on music. Men overall just made fun of me, and that was because I was the weird guy. I was friends with half the female population in my grades every single year. They didn't really pick on me at all.

 

Yep, first two years of highschool.
Not for being LGBT though, but for being on of the two nerds/outsiders of the class.
Combination of ignoring and pushing back when things got to personal made them stop at the end of my second year though.

 

I was trased for being short, and also for being shy.

Also i happened to be very shy aroud girls, so i never approached them or talked to them. Then, one day i thrusted a guy who my crush was( that was in 8th grade i think) and i got teased a lot about it, but with time this came to an end... But then. At 9th grade i made the same mistake and this time the teasing stayed throught all the rest of highschool. This resulted in much embarrasment and it lead to me being scared of people that knows me noticing im in flirting with somebody, so im very stealthy with my dating.

But this is a light kind of bullying compared to the ones described here, im get along with most of the people who teased me.. Except one of them, but i dint dislike him due to the bullying i just dislike his personality... He wasnt even the most snnoying one but i just cannot stand him.

 

I would get teased in elementary because I was "ugly" people still say stuff to me but I don't even care anymore

 

Unfortunately yes.

 

Not really, no.

I vaguely remember once or twice maybe some few individuals testing the waters on this regard. They were... Discouraged.

 

Usually not. Most people don't know what to do with us. Lol..many men try to pick you up, others even some gay folks don't know what to say to us...so no bullies.. Not to mention Rachel can hold Her own in a scrap, ( farm work build strength )

 

I don't like to think so, because I was strong enough to think "fuck you" i'll win when I have a life outside a 10 mile radius of my house.

I mean for me I wasn't really "very" different but I wasn't the norm at my school. I wasn't into sports; I HATED PE (except the changing room...I enjoyed that a lot) and football; I don't drink, never have (hate it, vile stuff); I didn't shag 14 year old girls in bushes in fields (for obvious reasons); and I suppose I wasn't especially boyish which made me an easy target.

I moved schools in my last year of primary school, a couple of losers didn't like me because I was "posh" compared to them, so that changed quickly and went back to the school I was at before and that was good.

Then at high school it was mainly the same losers and a few of their friends I had problems with. I was once kicked in the face in the middle of class for no reason. I think he went to prison. And they didn't even do anything - I've just realised nobody did anything about it. HOLD ON A MINUTE. I'm pissed now.

I got older and my final two years were good because all the idiots were gone - well sort of. All the younger kids wanted to talk about was how gay I was. I just wanted to say,

"yeah well one day you'll find a nice man who'll stick his dick so far down your throat you'll be pulling his pubes out your teeth and then he'll fuck your tight little hole...and you'll enjoy it too" - thought better of that.

But it never really bothered me, there was one guy, but needless to say he's amounted to...exactly NOTHING.

The main problem I had in my first senior year was this huge dickhead with a Dora the explorer hair cut. He was proper hated by everybody, so I wont dwell on that. I was kinda out by then, so I assume he was jealous, there were rumours going about him and his "friend" and I saw him recently and I'm now convinced of this. And for that I'm disappointed he is.

Still I think it does make you stronger, I'm mentally very strong so it never lead me to depression or suicide or anything. I had the odd cry once after school, but actually I never got beat up or anything too physical. I once got spat on (which is a surprisingly derogatory thing to do) and the "are you gay" does become annoying after a while.

 

I don't recall much bullying in my school, but then again I was amazingly clueless about social status at that time. Looking back now people must have thought me weird that I would befriend anyone, whether it was a cheerleader or the 300 pound girl no one would talk to. It never would have occurred to me to consider what others would think of me. I wish I had some of that oblivion now, I think life would be easier.

 

Never....i acted like somthing I wasn't for the fear of others hating me. I'm just now realizing that cause your born a certain way and act a certain way does not determine who I am..not being accepted is the scariest thing ever I don't won't to be a freak to people..its not my fault I was born a guy and it feels I can't Change that fact no matter what I do

 

I was pretty much always bullied while in school. In public school whenever someone tried to bully me, my classmates and 1 girl in particular always stood up for me. (sidenote: that 1 girl; I really wanted to fall in love with when I grew up lol the innocence of children) The only person in public school that managed to successfully bully me was a "friend". She'd be nice one day and dump me the next. Once she punched me hard enough to crack my tooth.

In high school, if I was hanging out with my punk/goth/art/dark/whatever friends then I would 100% get bullied. If I was with my academia friends then it was like 20% if I was wearing regular jeans and a sweater or 60% if I was goth/punk/visual kei'd out myself.

Aside from the odd time, I have never been bothered by bullies. They're the ones with the problem, not me. The only 2 times I have ever truely let a bully get to me was that fake friend and my first boyfriend. And I am definitely better off than them now, because I actually deal with my issues, and they never have. (Moral of the stories: pity the fools.)

 

Was a bit of an asshole in Elementary. All of Middle School was bad-ish. Mostly because I was smarter than everyone and I knew it. Highschool so far is great. I think most of the previous assHATS felt bad for what they did. I am also very respected among most circles. I tend to not use a filter when I talk, so I speak in a brutally truthful manner(everyone comes to me if they want the cold hard facts about something, for I almost cannot lie about facts not related to me. More respect from that. ). I also grew to see over most people's heads. That keeps the meth-heads and rednecks from bugging me.

 

Yes I have. Specifically because of my autism which caused problems when I was young/

 

Story of my life...

 

I remember when I was in primary school, and my sister said that if anyone gave me grief, she'd beat them up for me. I'm not sure if that offer still stands.

 

Yes, I was bullied for being gay almost everyday for five long years. On the good days it was just verbal abuse, on the bad days it got physical with pushing and shoving and on the very worst days it was terrifying. Sports lessons were a real ordeal and I would do anything and everything to get out of them. I still have (faded) scars from one particularly nasty incident at school 23 years ago. Words cannot describe how much damage it did to me and I have had to work through a lot of personal demons to get where I am today.

The bullying occurred at a time when I was trying to work out my sexuality and it had the effect of pushing me into the darkest recesses of the closet and made my coming out journey all the harder. Irrationally, I believed self acceptance and coming out would prove the bullies right and that was so hard to take. Worse still was the fact that one of the bullies who joined in the ambush that left me with the scars eventually came out as gay himself. I can't explain what that did to me.

As I reflect on what happened all those years ago, I count myself very lucky to still be here. I had some very dark days at school.