I know it’s not the finest news to start a week, but it is very important. It occasionally happens that young people get bullied in school. And it also happens to young gay people. Research has proven that two thirds of young gay people have contemplated suicide because 80% of them are being bullied because of their sexuality.  This are just numbers for the UK. Can you imagine the rest of the world?
 

Between the age of 13 and 18 years old, 37% of gay young people have actually attempted suicide because of the bullying.
 

A report published by the anti-bullying charity “Ditch the Label” found that gay school and college students are more likely to be victims of bullying than any other demographic group in the UK.  It also reports that almost two thirds of lesbian respondents have been bullied, more than half of them contemplated suicide or have attempted it, 7 in 10 of the bisexual respondents have had suicidal thoughts and nearly two thirds have harmed themselves as a result of bullying.
 

The results for the transgendered students are also alarming. More than 2 in 5 respondents tried to kill themselves. And 62% of them have had suicidal thoughts, 67% have harmed themselves or turned to some kind of drug/alcohol to cope.
 

Bullying is STUPID! And being bullied for body, shape, size or weight is just pathetic. IT’s sad that homophobia, racism, disability discrimination and transphobia are still big reasons of bullying.
 

The founder of “Ditch the Label” said that gay males are most heavily targeted. The bullying is having profound impact on the self esteem, mental health and also the academic performance of LGBT students. This needs to be addressed.

These young people need to feel safe in their schools and in their environments. No one deserves to feel like they do. As a matter a fact, no one should be bullied, period. I like “Ditch the Label”. They work with schools, colleges, youths and parents from across the UK. It aren’t just adults who help out, but also teens. So this can help bullied kids open up more. Sometimes I just hope that the bullies get a taste of their own medicine. But in fact, the best way to get back at them is by showing that you are ok and that you are doing perfectly fine and that you are happy with who you are. That’s my message to the bullied young people. Show them that you are more than ok.