15-year-old Nathan Whitmore, who was mercilessly bullied at school and tried to end his life, is now on a quest to get the government to act.

I DIDN’T want my life to be like this.

I’m only 15 and have already been through hell. I’ve been the victim of really bad homophobic bullying at school.

All I ever wanted to do was learn somewhere I felt safe. I didn’t feel safe at school. So today, on National Anti-Bullying day, I wanted to tell you my story.

At my school in Victoria, I was terrorised the minute people suspected I might be gay. I was regularly called a ‘faggot’ which basically made me feel disgusting about myself, on a daily basis. Just coming into school scared the hell out of me. I was miserable. It got worse.

The main bully got others to bully me. I was told by one boy that he was going to stab me and I was top of his kill list. My mum told the principal and he found a knife in his locker. He only got suspended for three days. Then he was back. Then it got much worse.

The bully told all his friends I was going to get bashed for dobbing. They bashed me with a skateboard, called me more homophobic names as they were doing it, and told me to just go and kill myself.

So that’s what I tried to do. Mum found me. She wrote letters to the Education Department but nothing happened. Anyway it had already gone so far by then, I didn’t want to go back to that school. I stopped going. I just felt so alone.

Nathan Whitmore pictured with his three siblings. He doesn’t want to cost his family by them having to pay for counselling.Source:Supplied

I have to see a psychiatrist every week. The thing is, it has cost my mum so much money. $4000 so far and I still need to go for a long time. The bullying went on for years and it has smashed my self-confidence so I really want to keep going to build that up again but I just feel so guilty. Mum is on her own and has three other kids and she just can’t afford to keep sending me there.

That’s why I launched a campaign on Change.org. I’m asking the Victorian Education Minister James Merlino for more support for bullying victims.

I’m asking him to fund the counselling support for people like me who don’t have that much money but who need counselling. School chaplains aren’t enough — I can’t tell them I’m gay and also mum says I need expert professional help, and they can’t offer that. More than 43,000 people have signed the petition and left supportive comments which makes me feel less alone now.

I am still nowhere near recovered. Sometimes I self-harm to cope. It takes the pain from my head and makes me focus on something else.

My childhood was taken away from me and it has affected my whole family. I have had so much time off school because of depression.

If the government funded expert counselling for victims, people like me wouldn’t feel so guilty for costing our families so much money.

Three young girls took their lives last year after bullying. And 155 Australian teenagers kill themselves every year.

The Education Minister knows this is a huge problem in schools. James Merlino has responded so at least someone now is listening and I’m meeting with him next week. But I’m worried he’ll ignore my main question on my petition: will you provide more counselling for bullying victims?

Anti-bullying day feels like the moment he should answer this important question.

To support Nathan’s petition visit change.org/nohelp.

If you or someone close to you needs support, please call:

Lifeline on: 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 or kidshelpline.com.au

Headspace: 1800 650 890 or headspace.org.au