Living Proof

As you probably already know, I'm very passionate about preventing our children from being bullied in school. Some survive it, some don't. We've all heard horror stories where a kid commits suicide because the bullying was just too much. Most of the time, the victim never tells anyone due to shame and embarrassment. They hide it and let it fester until it's too late. Bullying happens in schools, playgrounds and even in neighborhoods where they all congregate. Parents can't be there every second of the day, which is why I think it's so important to have all parents and children informed of what can happen if the bullying doesn't stop. I also write a lot about this topic because it's a personal one for me, having survived a suicide attempt that no one even knew about. I was bullied relentlessly by a neighborhood "friend". I was only 13 years old and tried to drink myself into a coma. I wanted to end it because I feared going to school the next ...

When will it stop? Another case where a Brooklyn 8th grader, Kardin Ulysse was bullied to the point of potentially being blind in one eye if it cannot be corrected. The kids were harassing him, calling him antigay slurs and attacking him physically. On Good Day New York, Kardin stated, "They were calling me such horrible words, like being gay." Instantly I thought, wow, progression hasn't really taken place as far as acceptance for the LGBT community. More so, being called "gay" is seen as horrible, as Kardin described it. Nobody should be harassed for who they are or who they aren't -- my point is, these kids have the mindset that "being gay" is a terrible thing. Even Kardin said it was a terrible name to call him. Even if he's not gay, regardless, the word itself or description is certainly not of a negative one, unless used in a derogatory manner. I'm hoping by him describing gay as "horrible", was meant by derogatoriness.   ...

WARNING: This video is very hard to watch... If you cannot view this video from any mirrored websites, please click here . Like many other people, while watching Jonah Mowry’s video, I found myself in tears, sobbing for him. I also found my mother in tears as she watched the video. I kept remembering all the times as a young child being bullied in school and coming home not saying one word about it. I remember the kids taunting me, mocking everything from what I wore to whatever haircut I decided to get. It was obvious I was a tomboy. I dressed like a boy, I looked like a boy, and many times, was mistaken as a boy. I was always happy when someone would refer to me as a “he”. My mission was accomplished. But when I walked down the hallway of my school, I was called something much differently: “Lesbo!” “Dyke!” “Lezzie!” The descriptions worsened into sexual smut, but for the most part, I kept it to myself. Nobody knew how tortured I was. I hardly ever hung around with girls because they...