Forcing children to change in front of each other for gym is sexually abusive and this is a hill I will die on.

I have pectus excavatum, so I can relate to this post heavy. I was born with a indented chest, doctors told my parents I would grow out of it and through puberty my chest will form normally— that was a lie. My chest got worse through puberty, it was getting more and more indented. My case was rare and really bad compared to others with the same condition. I was told if I ended up exerting myself I could’ve died because of the pressure my chest was putting on my heart and lungs, that’s how bad my chest was gradually getting worse. The day I found out that I needed surgery we were going to run the mile at school, and I recall wanting to try my hardest because I wanted to see how fast I could run a mile, but luckily the teacher ended up saying we would post pone the mile for the next class. My parents called the school with my doctor to inform them to remove me from gym class that day and they said okay but they never did. My parents were livid, especially when I told them that we were going to run the mile but luckily didn’t. Most people when they get surgery get one metal bar in their chest to correct it, I got two and the doctor was even considering three. I got the bars placed in my chest when I was 16 years old, was bed ridden for a couple months, needed help to get out of bed. Wasn’t back to school until 4 months after my surgery. Then got the bars out three years later. My chest still doesn’t look normal or pretty though, I also have scoliosis and the surgery made my scoliosis even worse. Anyways my point is I was always super self conscious when going to the pool or beach and things like that. I still am. I have Marfan syndrome, I’m super skinny, 150-155 pounds and 6’ 4”. I was lucky enough to avoid gym class in highschool due to me switching schools after 9th grade (back to the school I originally went to before 9th) and then not going to school cause of my surgery and switching to online school halfway through 11th grade. But in gym class in middle school (a few years before my initial surgery), we would all have to change in the locker room. Half the time I would just wear my gym shirt overtop whatever shirt I was wearing. If not I would wait for everyone to leave and be the last one out of the locker room, and I would do that thing where you can switch shirts without revealing your chest. I don’t recall ever getting questioned about it, I was mainly just super self conscious but there were some real a holes in my class that I knew would poke fun at me if they saw my chest.

TLDR; I had a condition called pectus excavatum. I was born with an indented chest, and it gradually got worse over time. I was always scared to change in locker rooms at school and scared to go to the beach/pools/etc. although I don’t recall ever getting bullied for it because I would avoid revealing myself through any means necessary, I recall people always starring at me at the beach and public pools when I was younger and would go to those places.

/r/unpopularopinion Thread