Bullying Victim Fights Back On Social Media

A Locust Grove teenager is telling her story after a bully posted a derogatory picture of her on social media.

The photo shows Mary Thompson riding on a school bus, with a caption comparing her to a "water buffalo."

Now, Mary is standing up to the bully who posted it and asking other victims to do the same.

"You guys, just remember. Stay strong. Speak out. Don't let the haters get you down," Thompson said in a Facebook video. 

14-year-old Thompson is no stranger to bullying.
               
Earlier this month, she said a boy she barely knows bullied her on Snapchat.

"I honestly don't know why. It shocked me that he would say something like that," Thompson said. 

Instead of staying silent, Mary took to social media to stand up for herself and to inspire other bullying victims to do the same.

"I wanted to make sure that other victims of bullying know that it's okay to speak out, and you need to report it," Thompson said. 

The day after her original post, Mary said a school employee contacted her mom.

Mary said the principal called her mom, asking her to take down the video. 

She didn't take it down.

In fact, she's calling the school out for not doing more.

"I'm not trying to give them a bad name, but they need to do more about bullying," Thompson said. 

Mary said the boy who posted the picture was only given three days of in-school detention.
               
She also said she hasn't received an apology, and her bully seems anything but sorry.

“I forgive him, but I don't want him to say anything like that to anyone else," she said. 

News On 6 reached out to Locust Grove Public Schools but did not receive a call back.