Are you dreading going back to school? Does the idea of having to go back to school after coming out of the closet and admitting that you’re a gay teen scaring the daylights out of you? I don’t blame you at all for this level of fear. Every time you open a newspaper or check out online news, there’s another case of bullying. If straight kids are going through it, then you better believe that gay teens are going through it. We don’t say this to try to be ugly, but we are trying to tell you the truth around here. Being a gay teen is hard, but it’s not impossible. One of the top things that you need to do over the summer is develop your own mind. You might lose friends over it, but who cares?
You’re going to be doing the right thing for you, and that’s really what matters in the grand scheme of things. You cannot work on yourself without improving your self-esteem. When your self-esteem gets high enough, you stop caring so much what people think. In the grand scheme of things, what your high school buddies think about your attitude really doesn’t matter. Chances are good that everyone is going to eventually go their separate ways anyway. This means that they have no real bearing on your life. You’re going to have to get used to rejection in your life anyway. No matter how nice of a person you are, there’s going to be times where people aren’t going to like you.
Instead of focusing on the people that don’t like you, you should try focusing on the people that like you. If you step back and really look at your experience, you’ll find that it really isn’t so bad. There are plenty of people that probably love you, but it’s so hard to see them over the people that think you’re annoying, weird, or just plain hard to deal with.
The more that you focus on the good, the better your life becomes. It’s high time that you start seeing how good of a person you can really be. You don’t want to slide into a place where you think the worst of yourself. Deep down, there’s good inside of you. You just need to unleash it and experience it for yourself.
Hang out with people that get along with you. Don’t try to seek approval from people that are bullying you. They’re never, ever going to give it to you. I know it might sound odd, but trust us — we’ve been in high school before. It’s not easy for anyone, and everyone gets picked on at least once. Just because you don’t see everyone getting bullied doesn’t mean that it’s not happening. You just have to find your own path to happiness, and remember that what makes you happy doesn’t make everyone happy.
Of course, if you are being actively bullied, you need to get good documentation — start keeping a log of what’s going on. Involve as many school officials as possible. Keep up the pressure until you get treated better. You don’t have to embrace violence on anyone’s part — you just have to take care of yourself. Good luck and remember: you’re in school to get an education, so cherish the time that you have!
