CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 31

refused to stay after school to play football in
his uniform with the other boys.

Mundie told CARIMAC Times that this is the
first time he has shared that memory.

According to Mundie, the bullies were primarily
students and mostly male.

“I [eventually] felt I had to transform who I am,
or my personality, so that I am not a victim to
being bullied every single day. I put myself in a
situation where I know who I am, but I have to
ignore that side of me which I find to be more
real and accept something and mask that with
being more aligned with what society thinks
males should act like, should look like, should
sound like,” Mundie explained as tears welled
up in his eyes.

“They were usually the ones who had this kind
of alpha male persona and they were highly
homophobic… They were just violent for no
reason.”
Similar to Lee, Mundie recounted memories of
teachers who had a hand in his experiences with
bullying. They were careful in their expression,
but once they were huddled Mundie said they
would discuss him and other students they felt
were like him.
“I can say that teachers also bully, but they don’t
do it openly. They would do it kinda secretly.
Among themselves they would talk about the
students and who they think is gay.”
Asked how he knew this, he responded: “I was
close with teachers who would tell me.”
Mundie said he questioned for some time why
people felt the need to treat him differently.
As a result he was forced into isolation — a
mechanism that Rhoden once used. And, like
her and Johnson, he was soon overcome by the
daily bullying.
“I remember one particular instance when I
went to church and I felt so bad that I came
out and I was bawling my eyes out because I
could not understand why these people don’t
get me. And it was the same in high school. I
remember I didn’t have any friends. I always
sat at the back of the class. I was ostracized …”

Dr. Marshall said students who are bullied are
likely to find someone they trust to confide in
because they are essentially prevented from
participating in society as they would like.
Lee shared that his guidance counsellor at the
time had an open door policy. He would often
visit her, close the door, and then cry.
CARIMAC Times asked Mundie to share his
most significant memory in this regard. He
shared this experience:
“I met this preacher, who I believed I could
confide in. I did [confide in him]. I told him
everything I experienced and questions I began
to ask about myself. Until one day, he broke my
trust. He called my sister and told her everything
I told him. And my sister called me and asked
if it is true … I said ‘yes’… My father, who was
not there for years, got involved because my
mom found out and my mother carried me to
my father and told my father … what’s been
going on, and he actually said out of his mouth…
‘You can’t be my son.’ That was really painful.”

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