First off, thanks for all your replies and words of support. It's good to know that my perception of/reaction to the situation comes close to that of others. I grew up being bullied by my family and others, and was always told that I was guilty of being overly sensitive about it. I used to joke that I wouldn't know "normal" if if wore a name tag. I thought I had moved beyond that. As an older adult, I am usually able to recognize disordered behavior/thinking in others and not take it on board. But it is still hard for me. The fact that the behavior was what one might expect from 10 year olds (and not women in their mid 60s) and occurred in a disarmingly supportive atmosphere, activated all my impulses to flee as if from a poisonous gas. Now I'm feeling like I've blown things out of proportion, but also that I don't want to go back, knowing how everybody REALLY feels about me. (but there is part of me that says I should go back and continue to disrupt the homogeneity of their privileged lives...)

I have been emailing back and forth with the studio manager who still expresses distress over the situation and assures me that she has spoken to many members who say they find me to be an inspiration. This leads me to believe that the whole incident has been discussed publicly. Would be nice if the bullies had the decency to feel guilty. Somehow I doubt it...