I remember the first time I was bullied. In second grade I was an easy target because I was by far the shortest kid in my class. I was outside playing during recess after lunch. I remember one moment I was having fun playing with my classmates and within seconds that all changed. Three boys from an older class came and grabbed me and drug me across the playground way out to a baseball field at the far edge of the school perimeter. I was screaming for help but it all fell on deaf ears. I watched as the kids I was playing with just stood and looked on.It was as if I became invisible to them. No one came to my aid or defense. I was terrified and confused. I had never seen these three older kids before...why did they choose me? Why were they doing this? Where were they taking me? What were they going to do? I struggled to break free but it was no use. They were bigger and much stronger than my tiny, little self. When we got to the baseball field they pinned me up against a fence and took turns hitting me in the stomach.I fought, I screamed and eventually broke lose and I ran as fast as I could. Adrenaline was racing throughout my body. It wasn't good adrenaline...I felt my mind and body creating a memory and memorizing what just took place. The memory became a lesson and the lesson was that I was less than, I was weak, I shouldn't have fun and I shouldn't trust people. Obviously, these are irrational thoughts but this is the way my naive, innocent self interpreted this bullying experience.The experience left me fearful and caused me to shut down inside. The question lingered with me...Why? Why did they do this to me? 

Also when I was in the second grade, I remember another kid in my class named Alan. Alan would run around the playground pretending he was Wonder Woman. He would snap the top button of his jacket around his neck creating a cape and then he would spin around in circles like Wonder Woman changing from normal human to superhero. Once he finished three rotations he would run up to other boys and kiss them on the cheek all the while singing "Wonder Woman" and then he'd run away. It became apparent that Alan liked other boys. Of course, the majority of our classmates, myself included, would make fun of him and call him names. I can remember thinking to myself, "I'm just like Alan...I like other boys." I saw the ridicule and humiliation he would go through because he liked other boys. It became very clear to me that I could not let anyone know that I was like Alan otherwise I would suffer the same fate as him. I felt myself shut down inside once again. I was ashamed to be me. I should have been more ashamed that I made fun of him and that I also stood by and did nothing...I said nothing. Just like nobody came to my aid or defense, nobody was coming to Alan's aid or defense.

Who knew that years later I'd end up playing a superhero on TV. I was lucky enough to play Billy Cranston, the original Blue Ranger of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Billy was uber intelligent and a bit awkward at times. Billy was often bullied at school for being a "nerd." Luckily for him, he had a group of friends that did stand up for him and came to his aid when needed. Not a luxury all of us have in life. Billy learned that what set him apart from others or what others perceived as different about him was actually his greatest strength. Billy learned to accept himself which gave him confidence to stand up against bullies and speak up for himself and for others. I could relate to Billy in a lot of ways and there were definitely characteristics from my personal struggles with who I was that allowed me to play the character on a deeper level. In the end, Billy taught me confidence. I learned through this character that I was perfect the way I am and that I have the right to be happy...I have the right to be me. 

I often wonder about Alan...I wonder if he made it. Did he survive? Just like all the countless people I have seen be bullied over my years...I wonder did they make it or was it too much for them. Did they commit suicide? Like Cindy, who at the age of 14 killed herself because she was pregnant or like Linda, who in the 8th grade committed suicide because she felt she didn't fit in. I watched these two girls from the sidelines. Cindy and I were friends in grade school and Linda and I had lockers next to each other in junior high school. They both developed early for their age which made them stand out and it made them confused. They were often teased about their height or the size of their breasts. I stood on the sidelines and didn't speak up. I watched them be bullied. I saw them shutting down. I saw them doubting themselves. We have to remember that the people being bullied are someones brother or sister, someones son or daughter, niece or nephew, grandchild. How sad when families have to endure a senseless, preventable suicide. We know that bullying can lead to suicide and that's why it is so important not to stand on the sidelines and say nothing. We have to speak up against bullying so that we never have to wonder if people made it, if they survived. 

In every given moment of every day you have the opportunity to be a Superhero. You have the power to save someones life, literally. It's so simple. You do that by speaking up, you do that by reassuring people, you do that by accepting people, you do that by accepting yourself, you do that by being confident in who you are and your abilities to change the world around you.This is why it is so crucial for all of us to speak up. Innocent people lose their lives because they appear to be different than us but the reality is they are us. Will you say something, will you speak up? Please remember it's up to you...you've got the power to beat bullying!