Good question! Both bullying and harassment are unwelcome and inappropriate behaviors that make people feel unsafe due to an imbalance of power. Both bullying and harassment are incredibly hard to stop due to this cycle of power, so it’s important the victim is supported either by peers or adults.
Harassment is defined as a single action whereas bullying is defined as being a repeated behaviour. Both should be reported immediately to avoid serious impacts and consequences.
Every friendship and relationship has rights and responsibilities. According to the United Nation Declaration of Child Rights, every young person has the right to be respected. Even though we are all different and opinions on interests, lifestyles, and beliefs may not be the same in every friendship, we have a responsibility to demonstrate respect so that young people are kept safe, feel accepted, and have a sense of belonging.
A healthy friendship can communicate differences respectfully and have mutual understandings of boundaries so that everyone feels safe and accepted. Learning to navigate and understand respect in our teenage years can help you have respectful and meaningful friendships and relationships for the rest of your life!
We can understand how news like that could come as a bit of a shock! Without knowing him, or the details of the conversation, it is hard to know for certain exactly what he meant. However in general, it might be helpful to understand that a person’s sexuality and sexual preference are quite different to their gender identity. A person’s gender identity is a deeply held feeling about their masculinity or femininity, that may not fit with the sex they were born with. For example, a person might be born and raised as a boy, but realise that they don’t feel like a boy at all and they identify as a girl. This is purely how the person feels within themselves and has nothing to do with their sexuality. So it is possible that your boyfriend is letting you know that he identifies as female but is attracted to females, so he says he is a lesbian – in which case we should be calling him ‘she’ to respect his gender identity. This is all quite a lot for you both to get your heads around, so if this is the case, we recommend getting some advice and support – Headspace for example has some face to face as well as online groups for people of diverse genders and sexualities, as well as their friends and family. Kids Helpline is another option for someone just to talk through how you are both feeling – 1800 55 1800
There are a number of things to keep in mind when you are entering a romantic relationship. Early on it can be very overwhelming so it's good to remember your responsibilities toward yourself as well as your partner. You need to take the relationship at a pace that is comfortable for you both, and not push for greater commitment and time than either of you are ready for. Remember you both need time and space to spend with your other friends and family, and also with any sport, activity, school, or other groups that you might spend time with individually. You are responsible for respecting their opinion and listening respectfully, even when you don’t agree, for encouraging their achievements and not abusing them emotionally, verbally or physically. For any sexual activity it is important to have consent, so ensure that you and your partner are over 16 which is the legal age for consent. Consent needs to be free, willing and enthusiastic, so spend a bit of time thinking yourself, and talking to your partner about your feelings and readiness if you want a for a sexual relationship. Are you both able to speak freely to each about what you are comfortable doing, and any boundaries that you have? Are you confident that you both feel the same way and no one is feeling pressured by expectations? You have the responsibility to ensure that your partner feels safe and supported, and they have the responsibility as well to ensure that you feel the same way.
Well done for thinking about responsibilities before taking this step in your life!
You can read more on this post - http://respectme.org.au/relationship-rights-responsibilities/
