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Gay Twitter Explodes As Bullied Teen Claps Back

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(screen captures via Twitter)

Jordan Steffy had had enough.

In his Twitter bio, Jordan writes, “Don’t let one word define who you are.”

He had been called ‘f*ggot’ one time too many and was DONE.

The LaPorte High School junior in Indiana says that he’s been the target of homophobic bullying since he came out in seventh grade.

Steffy shared with Insider.com that a classmate recently posted a homophobic message on Snapchat using a photo of him.

“He made an anti-gay post with a picture of me on it saying how he hated gays and a bunch of throwing up emojis all over it,” Steffy told Insider.

“I walked up to him and said ‘Why did you post this?’ He said ‘It was just a post.’ And I said ‘Well, it’s not just a post. It’s a post about me, saying how you dislike who I am, and I don’t appreciate that.’ He went on to say ‘Okay, but what are you going to do about it?’ I said ‘I’m not going to deal with this, this is the last time I’m called anything.’

“And then he said ‘What are you going to do about it, faggot?’ And that’s when I was like ‘No, I’m not doing this.’”

What followed was the slap seen round the world.

The video has been viewed more than a million times on Twitter in less than a day.

In subsequent responses to others, Jordan was surprised by the show of support, saying “I really can’t believe people actually are around to tell me that it was ok to stick up for myself!”

“I honestly was just looking for an apology,” said Jordan. “But he acted like it was no big deal and that has been the word to define me since 2nd grade.”

Apparently the fallout was the school suspended him and the bully, but his suspension was longer “due to the fighting.”

Jordan added, “But I am taking it as a lesson to not be anyone’s doormat and to leave your shoes at the door.”

One Twitter user asked if he was ok and he answered with a resounding, “Yes I’m good better than ever – I honestly can’t thank people enough for all the support! Thank you for taking the time to check!”

One parent wrote, “As a mom, I think you did good.” Jordan responded that his mom totally has his back.

He shared that while his mom doesn’t condone fighting, she felt it was ok to stand up not only for himself but for others as well.

In fact, because his mother didn’t like the way the school administration handled the event, Jordan says she’s decided to homeschool Jordan.

As folks offered their support, Jordan said he doesn’t think he’s “any better than any person just because I stuck up for myself.”

He went on to add he wants other kids “who are going through the same thing day in, day out from friends, classmates, random people” to stick up for themselves “and to have confidence!”

And the collective consciousness of bullied LGBTQ students rose up and cheered.

Some had no time for the unseen teacher who chimed in with a tame, “Hey, hey, Jordan, that’s enough.” Or perhaps the teacher wanted Jordan to get some licks in…?

We want to be clear that violence shouldn’t have to be ‘the answer.’ But, as we can see in the outpouring of support for Jordan, there are a LOT of folks out there who understand this scenario all too well.

What do you think?