THEGAYUK

Tag: Bullying

All the latest news about Bullying and anti-bullying campaigns.

  • Tories fail to renew bullying projects aimed at ending homophobic bullying which makes classrooms toxic for LGBT+ students

    Tories fail to renew bullying projects aimed at ending homophobic bullying which makes classrooms toxic for LGBT+ students

    Funding aimed at reducing homophobic bullying of LGBT+ students in England has been apparently pulled by the Government, as new research shows that just 27% of students think that their school is a safe space for classmates to be themselves.

    A report by the BBC has discovered that funding for programmes targetting homophobic and transphobic bullying in English schools has ended, with no signs of renewal by the Conservative government.

    The funding which added up to around £4 million, was specifically set aside to help with anti-LGBT+ bullying, but according to the government, the funding was always due to end in March 2020. The programme began back in 2014, under one of the most progressive Conservative governments when it came to LGBT+ rights, under the leadership of David Cameron.

    According to the BBC, funding was “quietly” pulled in March, while the world’s attention was focused on the Coronavirus pandemic and schools began to close across the UK.

    The funding has not been reinstated.

    The Government Equalities Office said to the BBC “The anti-bullying grant fund, which provided 2,250 schools across the country with materials and training, was always due to end in March 2020.”

    Majority of students do not believe that it’s safe to come out as LGBT+

    Bullying of LGBT+ students is rife in the UK.
    Wokandapix / Pixabay

    New research by the Diversity Role Models (DRM), which received funding between January 2019 and March 2020 found that just 27% of students reported that they thought their school would be a safe environment for classmates to come out as gay, lesbian, bi or transgender.

    DRM undertook a survey of nearly 12,000 students, parents and governors of secondary and primary schools.

    It found that homophobic, biphobic and transphobic language was reported as common by 42% of year five and six primary school students and by 54% of secondary school students.

    Seventy-one per cent of teachers say that they have witnessed homophobic bullying and was it was found to be much more common than bullying related to other characteristics such as religion.

    Education works

    The survey also showed that the levels of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying decreased when schools educated their pupils about LGBT+ identities and relationships, however as it stands only 20 per cent of secondary school students report learning about LGBT+ identities.

    Chief executive of Diversity Role Models, Adam McCann comments, “These findings show how dangerous any further delays to LGBT+ inclusive RSE will be for students. Our report shows a clear correlation between learning about LGBT+ identities and lower levels of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic language and bullying.” 

    “Staff, parents and carers and governors underestimate the level of discrimination in schools compared to students. It is no exaggeration to talk about the safety of these students. Action must be taken immediately to create safer, more inclusive learning environments. Bullying has an undisputed negative impact on attendance, attainment, life chances and mental health.”

    THEGAYUK understands that as it stands there has been no renewal of any of the projects.

  • COMMENT | My worst day of school was always the “first day back”

    COMMENT | My worst day of school was always the “first day back”

    If you ever want to know why I can always manage to put my foot in it – at any given opportunity, it goes way back to the multitude of “first-days”

    The last week of August was always hell.

    Except the one between primary and secondary school. That’s because I had, at the age of 10, decided that I didn’t want to follow the rest of my primary school classmates down the normal route of going to the secondary school that ours was a feeder for. Why? Well, every day of my existence at my primary school was filled with homophobic bullying. You see, I was unlike all of the other boys.

    I played with the girls, I despised sports but was surprisingly good at skipping.

    In my first month of primary school, I decided, that the boys’ uniform was far too bland and that the girls’ socks were much more in keeping with my sensibilities. Obviously, as a five-year-old, I had no means of obtaining my own pair of the crochet patterned socks, but I did notice a pair in the lost property. I’ve always had an eye for detail and a bargain bin. I snuck in one lunchtime and, I didn’t steal, I borrowed them.

    I wore them proudly into the schoolyard, leaning up against the playground wall. I was working it. As far as I was concerned, I was the pretty minx in my mother’s magazines. That was the day my bully-free school days ended.

    Whoever said your childhood years are the happiest of your life, clearly wasn’t a queer kid. You grow up quickly when you face that much hate.

    Each “first day back” after the summer holidays became agony. That last week of the summer holiday, was the cruellest. I eeked out every last moment of freedom. Oh yes, I loved getting the new pencil case (from Woolworths) and matching it with my lunchbox (I was never allowed the My Little Pony one, due to fears of exacerbating the bullying problem). I’ve always been a strong believer in creating a brand, but despite my new classroom accessories – I, personally, was never allowed to rebrand. First day back would be groundhog day.

    Then there was the summer of change, between primary and secondary. It was a summer of hope. I was going to go to a new school. Nothing to do with my old one. No one from my primary was going to go. Whilst my former classmates adhered to the feeder system,  I went my own road, backed by my ever, increasingly worried parents.

    But I was one of those damned queer kids that just wouldn’t or actually couldn’t conform. Once again I found myself hanging around with the girls, but not the Mean Girls – these were the year’s before it was “trendy” to have a gay best friend (even though I wasn’t out – or accepting of my own sexuality.

    My football skills were woefully inadequate and the drama block was a magnet.

    I was Baking Off before Bake Off.

    By the end of the first day, I was literally dumped in a bin by a fifth former. That week I was “bin boy”, but soon that gave way to a slew of name-calling. One day my class decided to play “Did you hear?”. It was like an earlier version of Twitter. Someone would start a rumour and whisper into the ear of the next person. That day’s rumour – as I walked towards the form room, was that I had killed myself over the weekend. As I got closer, those rumours had flesh to bone added, the way I had dispensed with myself and how tragic it was for my family. People in class kept this pretence up most of the morning.

    I just didn’t have the skills to deal with bullying. The “tell the teacher” mantra was inadequate and in the days of Section 28 – teachers just didn’t know how to deal with homophobic bullying.

    I showed my taunters that it hurt. I now wish I hadn’t… I wish I had owned every name thrown at me and with a rye smile and a naughty side eye added, “and?”

    Inside I’m crippled.

    I’m always that ten-year-old in my mind – constantly worried about being binned again.

    Perhaps if RuPaul’s Drag Race had started a decade (or two) earlier I could have learned to read each and every person who called me a poof, a queer, a pervert or gay lord. I think that fear of new situations has remained with me, even into adulthood. The only way I seem to be able to get through the situation is to say something… anything… usually something totally inappropriate.

    You see, inside I’m crippled. I’m always that ten-year-old in my mind – constantly worried about being binned again. So I use humour and self-deprecation as a way of dealing with new situations. You see, life gives us constant New Days – or First Day Backs and now… I can always be counted upon to say the most inappropriate things at the right time.

  • Bobby Norris to give evidence to MPs over online trolling

    Bobby Norris to give evidence to MPs over online trolling

    TOWIE star Bobby Norris is about to give evidence to politicians over his petition to “hold online trolls accountable” for their abuses.

    Norris has spoken openly and numerously on his horrific encounters with hateful trolls – many of whom focus on his sexuality and his looks.

    He created a petition on the official government petitions site in 2019, and it gained over 133,000 signatures.

    The petition, titled “Hold online trolls accountable for their online abuse via their IP address” calls for abusers to have their access to social media blocked by internet service providers and social media companies.

    The evidence session, taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week, will see MPs speak to the reality TV personality about his petition on tackling online abuse. The session will also see Bobby discuss his personal experiences of homophobic abuse since first appearing in the public eye in ITV2 show The Only Way is Essex in 2012.

    He will now talk to the Peititon’s committee over video link to discuss online trolling.

    Bobby is vital for awareness

    Catherine McKinnell MP, Chair of the Petitions Committee, said:

    “I’m pleased that Bobby is able to share his personal experiences of online abuse with the Committee during Mental Health Awareness Week.

    “Highlighting these issues in Parliament is so vital for raising awareness, and can shine a light on the action that can be taken to help stamp out this all too common problem. 

    “Online abuse can affect anyone, and takes many forms. It is a subject that is very close to my heart, and something that the Petitions Committee investigated extensively in the last Parliament.

    “But with online abuse as prevalent as ever, and Coronavirus meaning people are on social media more than ever, it is imperative we take steps to tackle online abuse and stamp it out.”

    The evidence session is the first step from the Petitions Committee in their new inquiry on tackling online abuse. The inquiry will consider issues raised in a number of petitions from the last Parliament and follow up on the Committee’s previous inquiry into online abuse and the experiences of disabled people. More details on the inquiry will be announced following the session.  

  • Gay and Bi children who are supported by their families have a reduced chance of being bullied

    Gay and Bi children who are supported by their families have a reduced chance of being bullied

    Wokandapix / Pixabay

    Having a supportive family environment makes school-age LGB (lesbian, gay and bi) children in the UK significantly less likely to be victims of bullying, according to new research by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).

    The researchers used data on LBG men and women with an average age of 37, and examined their experiences of when they were in school and later in life, in the workplace.

    The study, published in the International Journal of Manpower, found that gay and bisexual men had been 31% less likely to be frequently bullied at school if they were from a supportive family background. For lesbian or bisexual women, the figure was 25.6%.

    However, family support counted for less in the workplace, where family support was associated with a 12.5% reduction in frequent bullying towards gay or bisexual men. For lesbian or bisexual women, the reduction was only 4.6%.

    Nick Drydakis, Professor in Economics at ARU, said: “If an LGB child has received support from their parents which has positively impacted on their self-esteem and self-worth, this pattern might have influence how adult LGB people prevent, avoid or deal with victimisation.

    “Parents who have supported their children during difficult times might have taught them the appropriate attitudes and approaches to address homophobia as well as its adverse effects.

    “If, for LGB children, family support results in building their sense of identity, self-esteem and control, we might suggest that all these psychological states during the school-age period might positively impact on psychological traits in adulthood.

    “Family acceptance seems to be crucial to ensure that LGB children develop a healthy sense of self while family rejection of LGB children can negatively affect their identity and well-being.”

    The study is the first of its kind to examine whether family support during school age can have long-term positive effects on LGB people’s future workplace experiences.

  • This student has gone viral after hitting out at a homophobic bully

    This student has gone viral after hitting out at a homophobic bully

    “Call me a fag one more time”

    An American student, identified as “Jordy” has become a viral sensation after nearly slapping a guy out cold – after being called “faggot” in a classroom full of students.

    The incident, which was filmed by a couple of students during a school day, surfaced on Twitter with one of the videos being viewed over 10 million times.

    In the clip “Jordy” is heard saying, “I’m mufthafucking done with you, call me a fag one more time…”

    From another angle, the victim of the slap is heard calling Jordy “faggot”

    https://twitter.com/late_night_blog/status/1193487199649640448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1193487199649640448&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cocktailsandcocktalk.com%2F2019%2F11%2Fthis-boy-is-going-viral-for-hitting-back-literally-at-homophobic-bully%2F

    What’s the best way to deal with school bullies? Chat about this and more in our forum

  • Bullying: Mister Senior Netherlands 3rd Runner-Up Miguel Martins shares his story with Susan Leurs

    Bullying: Mister Senior Netherlands 3rd Runner-Up Miguel Martins shares his story with Susan Leurs

    Mainly engaged in narrative and documentary photography, Susan Leurs is a Dutch self-taught photographer. As a child, she was a victim of bullying. When she started working in education, it became clear to her that bullying was still a serious issue, so she decided to do something about it.

    In 2016, she began taking photographs of and interviewing victims of bullying.

    She called this project “PESTEN” (the Dutch word for bullying). More and more people heard about this project and wanted to participate, including bullies themselves. Her work exposes the serious influence bullying has on the lives of the victims. In her own words, “The people I photograph are either bullied or have bullied someone themselves. My goal is to make people think about what they can do to change this bullying behavior. We are ‘civilized’, but apparently we lack the social skills to accept each other as we are. Think about how you can do something in your environment to prevent bullying!”

    Just like Susan, I was a victim of bullying for many years. I noticed from a very young age that there was something different about me. Growing in a small village in Portugal 30 years ago, I never felt like I belonged. While my male friends enjoyed playing with cars, I preferred playing with dolls or trying my mother’s clothes and shoes on. And all that felt perfectly fine, until people started pointing the finger at me. Experimenting with my mother’s clothes and playing with dolls was just a phase, but my range of interests always made me stand out.

    This became more obvious when I went to school. For being different, I became an easy target for the other kids. Back then there were no discussions about bullying. I’m not even sure that there was a name for it back then. But the fact is that a group of kids repeatedly and intentionally caused me emotional harm.

    I remember feeling alone, isolated, and humiliated. And yet I did not tell a single person what was happening to me. The main reason why I decided not to tell anyone about it was because being bullied made me feel extreme shame and embarrassment. I knew I was being bullied because of something that I was very sensitive about: my sexual orientation. To talk about the bullying would require me to highlight what I believed was my “defect.”

    The thought of bringing up my “defect” to an adult felt worse than the bullying itself. Also, I was afraid of retaliation.

    I feared that reporting my bullies wouldn’t do any good. Instead, I worried that my bullies would only make my life worse. I naively hoped that, if I kept quiet, the bullying would eventually stop. But, because no action was taken, the problem escalated. Suddenly I was not only being bullied because of my sexual orientation anymore, but also because of a nervous tic that caused my eyes to twitch (“Don’t wink at us – they would say – we’re not faggots like you!”), or even just because I was a good student. At this point, I would be bullied for pretty much anything. This started when I was 6 years old, and it continued until I was 18.

    Suicidal thoughts went through my mind countless times. I guess I was just too afraid to attempt against my own life. But let’s not forget about all those who can no longer cope with the pressure and feel like suicide is the only way out.

    It wasn’t until I came to terms with my sexuality much later that I took away the power that the bullies had over me. Finally, I accepted me as I am and there was nothing else that they could hold against me. I eventually forgave all my bullies, but I will never forget what they put me through. I cannot forget, because even today I must deal with the long-lasting effects that so many years of bullying had on my self-esteem and on my self-confidence.

    If it happened now, I would bring the issue to someone’s attention.

    In my opinion, we fear what we don’t understand. I believe that by educating people we can help them understand, accept and hopefully recognize the important value of diversity in our society. And if education is not enough, other actions must be taken. It is important that we don’t ignore the issue, because nothing will ever change if we ignore it.

    Mine is one of the many stories that victims of bullying shared with Susan Leurs. So far, more than 100 people have posed for Susan and shared their stories with her. Some are victims. Some are repenting bullies. Together we share our very own experiences and try to create a world in which diversity and inclusion are the rule and bullying no longer exists.

    Susan Leurs is still looking for more stories. If you were bullied, or if you bullied someone, or if you would like to host this exposition, feel free to contact Susan Leurs directly: https://www.susanleurs.com/contactme.

    Let’s remember what Jung once said: “I am not what happened to me. I am what I chose to become.”

    Miguel Martins

    (Mister Senior Netherlands 2018 3rd Runner-Up / Winner Public Choice / Winner Best Talent)

  • COMMENT | Is the gay community homophobic?

    COMMENT | Is the gay community homophobic?

    For a community that has a history of persecution, horror, and division it will always shock me that even to this day, the gay community remains deeply divided and discriminatory to itself.

    In this article, a bit more of a serious one for a change, I want to explore some examples of this discrimination and my thoughts as to why I think this is so.

    To start, I will freely admit that I am a white gay man 32 years of age (middle class if that means anything) with an average upbringing. I was not bullied at school for being gay, I was bullied for looking like Harry Potter long before HP was ‘cool’.

    My family, until recently, has been fairly stable and while I have been through a lot professionally and personally in my own life since I was 18, most of my views and experiences come through the eyes of others. Having spent a number of years working with social care cases my empathy and ability to see your own pain and map of the world is something I treasure. And something, for this piece at least, gives me some insight that I hope you find relatable.

    In this article, I don’t have time to go into the racism, ageism and various other ‘ism’ issues in the community but I will acknowledge them for the moment. I have no doubt all are linked, but racism and ageism isn’t necessarily a sexuality thing as straights have the same issues. We’ll get to them in another article. For the moment, I want to focus purely and simply on gay men hating other gay men for their sexuality.

    The dictionary defines homophobia as a;

    “dislike or prejudice against homosexual people”. There are many different definitions out there, including one that defines it as “a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards or people that are perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender”.

    But let’s start with the simplest one as I prefer simple arguments. A “dislike or prejudice against homosexual people”. For this article, I am going to focus on gay men vs gay men. There are plenty of documented cases of gays vs lesbians, gays vs bisexuals and gays having a bash at transgender. The level of disgusting hate I see on F2M people’s profiles aimed at them from other gays is just an embarrassment on us all.

    Now, this is not to say that all gays despise other gays. Far from it. But, there is enough evidence from all our experiences and local communities to say that there is an issue with gays hating and discriminating against other gays for being gay. Or rather, a version of gay that they don’t agree with.

    A good example of this is the ‘straight gay’ hating on the ‘camp gay’.

    Camp gays are widely seen by a number of other gay men as loud, annoying, embarrassing and a hangover from a day when gays were just seen as loud, camp and annoying. When they look at pride marches all they see is the camp gays and automatically assume all pride are this way and pride, the scene, and gay culture is geared solely for the camp gay. Think back, at least one of your friends that don’t really do the scene or rolls their eyes at a young camp gay guy has these opinions. And the fact that they will actively avoid the scene and prides is evidence of these underlying prejudices and resentment that fuels their preferences today.

    Now, many of you will say ‘so what?’.

    If someone wants to avoid the gay scene and community that should be their right and freedom right? And yes, you are correct. As someone that believes in free will you would be correct. But it doesn’t just stop there though does it? Take a look on social media, many of them go on little tirades of hate towards the scene and anything gay doing a job even Mary Whitehouse would be proud of. If you want to disconnect from the community and reject your history that is absolutely fine, but this online hate that is aimed at anyone daring to be ‘loud and proud’ is nothing short of homophobia.

    If a straight man/woman did it we would accuse them of it, so why is it different because another gay man does it against a gay man?

    In straight men at least, often such a phobia comes from their own fears and issues around their sexuality. How many staunch anti-LGBT people do we see be revealed to have secret gay hook-ups or eventually come out as gay when that hate runs out and what you are left with is a realisation. Therefore can the same logic be applied to the gay man that rejects his gay brothers? If things like pride, camp behaviour, ‘loud n proud’ are visual ‘in your face’ reminders of their sexuality and are therefore something to be avoided?

    I can’t say that as I believe homosexuality means different things to different people and everyone expresses that differently. But this ‘hate’ comes from something. Otherwise, why would another gay man attack another gay man in such a fashion when they are plenty of straight people out there that would happily do it to us anyway?

    I have no answers to this just some insights that it does happen and casual homophobia is everywhere. Maybe if we start to accept it for what it is, and start challenging it when we see it, maybe (just maybe) the gay community has a cat in hell’s chance of being the inclusive community it professes itself to be.

  • Twitter could be adding this amazing feature to combat bullying

    Twitter could be adding this amazing feature to combat bullying

    Twitter could be adding this one feature that will help combat cyberbullying.

    PhotoMIX-Company / Pixabay

    THEGAYUK has learned that Twitter could be adding a “hide replies” feature. An innovation that could help anyone who is the target of online or cyberbullying remove hateful messages without deleting crucial evidence for the police.

    Twitter, for many, has become a toxic battleground and where cyberbullying is rife. In 2018 THEGAYUK discovered that anti-gay and homophobic slurs were racking up in their millions on the platform. Just before Donald Trump’s win as President in the 2016 US Election, Twitter saw a surge in the word “f*ggot”.

    A hide feature would help users control what they see and when they see it. It could work very similarly to the Turn Off Comments function on YouTube.

    It could also allow the primary user to help control the conversation, remove falsehoods or hate from their timeline, before other users jump in on a thread.

    Twitter has recently rolled out a number of schemes to help detoxify the app.

    In 2018 it said it would ban deadnaming and misgendering for trans people.

    It’s not clear if and when this feature will be rolled out.

     

     

  • Bobby Norris opens up about vile homophobia and cyber bullying

    Bobby Norris opens up about vile homophobia and cyber bullying

    TOWIE Star reveals the extent of online trolling that happens to him.

    In a heartbreaking video, TOWIE star Bobby Norris reveals that he has been the subject of cruel cyberbullying including waking up to a vile homophobic slur and body shaming.

    Taking to Instagram, in a video, Bobby told his 792,000 fans that while normally he lets “trolls be trolls”, he had to speak out about the latest onslaught of cyber trolling, which included a horrific anti-gay slur.

    “Hello guys. I just wanted to do a quick message because I’ve seen a lot of stuff online and on social media written about me.

    “For example, [that] I’ve had a face lift done and had a chin reduction which is all news to me.

    “Quite bad anxiety and my confidence is often quite low”

    The star also revealed that he suffers from anxiety attacks and admitted that his confidence was “quite low”.

    He said, “Now, those of you who don’t know, I do suffer with quite bad anxiety and my confidence is often quite low. When you read what people say about you sometimes, there’s no wonder why people feel like that.

    He added: ‘Apparently I’m fat, I’m the Human Ken Doll. Nine times out of ten, I just bite my tongue and I’ll let trolls be trolls.’

    Today I’ve had to do this video because to wake up and see that I’ve been called a ‘vile f****t’ is completely disgusting.

    ‘It’s homophobic and I really think the person who wrote that should question their own life”.

    Many of his fans congratulated him for calling out the trolls and told him to only take heed of the positive message sent by his fans.

     

  • 14 tips on how to beat the bullies

    14 tips on how to beat the bullies

    Bullying takes many forms: Name-calling, making negative comments on your work, making someone feel worthless, physical abuse are just some examples.

    So we’ve put some tips together to help anyone out there who might be being bullied. It doesn’t matter if you’re being bullied at school, college, university, work or home.

    Remember if you are being bullied remember it’s not your fault.

    Write Everything Down

    Free-Photos / Pixabay

    Keep a log of every incident; write down the date, time, location, what happened, what they said and any witnesses that were around.

    Tell Someone
    Tell someone in authority and ask them what they intend to do about it. Tell them any fears you have about reprisals from the bully.

    Someone you trust, like a family member or a friend can also be useful. It means that you’re not dealing with the problem on your own; a problem shared is a problem halved.

    Get Support

    Wokandapix / Pixabay

    Don’t try to deal with it and your feelings about it all on your own. Get some support. Consider counselling for some additional support around your feelings.

    Know Your Rights
    All educational settings have anti-bullying policies. Some employers have these as well. Even if your employer doesn’t they will have Equality & Diversity Policies as well as other relevant policies. Read them.

    There will also be procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying – so have a look at these as well.

    Know your rights. Nobody has a right to bully another. Make authority figures aware that you know you’re rights.

    Don’t Let It Get To You

    Try to not let the things the bully says or does get to you. Bullies bully for a variety of reasons, but it’s always about their issues, not yours.

    Try Not To Show A Reaction or Try Smiling

    Pexels / Pixabay

    Don’t let the bully see that they are getting to you. To do this, try to give them no reaction or smile. You know that phrase: Smile – it confuses people.

    Walk With Confidence
    Use your body language to make you look larger. Stand with your legs apart, your back straight and your chest pushed out slightly. Have your arms slightly away from your body and loose by your sides. Head up as you walk looking straight ahead. This does take a bit of practice but try practising in front of a full-length mirror. Believe it or not, this is how most bullies walk.

    When we see someone walk like this, especially a bully, we do the opposite with our body language. We make ourselves as small as possible including hunching our back, pulling our arms in close and looking down at the ground. Try to remember to keep this confident body language, even when you see the bully.

    The only time to avoid using body language to make you look larger is in the event of a physical assault. In that case, have your side to the perpetrator, as this will give them less of a target. In the event of a physical assault, get yourself out of the situation as soon as you can and to a place of safety.

    Remember nobody has the right to be violent towards you; likewise, you don’t have the right to be violent towards anyone else. All physical assaults should be reported to the Police.

    If It’s CyberBullying

    LoboStudioHamburg / Pixabay

    If the bully is sending you messages, texts, images and videos, keep them all. Don’t respond to any messages and make good use of privacy settings. Block/Ignore the bully and report them to the social media provider. If the messages get particularly abusive report them to the Police (this is why you need to keep all the messages as evidence).

    Take Sensible Steps To Keep Yourself Safe
    Keep yourself safe by carrying a mobile phone, personal attack alarm and being aware of your surroundings. Never walk home on your own and always try to stay with someone when travelling around the setting where you come into contact with the bully.

    Involve The Police
    Any violence or physical assault should be reported to the Police.

    If the bullying is homophobic or racist in nature you can report it to the Police as a hate crime. Hate crime also covers bullying that is related to disability religion, ethnicity or transgender identify. Find out more about hate crimes on the True Vision website.

    Come up with Good Coping Strategies
    We all have different coping strategies. Some good ones are: taking up sports or martial arts (these are particularly empowering and you learn to defend yourself as well), talking to people, expressing how you feel creatively (e.g. writing, music, drawing, making movies, etc.). All of these activities also raise your confidence and self-esteem – something that bullies try to damage or destroy.

    Avoid Drugs & Alcohol as a Coping Strategy

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    There is research that links drugs and alcohol misuse to bullying as a coping strategy. Avoid using drugs or alcohol to cope with the bullying. It might make you forget or feel happier in the very short term (for the night), but the next day the bullying often seems a much bigger problem.

    Know that It Gets Better
    Bullying is a massive issue. Many people get bullied. Remember that the situation you’re in now won’t last forever. There will be a time that the bullying will stop.

    Avoid Becoming The Bully
    There’s some research that shows that some people who have been bullied, later become bullies. Don’t let it happen, you’re better than that! Remember how it felt to be bullied. If you’re in a position to safely stand up to a bully that’s bullying someone else – do.

    If you’re affected by bullying please check out our resources page for further help and support.

  • Man takes his own life following months of homophobic abuse

    A young Scottish man took his own life after months and months of homophobic bullying.

    Scott McIntosh was 28-years-old when he took his own life according to Scottish news site, Sunday Post. It alleges that Scott was targetted by an acquaintance, Kevin Edgar whom Scott knew from school. Edgar is said to have made a series of homophobic phone calls to Scott, after he came out as gay. Scott was a deep-sea diver from Aberdeen. He was also a father to a four-year-old boy.

    On Wednesday, the Glasgow Sheriff Court heard Edgar, 29,  admit to a charge of making an obscene phone call that related to Scott’s sexuality, the communication was said to be indecent, obscene or menacing character” and contained “homophobic remarks”.

    The anonymous calls and emails started 20 months before Scott finally killed himself.

    Edgar was originally charged under the Communications Act 2003 by making threatening phone calls and “electronic communications messages” over a four-month period.

    “took his life due to depression and anxiety”

    Scott died from suicide in Feb 2018, leaving behind his only son, Riley. In August his father, Doug McIntosh, told the Scottish Sun that his son, “took his own life due to depression and anxiety and that seems to be something a lot of young people go through these days.

    “It’s becoming a bit of an epidemic. But it’s a horrific thing for a family to go through”.

    Scott’s father is now raising money for Scott’s son, Riley. A JustGiving page has already raised £5,900. Doug McIntosh writes, “I started this campaign “For the Life of Riley” after losing my Son Scott in February 25th 2018 and want to keep positive to help my Grandson Riley in Scott’s memory.”