Here’s the thing about bullying: it often exposes our darkest secrets. Bullies laugh gleefully while they cruelly humiliate and shame the target. People who have been bullied often think that this is an individual failure which is specific to them: they usually blame themselves. Often everybody else blames them too.
The child who has been bullied often feels deep down that they have been viewed, judged and then stamped with the label “not good enough”. The anguish of being abandoned and humiliated by their peers often leaves many long-term scars, and the target of the bullying can feel a deep sense of shame. Their trust in other people’s goodness may ultimately be destroyed. Continue reading “Gender non-conforming children: well-being, mental health homophobia and bullying”
