I think children will attack anyone different. Maybe no one today and not from an area like the one I grew up in would understand but the meanness that I got in school was from not having parents. In all honesty though, I got it from my family much worse than at school. I never had one friend in grade school and I don't know what the cause was, no one would talk to me. I did start school a year early and my birthday is in November so I was three when I started kindergarten, it could have been that. We were poor and despite my family's pride could only afford the rattiest clothes, it might have been that. I do know that no one picked on me at all because everyone was terrified of my brother.
That didn't help with family though. My brother was a terror to anyone outside of my family because family where I grew up was everything but at home that solidarity was gone and I was fair game. Not to say that he was mean but he never tried to stop anyone else in my family from being mean. I don't remember much thankfully but until I learned to shut it in it was bad. Well, not like Julia went through, those people are horrible. I got beat on a lot though and called sissy, Michelle and girl. I can only remember one time at school when people were like that to me. Somehow everyone knew I was in the mental hospital and why. I don't know how, my brother didn't know at first but it didn't take long before everyone knew. That first couple of months were so bad. Not worth talking about now I guess. Actually failed gym that semester because I couldn't go into the locker room at all. Anyway, I eventually fought back and my brother came to my rescue again so like I said, didn't last long. Though I was taken from my family and put into foster care right around that time too, different county so who knows. By that time I was just hate. Hated the world, hated my family, hated myself most of all. People were afraid of me and I didn't care, I just wanted it to end.
It's so sad what has happened to us and others like us. Humans hate different so much and it doesn't look like that will end any time soon.
Hug for everyone here. Take care.