CBC News: I fled to the city to feel safer as a gay man. I never imagined I’d move back to a small town

I was 16 when the bullying began. 

A student at school slammed me into a locker and then kept walking. The next day, another kid grabbed my notebooks and threw them across the hallway floor. I was a thin, shy and effeminate kid, and these frequent encounters in high school wore me down. No one seemed to care about this harassment despite my complaints to the school staff. 

To give myself some reprieve and to stay out of harm’s way, I often went for my lunch break to the nearby horse stables. The stables were dirty and smelled of manure. I had no table or chair, so I ate my sandwich in a stall. 

To read Robert’s full story, please visit CBC News.