Community Corner
Matt Shankles Responds to Bullying with Advocacy
Marion resident Matt Shankles speaks out to support bullying victims and to reduce sexual orientation-based harassment. Sponsored by Grape Nuts.
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Matt Shankles, a Marion resident, has faced bullying, depression, and self-hatred. When Shankles’ eighth-grade classmates learned he was gay, some harassed him. In response, Shankles decided to speak out as an advocate for bullying victims.
In 2012, Shankles lobbied in Washington D.C. with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. He has served as co-president of a gay-straight alliance called Spectrum. He is also known for starting the Twitter account “linn_mar_love” to counter bullying remarks with supportive, positive tweets.
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Here, Shankles describes the challenges and rewards of speaking out, as well as what he’s learned from his experiences.
Q: How did you find the strength to speak out in support of bullying victims despite challenges like being bullied and managing your depression?
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A: I found the strength to speak out through inspiration that I found in the stories of older teen advocates, such as former Linn-Mar High School Gay-Straight Alliance President Sara Puffer. By high school, I had overcome most of my bullying issues. This allowed me to begin to stretch my legs as an advocate.
Where I REALLY got all my strength was in Washington D.C. when I lobbied with the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN). It was at the 2012 Safe Schools Advocacy Summit when I realized that one voice could help raise a thousand others. All you had to do was speak up.
Q: What was the most challenging part of this experience? What was the most rewarding moment?
A: The most challenging part was definitely adapting to be a public speaker. I had already been more comfortable with public speaking than my peers but it took some time to train myself to get it all perfect. Let's be honest, depressed teens and public speaking don't generally mix, but speaking for myself and representing others became my outlet.
I think the best way to begin overcoming depression is finding your own outlet; something you can focus on and pour your heart and soul into. Watching your skill grow really builds self-esteem.
By far the single most rewarding experience so far has been seeing how all the work I have done has helped so many people. Somewhere, people started to look up to me, and I am eternally grateful for this.
Q: What have you learned by speaking out?
A: Unfortunately I feel the most important thing I have learning by speaking out for myself and others is that not everyone will, or wants to listen. This is however okay, because if only one life is changed for the better by your words, you have already made a big difference. You don't need to be on CNN or go to New York or D.C., all you have to do is speak up.