Exeter student’s dad calls her ‘f*cked in the head’ for her bisexuality and depression

On Easter Sunday an Exeter student filmed herself as her father called her "fucked in the head" for both having depression and being bisexual.

Briony, a Modern Languages second year, uploaded a video of the argument to Twitter. The clip shows her drinking and telling her family: "I am attracted to both guys and girls, therefore I am bisexual."

Her father replies: "You're also fucked in the head. You don't know what you're doing," to which Briony responds: "I have depression, I'm not mad." The video has been viewed over 262,000 times and the tweet has since been deleted. The Exeter Tab spoke to Briony after she deleted the tweets.

Briony said her "casual" coming out to her family had happened about an hour before the video, saying: "I can't even remember exactly how it happened."

Briony told The Exeter Tab her dad then became "quite vocal about his opinions."

"He didn’t really believe me and he thought maybe my mental health had influenced it."

She decided to stand her ground and got her phone out to film the argument, including the moment when her dad denies her sexuality, saying: "You're not bisexual you fucking idiot!"

Briony told the Exeter Tab she wanted to show everyone "you can’t assume what goes on behind closed doors."

Briony was surrounded by her extended family, who "did their best to mediate." She said she often has arguments with her dad, and others usually "step in before it escalates."

In this particular instance, Briony said she was especially grateful for her younger sister, saying: "She told our dad what he was saying was unacceptable so I've got a lot to thank her for."

Briony did not speak to her dad for a few days but told the Exeter Tab the two are hoping to reconcile, saying: "We've had a big chat and we're hoping to move forward positively."

She said he was very embarrassed after seeing the video and the two of them are "hoping to reconcile and work through this together. He’s going to make a genuine effort to understand more about what I’m going through."

Briony told the Exeter Tab she was glad it happened, as it’s given them something to work from.

In the wake of the viral tweet, Briony saw celebrities reaching out in support, including Dodie Clark, Briony's "very own bisexual icon." Briony said seeing an influx of messages in admiration of her courage alongside many "heart-breaking" ones that show people in similar situations was bittersweet.

Speaking about why she chose to post the videos, Briony said: "I wanted to show that you really cannot judge someone's home life," adding: "I love my family and they are often supportive."

Briony is often open about her mental health on Twitter, and told the Exeter Tab: "It's absolutely not something that should be hidden and it's not something I'm ashamed of in the slightest."

Briony addresses her mental health in another video posted on Tuesday. In the clip, which has been watched over 102k times, she responds to numerous DMs following the initial video, one of which said: "Bet you don't have real depression – you look really happy".

In talking openly about depression, Briony wants everyone to know they are not alone. She told the Exeter Tab: "Mental illness is extremely isolating at times."

"I am thankful to live in a generation where I’m able to be so open and if my candidness can help even one person I’ll be happy."

Asked what advice she has for somebody in this situation, Briony said: "Rise above them and find your support networks.

"I do love my family and there are some things I can talk with them about, however for other parts of my life, where they might be insensitive, I have a wonderful group of friends who are always there. And try to love yourself!"

Briony told The Exeter Tab she and her dad "are going to work on some of the issues this has brought up and hopefully I can improve his understanding of LGBT issues and mental health."

She intends to use discussions as "an opportunity to educate" rather than destroy their relationship, saying: "With any luck we'll come out a lot stronger."