You’re gay.
Just go kill yourself, no one wants you.
For years sophomore Baden Gunter* lived with bullying from his peers. It got so bad that in sixth grade Gunter tried to kill himself.
Today Gunter, who is straight, says he’s able to laugh off the remarks in large part because he’s become numb to them.
Gunter isn’t alone. Recent studies show Bullied teens, regardless of sexual orientation, are more likely to hurt themselves.
“I was bullied for three years,” Gunter said. “I got constant ridicule from my fellow peers calling me an emo homosexual.”
The bullying took a toll on Gunter’s life, causing him to go into a deep depression.
“I stopped talking to my friends and family,” Gunter said.
Bullied students say it gets worse if sexual orientation becomes part of the harassment. Gay teens are three times more likely to commit suicide.
“It makes me pretty mad,” senior Eddy Smith* said. “It’s not like I dress in drag or anything like that.”
Smith doesn’t consider himself to be outrageously gay and doesn’t understand why people make fun of him for it.
“I pretty much keep it to myself,” Smith said.
The teasing the bullied students face has caused them to change the way they look at everyone.
“I changed completely as a person,” Gunter said. “I became a bitter person and separated myself from everyone.”
The students also changed the way that they look at other people in the world.
“I learned that other people will make fun of the way you look or act to make themselves feel better,” Gunter said. “As a result of how I was treated, I don’t make fun of others.”
The bullying on the students still affects them today, and they still face the ridicule.
“[The bullying] is scars left on me,” Gunter said. “But they are more like open wounds that will never heal.”