Being Bullied & Becoming a Bully – My It Gets Better Story:-
I’m no saint. I say it time and time again to the people I hang out with. Just because I don’t smoke or because I drink light beer instead of real beer or rum or because I don’t sleep around, doesn’t mean I’m a saint. It took me a while to get where I am today, to be the person I am right now, but it didn’t come without it battle-scars.
If you didn’t read the first part of this story then click here to read it now.
Being bullied at school is tough. Add being gay to all that and its a whole different ball game. In high school, while I received fame for taking down a bully, someone I knew was struggling with the changes within himself. He was a quiet guy, spoke very softly, moved very questionable and was very popular with the A’ Level girls, which raised quite a few eyebrows with the exception of mine. Rumors of him being gay quickly spread around the school yard like a joint being shared by a group of junkies.
Of course it wasn’t long before the name calling and public humiliation set it. As a friend whenever I was around and people were saying what they had to say about him, I stepped up and defended him. This went on till he went to university to study. While he was there he basically came out to his family and close friends. One day I was up at the university liming with some friends and he passed by. He came across and I shook his hand and gave him a hug. People were watching us and honestly felt awkward. He told me thanks for having his back in secondary school, but he has something to tell me and well he told me.
My reaction was terrible, I just backed away and instantly became one of the people who threw hurtful words & insults towards him. At the time I didn’t feel any remorse or even taken back by what I said. I was more concerned about My Image and how it looked while I hugged him and what people were probably thinking. I thought about the times in secondary school where I defended him, hell I even thought about when I used the urinal at school and he stood right next to me. Nothing was more upsetting. From that day onward, I have always had a grudge against gay people. Any new people who entered my life and remotely moved funny in any way was immediately written off.
How did it get better?
Time went by and I grew up. I was no longer a teenager, I was on my way into the working world and suddenly little things, like being gay seemed so trivial. New people came into my life and then when I least expected it, a close friend of mine told me that he was gay. My reaction this time was a bit different.
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