Bullying Part 2

My Story

What I have been bullied for

 

There is many reasons why but here a some that I know of:

• My name (I am a cis female with a “boy” name)
• For going to Sunday school and church
• Wearing male clothes (I have been asked if I am really female, I am a tomboy)
• For being autistic and neurodivergent (I have been called fake online by autism mams).
• The singers that I listen to. 

 

What happened when you were bullied?

I asked my followers if they wanted to share their stories and if they had any advice they wanted to share. Here are their stories.

 

Anonymous- Autistic Female 

I experienced bullying in secondary school, as not everyone was accepting of the fact I was different to most people. Usually it was people making verbal remarks or asking me to do things that I knew would make people ridicule me more. People mocked the way I walked and talked and I was afraid to speak or answer questions in class in case people laughed at me. I was often in different classes to my circle of friends and was often targeted if I sat on my own in lessons. Sometimes people hurt me on the way home, like one time when I was 14 and a boy came up behind me and started hitting me with a stick. When my friend saw me crying she walked me back into school and my form tutor gave me a lift home. I coped best with support from my form tutor, head of year and my close circle of friends and was happiest when I was doing things I enjoyed or praised for what I was good at away from the bullies. 

 

During adulthood, I was bullied and treated differently to others, for example I was around people who made fun of my mannerisms, deliberately excluded and ignored me or spoke to  me in degrading ways, to the point I was in tears. I found that if I spoke out I would only make things worse especially as not everyone was on my side and I didn’t want to be held responsible for the consequences. Now I mix with people who are genuinely friendly and supportive through my children and hobbies, I no longer experience bullying nor am I a potential target. 

 

I would advise anyone who is bullied to speak out about it and to realise that others are there to help and also to focus on the positives, such as what they enjoy and things they are good at.

 

Tips

Here are some tips that will hopefully help people who are being bullied or know if someone is being bullied:

• Try not to take anything they say to heart as it’s mentally draining thinking about it constantly
• Tell someone you trust (this can be a teacher, coworker, boss, family member)
• If it’s done online, text, messenger, etc take screenshots for proof and if you can block them. 
• If you are scared to tell someone write a journal and give it to someone to read. 
• Ask a trusted friend to help you.
• If someone asks if you are okay, be honest with them and tell them. 
• If the bully becomes a stalker, please call the police