Homophobic and transphobic bullying

It’s never okay for someone to treat you badly because of your sexuality or gender identity. If this happens to you, remember that you’re not alone and we can support you.

On this Page

What is homophobia and transphobia?

Homophobia is when someone is scared of or dislikes gay/homosexual people.

Transphobia is when someone is scared of or dislikes transgender people.

It’s never okay for someone to be bullied because of their sexuality or gender identity.

Being bullied can have a big effect on how you feel, it can make it harder to come out or leave you feeling scared about sharing your feelings. But there are ways to cope and to help it stop. No matter what’s happening, we’re here to support you.

Homophobic and transphobic bullying can include:

  • making comments about your gender or sexuality that deliberately make you uncomfortable
  • calling you names or teasing you
  • hitting, punching or hurting you
  • making sexual comments or asking you sexual questions
  • ignoring you or excluding you
  • making comments about you online.

Getting help and staying safe

Everyone has the right to feel safe and not be discriminated against. It can be tough if you’re worried about what people will do or what they’ll say to you

Some things you can try:

Building confidence after bullying

Bullying can make it hard to feel confident about yourself and who you are. But you have the right to be who you are and that should always be respected. There are lots of ways to build confidence after bullying:

  • Remind yourself about who you are and what makes you proud
    You could write this down, draw a picture, make a poem or just say it in front of a mirror.
  • Talk to someone you trust
    When you feel accepted by someone you care about it can help build your confidence if you decide to tell other people.
  • Think about what makes you unique
    We all have differences and can learn a lot about each other if we talk about stuff like our hobbies and what we enjoy. If we were all the same, the world would be a really boring place!
  • Find other people who might be going through similar feelings
    You can join local clubs, check out our message boards or look for support groups online.

Build your confidence after online bullying

To be able to see YouTube videos, we have to ask you to accept Targeting Cookies within your 

feel like
nobody would
understand

Get support from our counsellors.

Other types of prejudice

People sometimes talk about transphobia and homophobia when they’re describing any prejudice against LGBTQ+ people. But there are other types of discrimination as well.