A recent poster on the Am I The A***ole (AITA) subreddit wanted to find out if she’d been the a***ole for “weaponizing her femininity” by crying since the teacher wouldn’t stop another student harassing her.
Happy Family
A fifteen-year-old female had recently experienced the joy of having a second dad move into her home, completing a happy family of four (herself, two dads, and dog). She let her friends know about her unique family situation with no shame.
The Bullying Begins
However, recently, another fifteen-year-old male at school named Duncan found out. He started with casual jokes like “Which one of them is the mom?” and when the female went to their teacher, Mr.Smith, he told her to be patient with him as “he’s just trying to understand.”
Full of Judgement
Duncan escalated the situation by saying that her family was sinful and would go to hell, which the girl reported to Mr.Smith again. This time Mr.Smith said it was wrong in the Bible to be prejudiced with his religion and that he was still trying to understand.
Let The Waterworks Begin
Having no other teachers to turn to due to the one-responsible-teacher rule in her country of South America, the female decided to take matters into her own hands and implement a creative solution. She started to recall all the sad movies with dogs that died, Mufasa’s death in The Lion King, and more; this caused Duncan to stutter and plead as tears rolled down her face.
The Principal’s Office
The scene escalated so much that they ended up at the principal’s office. Ms.Yates listened to both sides and was furious with Mr.Smith, allowing the girl to tell her story. Duncan received a five-day suspension for his actions, and the female was instructed to go directly to Ms.Yates if anything similar happened again.
Was She In The Wrong?
Afterward, Mr.Smith warned her that she had “weaponized her femininity” and tried to make her apologize to Duncan, but she threatened to go back to the principal’s office if he did.
Duncan’s friends accused the female of ruining the boy’s life with her actions, leaving her feeling unsure of herself and whether or not she was really in the wrong.
She chose not to tell her parents due to the fear of worrying them, but she was left with a lingering question – was she in the wrong?
The Commenters Responded
The commenters concluded that she was not the a*****e (NTA).
“Go back to the principal and tell your dads. This counts as harassment and an unsafe environment, and your parents need to immediately start working with the school board to stop it,” one user commented.
“Unsafe environment. I’d call it a HOSTILE environment. I completely agree with you; get the parents to go to the school district. Thank heavens for a good principal at least,” one user responded.
The Commenters Responded
“Yes – I know you don’t want to worry your parents, but, as a parent, I want you to know – the biggest worry is that you won’t tell us the stuff you’re dealing with, and we won’t be able to help you. It’s a parent’s job to have broad shoulders and take on your burdens; it’s what we want to do.”
The Ultimatum
After hearing the advice, OP took the leap and told the family what was happening. They sat down to discuss the situation and ultimately decided to confront the school. The father, Adam, had more experience in these situations and explained how cruel bullies can be.
The dads gave Ms.Yates two choices: To remove Mr.Smith from teaching and introduce a seminar about bullying and LGBT causes that the dads were willing to pay for. Or they remove their daughter from the school, engage in legal proceedings and go to the local newspaper with the story.
How It Ended
In the end, the school agreed to remove Mr. Smith from teaching and implement a seminar on bullying and LGBT causes funded by the girl’s family. Duncan will remain a classmate but no longer have to endure Mr. Smith’s bullying. The fathers were praised for protecting their daughter and providing support throughout the situation.
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The post “Weaponizing Her Femininity” by Crying Since the Teacher Wouldn’t Stop Another Student Harassing Her was produced by TPR Teaching. Source: Reddit.
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