Raise Your Voice

Make yourself heard

I still could not forget that day. It was a tranquil and beautiful day that I went to a hair salon to have a haircut, holding hands with my mom. I bounced in, smiling broadly at my hairdresser. Sitting in my chair, I listened to her talking to my mother.

“So … why hasn’t your son’s voice changed? He still sounds girly, doesn’t he? ” She asked uneasily.

“Well … it eventually will, won’t it? ” My mom said calmly.

As little as I was, I sat in my chair, shutting my eyes closed as if that could drown out the implicit intolerance masquerading as an innocent question, coming after me.

Do you know how many Taiwanese gay people have attempted suicide due to bullying? 20%. Twenty percent of us have attempted suicide because of bullying. According to Wikipedia, gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is usually perceived to be gay or a lesbian. Such behavior should not be tolerated anymore.

I have been bullied since the age of nine. When I was in primary school, I made friends with girls instead of boys. We chatted during recess while the boys played basketball out on the field, and they came back to stink up the entire classroom. In my free time, I usually played with Barbie dolls with my elder sisters, and read some girly comic books, as well. I was so unique that no boys in my class would want to talk to me. Finishing elementary school, I thought I could dump my gloomy past, living anew. I reckoned my bright future was about to start.

I, however, was wrong. I was very wrong. My misfortune was just getting started.

Entering a junior high school did not make my life easier. Still, I was in absolute isolation. In addition, I was hated for being a straight-A student. Somehow, I managed to get the first place in almost every single quiz, test, and exam I took. My peers loathed me for being a workaholic, and furthermore, I was dumbfounded by how they could throw the f-word, rhyming with the word — bag, at me without getting caught, and what was more, they impersonated me, as well. Pretending to be me, they spoke in a sickly, sweet, false, and girly voice when I was around. Embarrassed, I ran away from them before my tears rolled down my cheeks.

There was a time I did not flee, purely because I could not. My home room teacher aped me when he talked to me in class. Petrified, I was hurt. Soon, he got what he wanted. The entire class burst into laughter except me. I did not cry, but stared at my teacher blankly, trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

A couple of years later, history repeated itself. My senior high math teacher once asked me in class what the second digit of my Identity Card Number is. As for those who do not know, it depends on gender; one for males, two for females.

“So Joseph, tell me what the second digit of your Identity Card Number is? ” He asked

“One. ” I replied swiftly.

“Really? Are you sure? ” he questioned.

“Yeah … it’s one … if I remember correctly. ” I said it once more, less confidently.

“Think hard, ” he said with a smirk.

I had, of course, thought about ending all this. People disliked me for who I was. If I did not exist, I would not need to put up with all this. Making up my mind, I tried to come up with some suicide methods that I could use. Then, it struck me that committing suicide hurt. I was terrified of needles, let alone knives. Giving up, I had no choice but to get on with my life no matter how pathetic it was. Nevertheless, I am now going to graduate from my university, where I major in English literature. I have ultimately found my voice — English. My story will not go to waste if I share it with everyone else.

Let me end by saying that bullying is harmful. It is not just a purely intellectual concept, but a reality. In summary, one out of five of every Taiwanese gay people has attempted suicide due to bullying. In effect, it is not just about Taiwan, but the entire world. No one should ever be discriminated against owing to who they are. Hence, I would like to invite you to fight bullying. If you are bullying someone, you could kindly stop yourself from doing so. If you are a bystander, you could take a stand, and say no to bullying. If you were a victim of bullying, share your story. Raise your voice. We have the power to make bullying history, and we must take action now. The end of bullying starts with you.