To be honest, I really didn’t think much about sex in my first few years at high school. Maybe it had something to do with not going through puberty until much later than most of the kids in my year, but anyway, some of the kids started teasing me about being gay. None of my mates had girlfriends, either, but for some reason they decided I was an easy target. I tried to pretend that I thought that kids bullying me was all a bit of a joke, but underneath it was really getting to me. More than anything, I felt confused.

It wasn’t until Year 11 that I began to realise that I really was attracted to guys, but by then I was so confused and my self-esteem was so low that I couldn’t talk to anyone, least of all my mates. My parents are good people but they are very conservative and the whole idea of discussing this was just too embarrassing.

Anyway, I met someone. He didn’t go to my school. I’d seen him around and we just got talking at the bus stop. Our relationship developed pretty fast. We talked and texted each other constantly. I was just so happy to be able to be myself and to have someone special in my life. But I still felt too afraid to be open about my sexuality.

One day someone from school must have seen us together at a cafe and they posted a vile message on Facebook. It was horrible, the nastiest stuff you can imagine. I didn’t find out about it until I got to school and everyone was laughing at me or giving me dirty looks. That’s when the taunting got really bad. I felt so alone.

I wanted to tell Mum and Dad that kids were bullying me, but I was so mixed up and so worried about how they would react. I found it hard to concentrate and to sleep. I became really depressed. One Sunday night I’d just had enough. I’d talked to my boyfriend on the phone and told him I loved him. Then I went down and had dinner with my parents before going back up to my room. I decided to hang myself. Anything had to be better than this. My dad found me. I’d never seen Dad cry but when I woke up in the hospital he was holding my hand sobbing. They both were. I hadn’t told them what was bothering me but I think they had an idea. The doctor came and asked them to leave. She was lovely. ‘What is it?’ she asked. I ended up telling her. ‘I think you need to tell your parents. They’ll understand.’ She brought them back in and I told them what had been going on. I thought it would be hard but it was a relief. They just hugged me and told me I had their support. They understood far more than I ever imagined they would.

I started seeing a counsellor, which really helped me understand how much stress I’d been under and what to do if I ever felt like that again. When the school principal found out what had happened, she was really supportive, too. If you have kids bullying you for any reason, you need to tell someone, to get someone on your side – a relative, a close friend or a counsellor.