"I've had phone calls from people saying they're going to murder me," says 15-year-old Beckham, as he explains the extent of the homophobic bullying he has been subjected to since he came out as gay.
The Bradford-born teenager is just one of the youths who took part in Channel 4's documentary Underage And Gay, which aired on Wednesday evening, and gave a glimpse into the dark side of coming out as a young person.
Recent research showed half of LGBT young people had experienced bullying in schools, with a shocking 20% having attempted suicide at least once. And, as the programme revealed, it's no easy ride for many of Britain's LGBT youths.
"During the first two years of coming out I was bullied every day at school," Cariad, also 15, tells The Huffington Post UK. "Homophobic slurs were shouted at me constantly and I was always followed around by boys who said that they could 'change me'. They didn't. Obviously."
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15-year-old Cariad
The Cardiff resident is adamant more support needs to be offered to gay youths, as school can get "awfully lonely" if you're underage and gay.
"I came out when I was twelve. I was absolutely terrified, so much so that the way I came out was someone told me, 'I think you'll be gay when you're older.' And I replied 'I'm gay now.' From family there was nothing but support for me. But school life was hard."
Cariad was relatively lucky, and had a strong friendship support group.
"My friends didn't care one bit. If anything they were excited to have the group with the lesbian, must have made them feel a bit edgy, as stupid as it sounds."
Although, she adds, "others weren't so supportive".
Beckham, who has just got a new job at a hairdressers, is keen to be open about his sexuality at work, as he has previously had to put on a front for the benefit of others.
"I always knew I was gay, even when I was younger all the boys were having their girlfriends and I got one but I knew thats not what I wanted," he tells HuffPost UK.
"But I have had to hide who I am and sometimes still do. For example, when I meet someone for the first time so that I can work them out and see if they would feel comfortable with the way I am.
"I shouldn't have to hide it but as LGBTs we sometimes have to for the safety of ourselves."
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Beckham, 15, hails from Bradford
It's no surprise Beckham is concerned with his safety. During the documentary, it is revealed Beckham has been subjected to anonymous abuse, with one man calling his home saying: "You're gonna get murdered.. I'm gonna kicking your f**king head in you dirty b*****d."
The phone calls leave Beckham and his mother visibly shaken, particularly as they say they have had little support from the police.
"I will get a comments wherever I am, mostly due to social network sites not stopping or preventing this," he says. "I have received homophobic bullying from people for quite a while but I am not bothered in anyway because they don't influence me.
"[But it] makes angry that people can be so narrow minded."
Beckham also agrees there should be more support in schools across the UK, as young people "don't know of any contacts or places they can go for support, which can sometimes lead them to be frightened or worried if they come out".
Tamika, 16, is in the middle of her GCSEs and says she found it hard to fit in at school.
"I remember one time in science people were asking 'how do lesbians even have sex? It's not even sex.' And I'd be like 'yeah, no it's weird' and I'd laugh with them, knowing full well I was hurting myself inside.
"I just blended in with everyone else and it's only recently that I've embraced my gayness."
But amid the bullying and stigma, it's the fighting spirit of these youths which shines through.
Mykyla, who lives in Rugby, told us: "I have only suffered by homophobic bullying once and that was when someone called me a dirty dyke.
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Teenager Mykyla from Rugby
"I felt angry and sad but then I just grew stronger. At the end of the day I can't change who I am and people may not like that. It's something that to me isn't a big deal 'cause I'm gay and I'm comfortable being open about it.
"My mum has always taught me to be who I am and not what people expect me to be."
A person's identity is their own to decide(01 of10)
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If someone tells you they are a “he”, a “she”, a “they” (which some genderqueer people opt for), use that pronoun. Some people might even refer to themselves as an “it”, but definitely avoid this unless a person has specifically asked. You do not decide a person's identity, they do, both because it’s their right and because they are the only people that can ever truly know. Respect their wishes without question. (credit:DaveBleasdale/Flickr)
If you're unsure how to refer to someone, just ask(02 of10)
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If you really don't know, the best option is to just ask. Dancing around the subject can be irritating for a transgender person. Think of it like asking someone’s name: until you ask what it is, it’s fine for you to not know! If you’ve not had an opportunity to ask yet, “they” is a good general purpose pronoun to go for. Definitely don’t resort to “it”, “she-he”, “he-she” etc. as most people find these names horribly degrading. (credit:Matiluba/Flickr)
Be careful when talking about the past(03 of10)
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When you're referring to things in the past, never say things like "when you were x gender", or "born a man/woman". Most transgender people feel like they have always been the gender they have come out to you as, but needed to come to terms with it in their own way. Instead refer to the past without referencing gender, for example, "last year", or "when you were a child". (credit:jasonepowell/Flickr)
Don't be afraid to ask questions(04 of10)
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Each person is different, so won’t want to talk about it at all, whereas some might enjoy the opportunity to discuss it. The worst thing you can do is be awkward about it; just ask them if they want to talk about it! At the same time, don’t ask questions that would be strange to ask a cis person. Transgender people and cis people should be treated the same – don’t start conversations about their bodies, for example, that wouldn't be normal to discuss with your cis friends. (credit:Eleaf/Flickr)
Forget stereotypes(05 of10)
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Never call out a transgender person for behaviour which isn’t stereotypical for their identified gender, for example, if your trans-woman friend decides she doesn’t feel more comfortable in trousers sometimes. Gender identity is much more than just the things people do and the way they dress, but it’s not uncommon for transgender people to feel pressured into following stereotypes to “prove” themselves to their friends. (credit:kristin_a (Meringue Bake Shop)/Flickr)
Respect their privacy(06 of10)
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This one should be obvious, but never out someone unless they’ve made it clear they are openly transgender. It’s up to the individual to decide when they are comfortable coming out to people, and it is possible for them to be out to some people, but not others, so don’t assume that because they’ve come out to you there’s a free pass to tell everyone about it. (credit:anna gutermuth/Flickr)
It's okay to make mistakes(07 of10)
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Although it is important you try your best to respect a person’s identity, you are only human – if you've known your friend a long time, you'll likely have a lot of habits to break, including a change of name, pronouns, etc. As long as you’re trying, transgender people normally don’t mind. Sometimes they might point out that you’ve messed up, and that’s fine. When they do, measure the tone of their voice: if they are annoyed about it, calmly say sorry and try to ensure it doesn’t happen again. But equally, if they seem happy, don’t make a massive deal of it. (credit:opensourceway/Flickr)
Cross-dressing(08 of10)
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A cross-dresser is just someone who dresses in clothes stereotypically associated with the opposite gender: cross-dressing does not imply anything about a person’s gender. Eddie Izzard, for example, is a straight cis male who loves his makeup and dresses. Don’t say a cross-dresser dresses in “women’s clothes” or “men’s clothes” – if a male likes to wear dresses that he owns, he’s wearing a man’s dress because they are his. And do not assume that a person's gender correlates with their sexuality - it doesn't. (credit:twicepix/Flickr)
Get the terms right(09 of10)
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Try to avoid the term 'transvestite' as no one knows what it means. Technically, it just means 'cross-dresser', but it has been misused for a while now. 'Sex' is what body you have whereas 'gender' refers to a person’s identity. Other than the fact it is fairly common for a person’s gender to match their sex ('cis'), the two things are otherwise completely unrelated. 'Genderqueer' is a broad term that covers people that don’t fit into the stereotypical gender binary – that may be because they don’t feel they have a gender at all, they feel that they fit into another, third, gender or that they flit between those options, making them 'genderfluid'. 'Transgender' is someone who identifies with a gender other than their birth-assigned sex. A 'Transsexual' is someone who has physically changed their sex. (credit:.reid./Flickr)
Don't know? Don't worry!(10 of10)
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If you see someone out in public and you can’t figure out what gender they are, just don’t worry about it! Definitely don’t have a loud conversation discussing what “they might be”, and absolutely don’t try to peek under their skirt or into their shirt to see what 'parts' they’ve got. Yes, some transgender people really do have to put up with that sort of thing. (credit:@Doug88888/Flickr)
Useful websites and helplines:
Beaumont Society is a national self help body run by and for the transgender community | 01582 412220
The Gender Trust supports anyone affected by gender identity | 01527 894 838
Mermaids offers information, support, friendship and shared experiences for young people with gender identity issues | 0208 1234819
LGBT Youth Scotland is the largest youth and community-based organisation for LGBT people in Scotland. Text 07786 202 370
Gires provides information for trans people, their families and professionals who care for them | 01372 801554
Depend provides support, advice and information for anyone who knows, or is related to, a transsexual person in the UK.