Editor’s Note: The following submission is from Stitch. Have an LGBTQ+ related experience or story to share? Having your article published on this site will automatically enrol you into a raffle to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Submit an article today via queerdeermedia.com.
My name is Stitch. When I was in the 6th grade I was attracted to females (me being biologically a female). It was before being bi was even a little bit acceptable. I did not know that being attracted to females was “wrong” to society, I thought my crushes were what was considered normal to usual middle school society. I went to my first dance with my very best friend who was also a girl. That night I decided to make my crush public, to not hide it anymore and It turned my entire life in a direction I was unprepared for. I was labeled as a lesbian (I was bi) and a freak. That night I was targeted, hard. Every 6th grader was afraid to be around me, I was being shoved into things and called many derogatory names. No one was on my side and it felt like the entire world was against me. I already had dealt with bullying on an everyday basis, things got bad very very quickly. My teachers saw and never stepped into help, the bullying at school became online and everytime I would see anyone outside of school, I was trapt everywhere in a span of a night. I felt as if I had nowhere to go and no one to run to, I had crushes on girls since the 3rd grade, I never knew it was “abnormal”. That night went from my first dance, to my first suicide attempt. I transferred out of that school in the 10th grade, started attending an ALC and my life has been better since. My time at alc showed me that some people do not care about who I love because it harms no one, people care about me for me and not just my sexuality. I’m no longer afraid to go to the mall, no longer afraid to be who I am. I am so proud of everyone in the community for fighting to be who we are. I know things may seem tough right now but it can always get better. It did for me. I think the best advice I can give is to remember that you deserve to be you, there is nothing wrong with you. People who try to bring you down are below you and the people who truly matter don’t care about who you choose to be with, if they are worth keeping around they will understand.