In an interview with The Sun, Sam Smith spoke about the homophobic bullying he suffered after coming out at 11-years-old in hopes that he can help other gay children.
Smith remembers several verbal attacks that he dealt with because he was gay, MTV notes.
"A bunch of boys from a rival school would shout insults at me as I walked from my home to the train station. I remember walking to the station getting 'f****t' shouted at me all the time,” Smith said. “It was the most mortifying thing. Not so much for me. I knew these people were stupid, uneducated t***s."
The “Stay With Me” singer says that the taunting eventually turned physical. After moving to London, the four-time Grammy winner got punched in the neck while walking back from work for wearing pink headphones, which Smith says was a clear indicator that he was gay.
Smith says that bullying also exists within the gay community as well, I Heart Radio notes.
At the age of 17, Smith recalls going to a gay club in Soho London and another gay guy saying something “nasty” about him to his mate. Smith says this incident crashed his whole world and gave him a feeling of loneliness.
“There’s a lot of homophobia and bullying in the gay community,” Smith said. “There’s also a lot of body dysmorphia in the gay community, which means if you’re not toned and skinny it can be awful."
Smith is now using his voice, as well as his music to help those in similar situations. The 22-year-old just released a duet with John Legend called “Lay Me Down” for an upcoming Comic Relief special. The proceeds will go to a number of different projects as well as the LGBT community, MTV reports.
Image via Instagram from Sam Smith
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