Four people describe what they'd tell their childhood bullies. They were targeted for ethnicity, clothing, stutter, and sexual orientation. Some found resilience and forgiveness; others still carry anger and shame, but all credit supportive people for helping them move forward.
Chapters
Yeah, When I was a kid, I was literally a stereotypical Asian nerdy kid.
It was a public school and kids were super mean to me.
The way I was dressed was not tolerated. I had to mentally prepare for attacks, verbal attacks from my classmates.
We didn't understand the consequences to our words. And it gets really hurtful sometimes.
I was gay. I was the gay kid, because that's a bad word, so it must be reply to me.
I started stuttering like crazy and people would just point at me and laughing at me out loud. So I felt so frustrated.
Then as I got older, I knew that I was gay. I don't know if they knew it, but it sort of became more personal whenever they would use it.
One day I was just sitting in my classroom, and suddenly three classmates come up to me and they pick me up from my desk and they just throw me to the corridor on the floor. And they just said, people like you are not accepted.
Someone wrote something really mean on my pencil box, and it was like a birthday present that I just got from my mom. And the words are, die, you faggot.
I didn't really have the courage to speak out about it, that it bothered me because for me it was like, oh, it's just a small thing, like, why mention it all?
I sort of ran out of class and I didn't want to come back to school for a few days. But then eventually I did. And I believe that this incident made me a very strong person and it brought me to where I am now.
I don't know why I did, but you know, I'm here now, so I forgive you.
It taught me not to change myself for other people. It is the reason why I am strong and confident. The way I am right now. The way I deal with it is like just to stay. That's who I am. I don't want to change. I know I stand up for something and no one can change it.
Always remember, there will be people that loves you around you. And if the people that don't agree with the way you live your life or doesn't accept you in any way, just know that you will be able to find those that will.
