People calling me gay.

[anonyyyyyymous]

Hey.

Im in high school and most of my friends are girls. Pretty much everyone thinks I’m gay but the problem is... I’m not. I mean, people don’t really hate me, I can get along with people but there are just a few people that really bug me. For instance, when I hear someone in my year asked my sister if I was gay. Like dude, mind your own business. 

And I was walking home the other day when someone yelled to me “hey, gay guy.” It doesn’t really bother me because I know who I am and that’s all I need to know.

But today, this guy in my year that I haven’t ever talked to or had an issue with started mocking me today, “hey, do you want to go on a daaaate with me.” I don’t really care and usually respond with something like “No, what the hell?” “What are you going on about?” “I’m so confused.” Or something along those lines but it started to piss me off when he said it in front of a couple of my friends (who I thought I could trust) and they laughed at me. I just walked off without saying anything to them but....

it’s the weekend and it’s on my mind now and I know he is going to keep bringing it up again and again (something like this happened a year back with some other guy in my year). I’m not one of those people that will just sit there and be picked on. I was raised to stick up for myself so I’m thinking of just confronting him on Monday. I don’t want to tell my parents about it all because I hate them feeling guilty or giving me a lecture about what I should do.

You guys have any thoughts on what I should do? It felt like my life was going surprisingly good but in the past week, with being sick, getting a bad result, this stuff, etc. I’m in a miserable place again. Thank you to anyone who made it to the end!

[Taylor-RO]

Hey @anonyyyyyymous, welcome to ReachOut and thanks for sharing your story! I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing this at the moment. Our own sexuality is never the business of someone else unless we wish it to be. It is really inappropriate for them to be making these throwaway comments and is hurtful whether they are true or not. It sounds like it has had a massive impact on you, which is understandable. What support do you have throughout this? I can understand why you feel the need to stand up for yourself. There is a concern of whether this would escalate the situation or cause the negative behaviour to continue. Have you confronted the person previously? Ultimately, it would be awesome to alert a teacher or trusted adult to the situation. Is this an option for you? They could keep an eye on you, help you figure out what to say and minimise the chances of it escalating. Your safety and well-being is really a priority in a situation like this