TW Homophobia.
An 18-year-old high school student has gone viral for bravely sharing footage of his bullies tormenting him and calling him a fag
A high school senior in California decided to take action after enduring daily bullying and harassment from classmates, in school and even at his home, all because he’s openly gay.
Landon Jones, 18, decided to share some of his experience to TikTok, in a now-viral video which shows the kind of vile abuse he and his family have been subjected to.
“I have been called ‘faggot’ countless times at school, and it literally doesn’t bother me at all,” Jones said in the clip (below, in two parts). “The fact that they came to my house does.”
The clips include footage from a home surveillance camera, which appears to show a young man knocking at his home address, where Landon’s father answered the door.
“Does Landon live here?” the young man can be heard saying.
His dad responds, “Yes, why?”
“Someone said to come up here,” the young man can be heard mumbling, before then loudly yelling, “because he’s a faggot!” and running away from the property.
⚠️ tw homophobia
“I’m sick of being silent about it”
This 18-year-old high school student bravely shared a now-viral video to TikTok, showing some of the anti-gay bullying he’s subjected to on a daily basis
(Tiktok: allclearforlandon) 💔#gay #lgbtq 1/2 pic.twitter.com/7ss9k9hhwL— Queer Insider 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ (@qitweets) October 13, 2022
Landon told NBC News that he’s no longer willing to look the other way:
“I remember being up in my room, hearing it, and I heard what he said. I immediately jumped out of bed and walked outside to see what was happening,” Jones, who came out as gay in 2020, told NBC News. “I had no sleep that night. I was honestly really upset. I was crying.”
Another clip, recorded by Jones in August, shows a group of young men surrounding his car in a Starbucks parking loy, as he and his sister sit inside.
One of the men can be seen looking inside Jones’ car and can be heard saying, “This fucking faggot.”
2/2 pic.twitter.com/UKVQcJg18w
— Queer Insider 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ (@qitweets) October 13, 2022
Jones said the young men from the clip outside Starbucks both attend his high school, El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, which is part of the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.
He told NBC News he had heard from others that the young man who came up to his front door is rumoured to be from a nearby school, but that wasn’t confirmed.
A spokesperson for the school district told NBC the “unconscionable acts committed against Landon Jones do not reflect the feelings or values of Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) and El Toro High School (ETHS).”
After the clips went viral on TikTok, Landon was met with an outpouring of support and uploaded another video, saying thank you.
“You guys turned such a shitty situation into something kind of beautiful”, he said in the follow-up.
Landon, you’re beautiful, and you rock. Fu*k those kids!
If you’re a young person and struggling with anything related to your sexual orientation or gender, and you feel you could use some support, help is available.
In the U.K., visit SwitchboardLGBT or call 0300 330630 or visit JustLikeUs
In the U.S., visit The Trevor Project or call them.
@allclearforlandon Replying to @shoelover99 ♬ original sound – Landon Jones
@allclearforlandon #lgbt #fyp #hatecrime ♬ original sound – Landon Jones