162 The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating
him, and even though I have a good friend who’s gay, I’m straight. When my friend and I are
together, the stuff this other guy says is even worse (I guess you can imagine).
Anyway, this guy is driving me nuts, but it’s hard to avoid him because he’s in two of my
classes, and we take the same bus. Got any suggestions to get this guy to leave me alone?What Can I Do?Dear What Can I Do,
This kind of behavior is very maddening. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or not, you deserve to
be treated with respect, and so does your friend. I wish there was something you could say to
this bully, something to get him to treat you with the respect you deserve. It’s not likely,
though, that anything you say will transform him into someone with maturity. (With any luck,
time will teach him to be a more sensitive person.)
You shouldn’t have to put up with his verbal abuse. Tell him, “I don’t like the things
you say to me. I want you to leave me alone.” Go to your school counselor immediately and
explain what’s been going on. Then ask that something be done about it. If this guy is homo-
phobic, others in your school might be, too. This would be an excellent opportunity to bring
these prejudicial attitudes out in the open, so people can talk about their feelings and learn
to be more accepting of differences.
I also suggest that you tell your parents about the situation, so they can talk to the other
kid’s parents. (Since you used to be good friends, your parents might know his parents. Even
if they don’t, a phone conversation is appropriate.) All of this may sound like “ratting” to you,
but with so much violence occurring in high schools across the country, harassment needs to
be taken very seriously. I sincerely hope your parents and your school will take action to sup-
port you. I wish you well.In friendship,
Terra