Law & Order by Steven Meisel -- W Magazine
I recently received an email in the past week that was a cry for help.
That cry for help wasn't looking for fashion advice or wanted to know what Spring 2011 trends were bursting on the runways but instead, It was a cry for guidance and someone that would listen to them because they were being bullied in school. I honestly couldn't feel anymore privileged to have someone want to seek any advice aside from fashion from me, especially when that person lives as far as the other side of the continent. With the disturbing suicides among LGBT youth in the past month or so due to bullying, I was happy to share my story in a response email of aid to my loyal reader and at the same time, I figured I might as well share it with everyone now in hopes of helping anyone going through the same problem.
I grew up as a kid with a huge target on my back for bullies in high school to fire at. I stood out like a sore thumb in school because I was different—flamboyant to be exact. There was not a lunch time that I didn’t dread getting verbally abused or there wasn’t a P.E. class where I wasn’t a dodgeball target. People vandalized my school locker and slipped notes of hate inside of it. I hated going school just as much as bullies loved to hate on me.
I tried taking my life, a few times actually and I have scars on my body to prove it. I was erratic, destructive, hurt, lonely, and irritable—I was suicidal. I may have had many friends and tons of support around me while in high school but I am the first to admit that I have trust issues and it takes quite some time for me to open up to people...and to be honest, I still do.
The only way I have learned to get through everything negative was just to be true to myself and to promise that I would try to continue living on regardless of how hard things may be because 'it' gets better.
Do a better job than me and learn to trust others; to open up and talk to someone about your problems. You would be surprised about how much better you will feel to have someone to talk to.
As corny as it sounds, life is a struggle but its well worth the battle when the fight is over. Even though my personal battle is far from being over but I can definitely tell you now, that I am far more happier than I ever was when I was younger and in high school.
I have the most amazing of loving friends, a family that will always support me, a blossoming career that many could only dream of and of course a wardrobe that could rival any fancy fashion boutique in town.
I'm happy and you eventually will be too if only you keep living.