My english is bad, so sorry if something is spelled or wrote wrong. :-)

I had the most perfect boyfriend in the world. He was the most sweet guy you could ever think. He treated me like a princess, and he told me I was his one and only. But one day he broke up with me. Of course I was sad and all that stuff, but I got over it in like a month, I guess. But then I got a messages from him on Skype, like: "you are a dick, and no one likes you", "Go die", "You are so fat and disgusting", "You' re fucking slut". Then I wrote: "What have I done wrong?", and he wroted back: "You were born". Then I started crying so hard. Cause, I was still in love with him. After that, I've started selfharming, I got an eating disorder, and I got really suicidial. I'm still suicidial, but I keep my head up, and fake a smile, so no one notice.

 I went to a private school full of students who seemed to believe I wasn't meant to walk the same halls as they were. Once the boys locked me in a small broom closet, and no one came to help until the teacher noticed I was missing. Mostly it was vicious rumors that people spread. I tried to shoot myself once, I slept with every boy, and I worshiped Satan. These were all the things that became who I was to those people, these vicious rumors became my life. People would play tricks on me- pretend to like me and then leave me ashamed in the middle of the hall after telling me how outrageous it would be to like someone as ugly or as hideous. Once my "best friend" paid a guy to molest me in a movie theater, and then she told me nothing was wrong with that. I became depressed, anxious, and frustrated. I took it out in ways I shouldn't have- drugs, alcohol, suicide attempts. Then one day it hit me: I AM NOT THIS PERSON. I have NEVER been that girl- EVER. All of this was just a figment of everyone else's rumors, and I was the only one who had the real power over who I was. I changed my outlook, I moved, and I swore to protect. 

 

When I was in public school I was bullied because I had autism. They called me stupid retard and a nobody. It hurt so much. Than I wanted to move to private school that would help me with my disability.  So I went to a school called Talisman Academy that helped me so much I got bullied there sometimes and my voice was made fun of I was so sad because people always make fun of my voice. I learned to stand up to bullying and then suddenly my favorite place in the whole wide world shut down and I went to a new school. They have a no bullying group. So I am going to make a change and fight for people who are bullied. 

Please show your support in this journey to get my masectomy (chest removal)! When I was in school I was bullied. Kids would spit on me, kick me, put my backpack inside out and push me down the stairs. When I told an administrator they told me, “A lady boy half-person like you should expect to be treated that way." Students and teachers called me an "it" and a "tranny". So, I withdrew out of high school my first week of junior year and got my GED.
I'm going to the Community College of Rhode Island and majoring in art and taking theatre. I want to be a comedian and an artist. I am currently in the Junior Providence Singers. I have anxiety, ADHD and depression. I also have dysphoria. Dysphoria is the feeling I get when people use the wrong pronouns/name, looking at myself in the mirror, people calling me names, or looking at me the wrong way for being transgender.
I have been on Testosterone since January 2013. I also got my name changed this year. However, the one thing that I still desperately need is top-surgery (masectomy) (so I won't get Cancer and deal with dysphoria). It is all very expensive. $8,305 dollars. I need help to raise this money. I identify as gay. Some people ask me why did I “become” a boy, to like boys. My sexuality has nothing to do with my gender. I always knew I was a boy I just never told anyone. In elementary school I would stand up when they asked the boys to stand. I wanted to play sports and play videogames but I was ostracized.
I can’t even go on the city bus without cringing at the things people call me and I can’t live without my chest binder. My father is homeless, some my family disowned me and my mother is disabled. It seems wherever I look I can’t pass as myself. I don’t want to prove my happiness, my gender, my pronouns or my name. I want to help all the transgender kids, even by showing them that it is possible, to dream of a day without dysphoria. Nobody should have to go through what I've been through.
I didn't choice to be this way. Life is too short to be sad. I really don't want anymore trans people to die from ignorance or suicide. I tried to commit suicide four times. I had my surgery consultation on September 19th 2013 with Dr. Paul Costas in Concord Massachusetts. Insurance won't pay for it, please help me get one step closer. Donate 1$, even that will help. I appreciate what you can do, spread the word. Mail donations to 421 Dover Avenue, Riverside, RI, 02915 or donate online at www.gofundme.com/nomoobs All I want is equality. And of course, no more moobs. Please help, thank you for your support, I couldn't accomplish this without you! Thank you.
Write Ellen DeGeneres for me! So I can be on her show!
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
PO Box 7788
Burbank, CA 91522
ATTN: Fan Mail
Sincerely, Jason Bartlett
__________________________
Monologue (True Stories That Happened to me)
by Jason Bartlett
Boys Do Cry
(Calmly) You think you can just tell people on Facebook that you're a guy now. Nobody will call you Jason. Nobody will call you he, him and his. Stop pretending to be something you’re not. You’re a woman. Plain and simple: you are an it.(Escalates, not calm) You fucking disgusting tranny! You motherfucking lady-boy.You're only a half-person. You are gross. You're not a real man! You have a pussy don’t you?! A vagina! Don’t you, bitch!? Prove it! How do you have sex? Show me your boobs, you know you have them! You gonna buy a sex change now?! You don’t shave your armpits and legs, that's nasty! I hope you die, I don't want to breathe the same air as you, be on the same planet as you! (pushes down stairs) Look around, even the teachers think you deserve to be treated like crap, you goddamn hermaphrodite. Nobody is helping you, see them all standing around?! So fuck you. Fuck you! (dumps backpack out, pens clatter)You’ll never be a boy scout, be in the military or play baseball. Transvestites like you are banned in those, and I’m glad they are. Kill yourself because nobody loves you. You’re really just a butch tomboy. Just because you cut your hair off doesn’t make you a guy. You are just a poser. You make me sick, faggot!(spits on ground)People are staring at you because you are weird! You are an ugly he-she. You sin everyday. Go hang yourself. You're just a girl, no matter how hard you try to be like me, cunt! You are worthless shit. You’re an anorexic crossdresser! The world would be better off without you. I will kill you and then you won’t be able to masquerade around and deceive people anymore! It’s your fault that you are this way!(kicks)You chose to be transgender and you can change back. I’ll smack you until you change back. I’ll cut you, stupid she-male twat! Why did you become a guy to like guys?! You’re not a gay guy! That makes you straight! You aren’t fooling anyone. You're a chick, not a dude! I hate you people, you're all fake, and will burn in hell! You aren’t even human! (punches)You're just a dyke, a retarded lesbian! A screwed up cracker! You're family disowned you for a reason! Go home and drink bleach!

I was always a larger child. Always taller, always wider for as long as I can remember. And I have a really good memory! Starting before 1st grade my "best friend" told me was fat. I was too heavy. Too heavy too be pretty. Do the math.... That is BEFORE 1st grade so 6 years old and I already know I am too big to be pretty. Also have the wrong hair color because we live in Japan at that point, but that's okay. After that I just keep going with my usual eating habits, which are "American" to my Japanese friends which make me feel self conscious as is plus I have this battle dwelling within that is my family life that I have chosen to ignore. Then we move to WYOMING. Yeah. I like to black out a lot of my life but there as not as much of my life that needs to be deleted as Wyoming. There was so much pain and anguish there that I dare not to recall. My parents fought there more than they ever had but for the first time I understood what it all meant and it hurt. Also for the first time my mother came to me for relationship advise. Through all of this I was tortured at school-I was heavy and tall. A little while after we got to Wyoming I developed acne and THEN I got braces and a neck brace. Jus found out my mother never thought I was made fun of. She NEVER THOUGHT I WAS TEASED. MY PARENTS NEVER THOUGHT I WAS MADE FUN OF FOR BEING OVER WEIGHT, BEING TALLER THAN ALL THE BOYS, HAVING BRACES, AND A NECK BRACE. Yeah. Denial much?

All performed by middle school students at William Penn Middle School in Yardley, PA.

http://youtu.be/GWSYQfWpucA

 

When I was in grade school, I was bullied a LOT. I was befriended by several people that were nice "on their own terms". If they felt like being nice, everything was fine. If they felt like using me as their amusement, it was horrid. I was made to kiss poles, bow down, tell boys I liked them even if I didn't, and other stupid things that adults these days might think as "harmless fun by kids".

However, even at a young age, I noticed there was a pattern. Back then, I didn't know the word "Manipulative" applied to people. And these kids were just that....manipulative. They grew angry if I spent time with another friend. They said it was a rule that people could only have "one best friend", and when I actually spoke up to disagree, the verbal abuse, the taunts, the lies, and the rumor spreading ramped up. As an adult, I look back and think "why did I even agree to being their puppet?", and I'm sure other other adults will think the same. But remember, Adults, that we as kids had a different way of thinking.....think about it. You wanted to be accepted in a peer group, and part of you would do anything to be in that group, even if it meant damaging your pride just a little. Well, its time to watch out when "a little" turns into " a lot".

There were 3 groups of kids that bullied be regularly. A group of brothers and sisters that lived 2 houses down from me, a duo of girls that made me do the "puppet shows", and a group of 3 kids that followed me around and called me names and randomly slap me.

Finally, I got sick of it. I took up martial arts. I worked hard and years later I attained a black belt. I was 15 then, and STILL being bullied. Can you believe that? A martial artist who was bullied. Now, you might think "well, martial arts didn't do you any good then"......on the contrary. It gave me the confidence to know that if push came to punch, I'd be able to defend myself, and *choose* how much damage to inflict. It empowered me to realized that a simple flick of my foot could cause serious damage, or that a seemingly easy pass of my hand could crush a larynx. Because I learned what I was capable of, I avoided fights at all cost because I didn't want to hurt anyone. I practiced martial arts to develop myself, not to gain revenge against my bullies. The practice calmed me, and made me walk taller.

One day, teaching a beginners class (I was 16 at this time) at the local community center. I kept the doors to the classroom closed because we didn't want interruptions or distractions. We heard laughing outside the doors, then knocking, then loud thumping noises against the door. I told the kids in my class to ignore it. But the thumping turned into what sounded like full fledged kicks against the door. I had enough. I sternly opened the door, and there standing in the hallway were the 3 kids that used to follow me around and slap me. They looked at me, and I said "I know you". Their faces dropped. The oldest kid asked 'You the teacher? Are you a black belt or somethin'?"  "Yeah, I'm the teacher, and yeah I'm a black belt. I guess you're lucky I never fought back each time you slapped me. ". The youngest kid said "I'll kick your ass any day!". So I stepped away from the door, flourished with my hand in a "come on in" motion, and said "You're welcome to come in and try".

"Class, attention! These kids I know from school, and they want to share how they would fight against a Karate person. Would you like to see?"

The kids turned right around and ran out the door.

Each time I saw them walking around the neighborhood, they stayed clear.

 

Although I'm an adult now, 47 years old to be exact, I remember those days vividly. The embarrassment, the worry, the fear of going to school, planning different routes to school so you never see the bullies, having teachers brush it off....I know how it goes. But kids, you don't need Karate to stand up for yourself (although it IS fun and helpful!).....all you need to do is realize you have strengths that bullies don't. One of those strengths is self respect. Arrogance is NOT self respect. Self respect allows you to accept your weaknesses as well as celebrate your strengths, and that knowledge builds confidence. 

Do you like robotics instead of football? Great! Be proud of it. Like reading instead of video games? Be proud in knowing that beating enemies in video games doesn't give you the knowledge on how to do it in real life, and reading keeps your brain in a mode that helps you learn the real life skills that can help you survive in dire situations. 

Get out there, play, read, play an instrument....do anything your heart desires, knowing that there are other kids that like the same things you do. You're not alone. There are also other kids that experience the same bullying you are....stand together and let the grownups know that what you are experiencing is REAL....its not just some childish play, its not something that grownups can say is something that the kids need to work out themselves. 

And adults....if you say "this generation is weak. When I was a kid I had to fight to get respect. If you were different you got harassed, deal with it and stop being so thin skinned", then you have NO IDEA. You think you got tough because you had to fight, and now as and adult you think that things are the same way as 30, 40 or 50 or more years ago. Well, wake up, adults! Today bullying is on the internet, its on the kid's phones. These days bullies can gain a crowd of other bullies in mere minutes with a simple text message. Where's your toughness when you face 10 other kids alone? Today, kids even carry knives....even firearms! Today's bullies don't understand that their weapon is more than just a status symbol or a prop to make them tougher....they don't understand that when they pull a trigger when they're challenged, that it changes lives or ends them.

Parents, listen to your kids. If they're being bullied, take it straight to the school. Keep badgering until something is done. Your child deserves an education free of harassment.

And kids, don't be afraid to tell an adult if you're being bullied. Its not "tattletelling"....its smart. If you speak out, then other kids might speak out too. This will out the bullies and hopefully, they'll tone down, knowing that eyes are watching them.

You don't have to be big and strong to STAND STRONG.

Hi I'm Alanna. I'm in 7th grade, and I guess you could say I get bullied a lot. This girl is always making fun of me because I'm a vegan and last year when my dad made me play softball she called me a klutz and said I should just go home because I was so weak. Her friends call me a loner loser and lots of other things that I'm not going to repeat. Also this boy threw a bunch of dirt at me and insulted my body, this same boy in 4th grade grabbed me on the playground and wouldn't let go until I pulled away. Lots of times I feel like I'm going to lose it. And other times I wish I was at home. But I try not to fight back because I'd just be doing the same thing they're doing. Several people are nice to me at school, though I have no friends there, but I have many friends that aren't at my school. They give me strength and courage and when I'm having a bad day I think of them and it makes me feel better.

I don't have a story, I have a concern.  My little man in on the autism spectrum.   He's only 7 now, and he can't or doesn't know how to communicate bullying.  I expect Bullying will rear it's head at some point. As he progresses in school I only expect that any it will escalate verbally and phyisically.  I trust that his teachers and other support systems will protect him from what they know.  It scares me to think about what we don't know and he can't communicate.  I've joined on fight in effort to prevent and protect my boy and others like him From bullying.

When I was 10 years old, I woke up one morning and started stuttering. I could not say one word, without stuttering. Doctors were no help, as many said I was faking it for attention. My parents were concerned, but also thought I was using it to get attention. The school placed me in speech therapy, which did not help - instead it drew even more attention to me and made the stuttering worse. My school was very small - we only had 18 kids in our 4th grade class. My days were very lonely because the friends I had, were now making fun of me, calling me names, pushing me into the lockers in the hallway, and mocking me continually. I cried, then I got mad, which only made the stuttering worse! I was no longer invited to birthday parties, for sleepovers, and no one called me on the phone because it was labor intensive to listen to me talk, while trying to figure out what I was trying to say. I specifically remember being taunted in the classroom while my teacher made me read outloud everyday, by all of the kids, with the exception of a handfull. I would have to stand up, read the passage outloud, while cringing in embarressment and shame. The worst part was that no one believed that I was truly suffering a disability at the time. I cried everyday. I stoppedlooking people in the eye, because I was either being judged, ridiculed or being looked upon with pity. I withdrew from everyone. Now, during all of this, there was one thing that I could do better than others, and that was singing. When I was singing, I felt freedom. The rythym of singing was the only way I could vocalize speech without a stutter, so it came to me one day to try a rythym in my speech pattern when I spoke words. It helped. Of course, kids don't forget, so the teasing continued, the bullying continued. My parents were not buying it. Eventually, I embraced that part of me, and when I did, I started to feel better about myself, then others started to accept my stuttering as part of who I am. Now, 34 years later, I am in a professional role where I conduct training to staff across the state. I speak, for the most part, without stuttering at all....can you imagine that? I am so happy that I learned to accept myself and that led others to accept me. I know my story is not as dramatic as some of yours are. But it is my story. And, I want you to know that no matter what anyone thinks about you, what is most important is what you think about yourself. Be your own best friend. Believe in yourself. I hope that my words have helped you in some way. Love to you all, Kim