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Dear
A....
Sorry
to hear that you're having a painful time at school. Being
bullied is a very hard thing to go through and can leave you
feeling scared and vulnerable. Bullying should not be tolerated
- there can never be any excuse for it. No-one has the right
to taunt or harass someone about their sexuality. Whether
they are in fact gay/lesbian or not, name-calling/intimidation
about sexuality is completely unacceptable. It should be stopped.
You really shouldn't be put through this. It's important to
talk about what you're going through and how you're feeling.
I urge you to find an adult you trust and talk things through.
Teachers at school should be made aware of what is happening
and take action to stop this.
You
can also contact one of the helplines which offer free and
confidential advice and support to young people. It can really
help to talk about things. I don't know which part of the
UK you're from so I'll give you a few phone numbers. If you're
in Scotland you could phone ChildLine Scotland's Bullying
helpline which is open 3.30pm - 10pm Monday to Friday or weekends
2pm - 8pm, freephone 0800 44 1111. If you're outside Scotland
or if you are in Scotland phoning after the hours above, you
could contact Childline which has a 24 hour helpline on 0800
1111. Samaritans can be contacted by phone or email, tel:
08457 909090, email: jo@samaritans.org.
If you'd
like to talk to someone about your sexuality you could phone
the helpline at LGBT
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Youth in Scotland.
They have a confidential helpline which operates on Tuesday
evening 7.30pm - 9pm, telephone 0845 113 0005 (calls within
Edinburgh are charged at the local rate). You can call this
number even if you're outside Scotland. Please remember that
you deserve better and that you are entitled to the support
of school staff. The ABN has produced an information sheet
on homophobic bullying. If you'd like to read this please
go
here.
With
my best wishes,
Anti-Bullying
Network Adviser
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