California highschool senior Landon Jones, 18, mentioned he’s been bullied by his classmates for the reason that fifth grade. However Jones, who’s overtly homosexual, mentioned he’s now not trying the opposite means.
“I’ve been known as ‘faggot’ numerous occasions in school, and it actually doesn’t hassle me in any respect,” Jones mentioned in a TikTok video shared Oct. 1 that has since gone viral. “The truth that they got here to my home does.”
The video, which now has 1.3 million views, seems to point out two separate cases of Jones being subjected to anti-gay bullying. Within the more moderen incident, which occurred Sept. 29 and was caught on a house surveillance digital camera, a younger man may be seen strolling as much as Jones’ dwelling and beginning to knock earlier than Jones’ father opens the door.
“Does Landon stay right here?” the younger man may be heard saying.
His dad responds, “Sure, why?”
“Somebody mentioned to come back up right here,” the younger man may be heard mumbling, earlier than loudly yelling, “as a result of he’s a faggot!” and operating off the property.
Jones’ dad mentioned the younger man ran off and obtained in on the passenger aspect of a black Lincoln Navigator earlier than it drove off.
“I bear in mind being up in my room, listening to it, and I heard what he mentioned. I instantly jumped away from bed and walked exterior to see what was occurring,” Jones, who got here out as homosexual in 2020, instructed NBC Information. “I had no sleep that night time. I used to be truthfully actually upset. I used to be crying.”
The opposite incident that may be seen in Jones’ now-viral TikTok video was recorded by Jones in August and reveals a bunch of younger males surrounding Jones’ automobile, as he and his sister sat inside, in a Starbucks parking zone. One of many males may be seen trying inside Jones’ automobile and may be heard saying, “This f—— faggot.”
Jones instructed NBC Information that he determined to share each incidents on TikTok, the place he has almost 700,000 followers, as a result of “I’m sick of being silent about it. So I lastly spoke up.”
Jones mentioned the younger man who’s seen within the Starbucks video and the one who was driving the black Lincoln Navigator each attend his highschool, El Toro Excessive Faculty in Lake Forest, California, which is a part of the Saddleback Valley Unified Faculty District. He mentioned he had heard from others that the younger man who got here as much as his entrance door attends a close-by highschool, although he doesn’t know which one and couldn’t affirm the accuracy of that info.
A spokesperson for the varsity district mentioned the “unconscionable acts dedicated towards Landon Jones don’t replicate the sentiments or values of Saddleback Valley Unified Faculty District (SVUSD) and El Toro Excessive Faculty (ETHS).”
“ETHS and SVUSD administration, along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Division (OCSD), instantly launched a complete investigation to uncover the info of the incidents,” Wendie Hauschild, the director of communications and administrative providers for the varsity district, mentioned in an electronic mail. “We will affirm that the particular person seen within the surveillance video of the incident that passed off at a personal dwelling just isn’t a scholar in SVUSD. Because of the confidentiality that we’re required by regulation to uphold for our college students, in addition to different minors, SVUSD is unable to share additional info relating to the outcomes of the investigation. SVUSD stays steadfast in its dedication to create inclusive, supportive, and secure environments for all college students on our campuses.”
When requested concerning the Sept. 29 incident, a public info officer from the Orange County Sheriff’s Division instructed NBC Information {that a} college useful resource officer at El Toro Excessive Faculty was capable of converse to ”people that will or could not have been concerned on this incident” or “presumably have information of the incident.” The officer mentioned the one who walked as much as the Jones dwelling has not but been recognized, although he added that the “investigation stays ongoing.”
Whereas Jones nonetheless attends El Toro Excessive Faculty, he transitioned to digital education initially of the varsity 12 months as a consequence of “bullying and a tough expertise with the varsity,” he mentioned
Desiree Keoshian
In a joint assertion emailed to NBC Information, Landon Jones’ dad and mom, Lauren and Nathan Jones, mentioned their son has been “known as names and made enjoyable of” since elementary college due to his look and since his pursuits by no means aligned with these of his friends.
“Children and even adults may be so merciless to folks which are totally different from them,” they mentioned.
Following the incident exterior their dwelling, Lauren and Nathan Jones mentioned they’re decided to see the people bullying their son face penalties.
“Actions have penalties and we’ll preserve pursuing this till these penalties are paid,” the couple mentioned. “This conduct is not going to be tolerated and we’ll by no means flip a blind eye to injustices like these. We’ve a household to guard and that’s our primary focus proper now.”
The Jones household mentioned they reached out to El Toro Excessive Faculty concerning the incident at their dwelling and instructed directors that the driving force of the Lincoln Navigator was a scholar on the college. They mentioned no actions have but been taken that they’re conscious of.
Since Jones shared the video of the 2 homophobic incidents, over 11,000 folks have shared feedback, most of them supportive.
Former “American Idol” contestant David Archuleta, who got here out publicly final 12 months, was among the many commenters: “Oh gosh… sorry you’re coping with that there’s no justification for what they’re doing to you and so shallow of them.”
LGBTQ TikTok persona Josh Helfgott, additionally commented, saying, “If there’s one factor I obtained from this video, it’s how STRONG you’re & how weak they’re. I’m so sorry that is occurring. Preserve shining, Landon”.
Jones mentioned, “One of many final issues that I had anticipated was the quantity of assist from the group that I might have gotten.”
Lauren and Nathan Jones mentioned they hope their son’s story will give extra folks a voice and present “that nobody ought to ever should undergo this alone.”
And Landon Jones just isn’t alone with regards to anti-gay bullying: A report revealed final 12 months by The Trevor Undertaking, an LGBTQ youth disaster intervention and suicide prevention nonprofit, discovered nearly all of LGBTQ youths (52%) enrolled in center or highschool reported being bullied both in particular person or electronically within the 12 months previous to taking part within the survey. LGBTQ center college college students reported larger cases of bullying (65%) than these in highschool (49%).
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