Bullied gay teen fights back against homophobic peer, hailed a hero on social media

There comes a moment in life where you have to stand up for yourself and say enough is enough. For Jordan Steffy, that moment came when his classmate posted a homophobic message on Snapchat using his photograph. Having endured constant bullying since he came out in seventh grade, this was the final straw for Steffy and he snapped. The teen decided to confront his peer about the homophobic bullying with a loud and clear message that he will no longer be silent. Unfortunately for the bully, he grossly underestimated the gay teen's anger and frustration and ended up paying a hefty price for his arrogance.

Speaking to Insider, the LaPorte High School junior revealed that he's had to face everything from hateful slurs to food thrown at him in the cafeteria ever since he came out. Despite reporting these homophobic bullying incidents to school officials, he said he eventually ended up being punished more than his tormentors. "It seemed like I was getting in more trouble for reporting it than I was if I didn't say anything at all. It was doing me more harm than it was good," he said.

So when he saw his classmate's homophobic snap with his photo, Steffy decided to take matters into his own hands. "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. 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?'" the teen revealed.

Steffy continued, "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, fa***t?' And that's when I was like 'No, I'm not doing this.'" A video he posted to Twitter on Friday showed the moment Steffy finally snapped and fought back against his bully with blows that would make Mike Tyson proud. The two students were seen yelling at each other before the bully got a painful lesson on how not to be an a**hole.

"I just got sick of it. It's crazy the amount of hatred I received just for liking who I like and being me," said Steffy. Since posting the video on Twitter, he has been flooded with messages of support and admiration with many, particularly in the LGBTQIAP+ community thanking him for showing the courage to stand up for himself, and by extension for all those who've been in similar situations. Responding to his supporters, Steffy tweeted: "I really can’t believe people actually are around to tell me that it was ok to stick up for myself. I honestly can’t thank people enough for all the support."

"I honestly was just looking for an apology but he acted like it was no big deal and that has been the word to define me since 2nd grade... I don’t fight really… I wanted him and others to know I was done with the constant hating comments that were made towards me constantly," the teen explained. Steffy revealed that he and the bully have been suspended following the incident and that while his mother "does not condone fighting," she supports his right to stand up for himself in this case. The teen also tweeted that she has decided to homeschool him from hereon as she "doesn’t agree with how it was handled."

"I am taking it as a lesson to not be anyone’s doormat and to leave your shoes at the door," Steffy wrote. While social media users praised him for standing up to his bully, the teen tweeted, "I can’t be found any better than any person just because I stuck up for myself. I want 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 better them for them and to have confidence."