How to Deal With Homophobic Bullying
Don't react to the bully., Calm down., Show confidence., Tell them to stop., Have a talk with them.Sometimes the bullying is because the person isn't informed about your sexuality or aware that what they are doing is hurtful.Explaining how their...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Don't react to the bully.
Most of the time, people bully because they want to get a reaction from you.
Homophobic bullies try to use your sexual orientation as a way to upset you and make themselves feel better about something they don’t understand.Deal with it by not giving them the satisfaction of a response.
Responding to the bully when you are upset could cause you to say or do something that could make the situation worse like get into a physical altercation.Don’t react even if you aren’t homosexual and the bully is saying that you are.
Denying it will give the bully a reason to continue bothering you.
If you haven’t come out yet, reacting to the bully might cause you to accidentally out yourself out of anger.
Just walk past them and ignore their comments and taunts.
If you can’t walk away then turn your attention to something else.
If the bullying is happening online, you still shouldn’t respond.
Posting a response could still make the situation worse. -
Step 2: Calm down.
It’s easy to get upset when someone is bullying you because of your sexual orientation.
You may feel extremely angry, humiliated, anxious, or afraid.
Deal with the situation by calming down first.Take a few deep, slow breaths to slow your heart rate and help you calm down.
Take at least three deep breaths, but more if you need to.
Relax your shoulders and release any tension you are holding in your body.
You may need to think to yourself, “Relax your shoulders.
Good.
Relax your hands.” , You can deal with the homophobic bully by showing them how confident you are.This will show the bully that what they are doing has no power over you.
They may lose interest in bullying you when they realize they don’t intimidate you.
Even if you don’t feel confident, act like you do.
You are the only person that knows that you are nervous, so try not to let it show.
Take a deep breath.
Stand up straight, with your head up, and shoulders back.
If and when you talk to the bully use a confident tone by keeping your voice calm, clear, and steady.
Look the bully in the eyes when you interact with them (and anyone else).
This lets them know you aren’t afraid. , You can deal with homophobic bullying by telling the person to stop doing it.Letting them know in a direct way that you don’t like what they are doing and want them to quit may be enough to make them to stop.
Try saying something like, “Stop bothering me.
My sexuality has nothing to do with you, so leave me alone.” If it’s online bullying, you can send the person a private message telling them that their posts bother you and that they need to stop.
You could even say something as simple as, “Leave me alone.” If they don’t stop bullying right then, don’t get into a confrontation.
Just walk away before the situation gets out of hand. , Older people may have been raised to believe that homosexuality is wrong and may say things that are hurtful without meaning to.
Your friends may not understand that saying things like “that’s gay” all the time hurts your feelings and is bullying.
Try saying, “What you said hurt my feelings.
Being gay is a part of who I am, but not all that I am.
Would you like to talk about it so you can understand more?” -
Step 3: Show confidence.
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Step 4: Tell them to stop.
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Step 5: Have a talk with them.Sometimes the bullying is because the person isn't informed about your sexuality or aware that what they are doing is hurtful.Explaining how their words and actions hurt you could help them to stop.
Detailed Guide
Most of the time, people bully because they want to get a reaction from you.
Homophobic bullies try to use your sexual orientation as a way to upset you and make themselves feel better about something they don’t understand.Deal with it by not giving them the satisfaction of a response.
Responding to the bully when you are upset could cause you to say or do something that could make the situation worse like get into a physical altercation.Don’t react even if you aren’t homosexual and the bully is saying that you are.
Denying it will give the bully a reason to continue bothering you.
If you haven’t come out yet, reacting to the bully might cause you to accidentally out yourself out of anger.
Just walk past them and ignore their comments and taunts.
If you can’t walk away then turn your attention to something else.
If the bullying is happening online, you still shouldn’t respond.
Posting a response could still make the situation worse.
It’s easy to get upset when someone is bullying you because of your sexual orientation.
You may feel extremely angry, humiliated, anxious, or afraid.
Deal with the situation by calming down first.Take a few deep, slow breaths to slow your heart rate and help you calm down.
Take at least three deep breaths, but more if you need to.
Relax your shoulders and release any tension you are holding in your body.
You may need to think to yourself, “Relax your shoulders.
Good.
Relax your hands.” , You can deal with the homophobic bully by showing them how confident you are.This will show the bully that what they are doing has no power over you.
They may lose interest in bullying you when they realize they don’t intimidate you.
Even if you don’t feel confident, act like you do.
You are the only person that knows that you are nervous, so try not to let it show.
Take a deep breath.
Stand up straight, with your head up, and shoulders back.
If and when you talk to the bully use a confident tone by keeping your voice calm, clear, and steady.
Look the bully in the eyes when you interact with them (and anyone else).
This lets them know you aren’t afraid. , You can deal with homophobic bullying by telling the person to stop doing it.Letting them know in a direct way that you don’t like what they are doing and want them to quit may be enough to make them to stop.
Try saying something like, “Stop bothering me.
My sexuality has nothing to do with you, so leave me alone.” If it’s online bullying, you can send the person a private message telling them that their posts bother you and that they need to stop.
You could even say something as simple as, “Leave me alone.” If they don’t stop bullying right then, don’t get into a confrontation.
Just walk away before the situation gets out of hand. , Older people may have been raised to believe that homosexuality is wrong and may say things that are hurtful without meaning to.
Your friends may not understand that saying things like “that’s gay” all the time hurts your feelings and is bullying.
Try saying, “What you said hurt my feelings.
Being gay is a part of who I am, but not all that I am.
Would you like to talk about it so you can understand more?”
About the Author
Dorothy Bailey
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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