Gay blogger Scott McGlynn teams up with British Olympian to fight cyberbullying

Scott McGlynn has teamed up with his friend, Olympian Tom Haffield, to take on cyberbullying.

He decided to embark on the challenge after being told he would "never be a man's man".

McGlynn, who's from Caerphilly, and is currently based in Cardiff told Gay Star News: "I wanted to prove them wrong. You can't just speak to people like that".

The blogger, who has a large following on social media, is halfway through his challenge, which involves swimming for an hour, six days a week, for ten weeks at pools across South Wales.

At all the pools he goes to he's told the staff about his challenge, and they've all been really supportive about it, and the reasons he's doing it.

Apparently he's not really into fitness (I can relate to that!) and he's revealed establishing a routine has been one of the hardest parts. Understandably Scott choses Sunday as his day of rest!

In 2016 he published a memoir entitled 'Out', in which Scott talks about years of being bullied just for being gay:

"I would never want anyone to go through what I did, I felt very alone. So when this happens, that's what you think: I'll prove them wrong", he said.

Scott has received an official sponsorship for his challenge from Zoggles (No prizes to guess what they manufacture).

As well as swimming for hours per week, blogging and writing memoirs Scott also presents 'The Scott McGlynn Show' podcast, which has featured celebrity interviews with the likes of Daniel Alexander and Jinkx Monsoon.

Find out more about Scott McGlynn - HERE

My take

I think what Scott says about loneliness really gets to the heart of the issue when it comes to bullying. That feeling like 'nobody understands' tends to be quite a common theme when it comes to LGBT's who face bullying and discrimination.

I can certainly relate, after being bullied mercilessly all through my school years for being "not normal", or "different".

What I found is it doesn't stop with school either! In terms of cyberbullying and abuse, my Twitter mentions regularly feature comments such as "I hope you get AIDS" and "Go kill yourself".

It's easier for me to dismiss such comments these days, but to maybe those experiencing it for the first time, it could have potentially fatal consequences, that's the reality of it.

The point is that despite rights for LGBT+ people progressing and attitudes changing, homophobia is still alive and well, and we have to call it out! It can't just be allowed to go unchallenged.

It's not just words which are spoken or typed that are hurtful, it's the long term impact it has on the mental health of the victims who suffer it.

There are plenty of resources online if you are struggling with bullying and need some support/advice:

LGBT Foundation

Stomp Out Bullying - Change the Culture

Stop Bullying.Gov