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I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO ASK THEM.
IT CAN BE REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE TO SAY ANYTHING IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
WHEN I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE BY THINGS GUYS SAID TO ME
SOMETIMES I WOULD LAUGH
AND I WOULD SEE MY FRIENDS DOING THE SAME THING
BUT I REALIZED I WAS LAUGHING BECAUSE I WAS EMBARRASSED
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO
NOT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY OR BECAUSE I LIKED IT.
GIRLS CAN'T BE HARASSERS
AND BOYS CAN'T BE SEXUALLY HARASSED.
AS I LEARNED HOW TO RECOGNIZE *** HARASSMENT
I COULD SEE IT HAPPENING ALL AROUND SCHOOL
BUT I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT GIRLS WEREN'T THE ONLY TARGETS
AND BOYS WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES DOING THE HARASSING.
IT'S SO STUPID WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
IT ALL STARTED BECAUSE I STOOD UP TO AN OLDER GIRL.
THIS GIRL, LAURA, AND ONE OF HER SO-CALLED BUDDIES
CAME UP TO ONE OF MY FRIENDS AND STARTED SAYING THAT SHE STOLE SOMETHING FROM HER LOCKER.
I KNOW YOU STOLE MY NECKLACE
AND I WANT IT BACK.
WHY WOULD I TAKE YOUR NECKLACE?
COME ON, I SAW YOU WEARING IT YESTERDAY.
I DON'T HAVE IT.
STOP TRYING TO PLAY IT OFF LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE HER ALONE.
SHE DIDN'T TAKE ANYTHING.
OH, WHO ARE YOU?
I WASN'T EVEN TALKING TO YOU.
YES, BUT I WAS TALKING TO YOU SO LET'S JUST CALM DOWN HERE, OKAY.
WHAT ARE YOU HER LAWYER DEFENDING HER WHATEVER SHE DOES?
SHE IS MY BEST FRIEND.
I KNOW HER.
I DON'T CARE WHO SHE IS.
I DIDN'T ASK YOU WHO SHE WAS TO YOU.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
SHE IS MY FRIEND.
I'M JUST TRYING TO DEFEND HER.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
YOU'RE THAT LITTLE ***.
***?
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ***?
THAT'S HOW IT STARTED.
BEFORE I KNEW IT, LITTLE THINGS STARTED HAPPENING.
FIRST, SOMEONE WROTE "***" ON MY LOCKER.
THEN I GOT CALLED EVERY NAME IN THE BOOK BY GIRLS I DIDN'T KNOW.
THEY JUST WERE SCREAMING IT IN THE HALLWAYS AND STUFF.
I DIDN'T KNOW THEM BUT I GUESS THEY WERE FRIENDS WITH LAURA.
THEN I GOT CALLED DOWN TO THE OFFICE FOR WRITING THESE NASTY LETTERS TO OLDER BOYS
BUT I HADN'T WRITTEN THEM.
SO THEN I HAD TO PROVE IT TO THE VICE PRINCIPAL
SO I SHOWED HER ONE OF MY NOTEBOOKS
AND SHE COULDN'T TELL FROM THE LETTER AND THE NOTEBOOK THAT I HADN'T WRITTEN THEM.
THEN THESE RUMORS STARTED SAYING THAT I WOULD DO ANYTHING WITH ANY BOY.
SO THEN I HAD GUYS COMING UP TO ME IN THE HALLWAYS SAYING ALL THESE RUDE THINGS TO ME.
WELL, I COULD IGNORE THAT
BUT WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY FOR THEM TO GRAB ME OR TOUCH ME
THAT'S WHEN I LOST IT.
I FELT SO DIRTY.
SEVENTH GRADE WAS REALLY BAD.
IT STARTED BECAUSE OF THESE GUYS FROM GYM CLASS.
THEY COULD BE REALLY DISGUSTING WHEN TALKING ABOUT CERTAIN GIRLS.
I WAS GOOD FRIENDS WITH ONE OF THE GIRLS THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT.
I KNEW THEY WERE EXAGGERATING MOST OF THE TIME
BUT IT KIND OF BOTHERED ME.
LIKE THIS ONE TIME IN GYM CLASS -- WELL, IT WAS AFTER GYM CLASS.
I WAS DONE CHANGING.
I WAS JUST PUTTING ON MY SHOES AND GETTING READY TO LEAVE.
I HEARD TWO KIDS BEHIND ME, KYLE AND RICH.
YEAH, MAN, I WOULDN'T MIND GETTING A PIECE OF THAT.
SHE'S FINE.
WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP.
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?
EVA IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE
AND I KNOW SHE DOESN'T DO THOSE THINGS.
YOU KNOW, I SEE YOU HANGING AROUND WITH HER ALL THE TIME.
WHAT'S THE MATTER, DOUGIE, IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU THAT SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU?
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
IF THAT WERE ME
I WOULD BE MUCH FURTHER WITH EVA.
EXPLAINS WHY YOU'RE JUST FRIENDS WITH HER.
MAYBE YOU'RE SOME SORT OF A WOOS AND DON'T LIKE GIRLS, DOUGIE.
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THEM?
DON'T LIKE GIRLS, HUH, DOUG?
IT'S OKAY.
I THINK YOU JUST NEED SOME LESSONS.
I'M SURE EVA WOULD BE GLAD TO TEACH YOU.
SHE'D LIKE THAT.
SHUT UP.
YOU KNOW, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT YOU DON'T LIKE GIRLS.
LET'S GET OUT OF HERE, MAN, BEFORE HE STARTS LOOKING AT US FUNNY IN THE SHOWERS.
YEAH, MAN, JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME.
I JUST IGNORED THEM BUT IT SEEMED TO GET WORSE.
I GUESS THEY WERE THE ONES THAT STARTED THAT RUMOR IN SCHOOL THAT I WAS GAY.
I GET THREATENING LETTERS IN MY LOCKER.
I GET CALLED, YOU KNOW, ALL THE NAMES.
AS THE RUMORS GOT AROUND
GIRLS WOULD WALK BEHIND ME IN THE HALLWAY AND SAY JUST DIRTY, NASTY THINGS TO ME
LIKE IT WAS SOME BIG JOKE.
GIRLS AREN'T SO BAD, DOUGIE.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO BITE YOU, DOUGIE.
IT'S OKAY.
YOU KNOW, WE COULD ALWAYS HELP YOU WITH YOUR LITTLE PROBLEM
IF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU DON'T LIKE 'EM.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
PINK OR RED?
IT GETS REALLY ANNOYING AND PRETTY EMBARRASSING AFTER A WHILE.
IN THE LOCKER ROOM IT'S LIKE OPEN SEASON
ESPECIALLY IF WE HAD TO SHOWER.
THEN I WOULD WALK BY AND THE GUYS WOULD BE SNAPPING THEIR TOWELS
AND YELLING OUT NAMES.
I LEARNED TO STAY FAR AWAY FROM THEM.
YOU KNOW, IT'S TRUE THAT MOST HARASSMENT HAPPENS FROM BOYS TO GIRLS
BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHO IS DOING IT TO WHO.
WHAT MATTERS IS THAT THE BEHAVIOR IS *** IN NATURE
AND UNWELCOME BY THE TARGET.
IT ALSO MATTERS HOW OFTEN IT HAPPENS.
I MEAN THINK ABOUT IT.
IF SOMEONE WALKS BY AND SAYS SOMETHING NASTY TO ME
I WILL JUST SHRUG IT OFF.
IT'S NO BIG DEAL.
BUT IF THAT SAME PERSON SAYS SOMETHING LIKE THAT EVERY TIME THEY SEE ME
OR KEEPS WRITING ME DISGUSTING NOTES
OR STARTS RUMORS ABOUT ME
IT'S GOING TO AFFECT ME A LOT MORE THAN A ONE-TIME COMMENT.