ICYMI: Matt Shankles Responds to Bullying with Advocacy

Last week, a story about one of our very own here in Marion, Matt Shankles, was run on all the Patch sites in the Iowa.

Shankles is a Linn-Mar high schooler, who was the subject of bullying, and fought back in a very creative way. Matt's inspirational story of overcoming obstacles is an ideal fit for a promotion about people climbing their personal mountains.

With that, here's it is, in case you missed it.

About this sponsorship: In honor of the 60^th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, Patch and Grape-Nuts are teaming up to highlight those who inspire people around them to climb their own mountains.

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.  

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?

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.

Read more of the interview here, Matt Shankles Responds to Bullying with Advocacy