Jonathan Bennett details the extreme homophobia that made him develop ulcers

[Behind the Aegis]

Actor Jonathan Bennett has opened up about growing up in an environment so homophobic he developed stomach ulcers.

Bennett, 40, took to Instagram to share the story to coincide with Spirit Day, the annual celebration that encourages people to wear purple as a sign of anti-bullying solidarity with the queer community. The Mean Girls star offered the tale as a means of inspiring other LGBTQ youth experiencing bullying that life can–and does–get better.

“I give you a video of a 16-year-old gay boy in Ohio,” Bennett wrote. “He has a pitchy voice, no rhythm, and can’t dance to save his life. He’s awkward, his teeth are too big for his face, and he lives in fear every single day because he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the boys in his class. He constantly gets pushed into a locker by an assh*le named Justin and when he walks down the halls he gets called a faggot.”

“He cries himself to sleep every night and develops stomach ulcers because of the stress and the homophobia in his small town,” he further confessed. “He thinks really dark thoughts and lives miserably in secret.”

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Alcoholism, drug misuse, suicide, mental health issues (depression, OCD, agoraphobia), and physical health issues, these are the "gifts" given to the queer community from a hetero/cisnormative, heterosexist, and homophobic society. Have things become better? Of course, but it doesn't mean things are where they should be, or are even close. I yearn for the day when people realize that systemic bigotry against queer people exists and is as important to dismantle as as any other form of systemic bigotry!