Alex's Answer

Hi there and welcome to Ask Alex,  

 It sounds like you have a lot going on, and it is concerning to hear about how your friends are treating you. We are glad you contacted us for support, as bullying can be a very distressing and isolating experience to go through. It is important to know that you don’t have to deal with this on your own.  

It’s not okay for anyone to bully anyone about their sexuality. Bullying can have a negative impact on how one thinks and feels about themselves.  It can lead to difficulties in trusting others, and it may lead to you feeling worried and scared about what others are going to say or do.  

Everyone has the right to feel safe and not to have to feel discriminated against and it would be important that the bullying would stop. Here are some articles that will provide you with some more information on bullying and on how to manage it:

www.childline.ie/what-to-do-if-someone-bullies-you-at-school/; 

www.childline.ie/what-to-do-if-someone-is-harassing-you-online/ 

You are not alone in this as there are always places to turn to for help and support.  

It would be important that you speak to a trusted adult about this. They could be a parent, a teacher, a doctor or another family member. You also have the option of arranging an appointment to speak to your school guidance counsellor or principle about this. They probably have a lot of experience with dealing with bullying and they would have a responsibility to try and stop any bullying that is occurring in school.  They will hopefully be there to support you with this and help you take some action to change the situation.  

You might also find it helpful to talk to us about this further. You would be very welcome to contact us here in Childline any time day or night. The freephone number is 1800 66 66 66 or if you prefer you could use our web chat on www.childline.ie (click on the orange Live Chat button/tab). All the Childline services are free, confidential and open 24 hours a day and it would be great to hear from you.  

We really hope that this is resolved very quickly for you and that you find this information helpful. Please get in contact us again whenever you like. We are always here for you.  

Thanks so much for contacting Ask Alex, take care of yourself,

Alex