A new film has been released in schools to raise awareness of homophobic bullying.
The film, called FIT, is written and directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair and has been funded by Stonewall, who conceived of the campaign.
The makers have released trailers of the film with the notion of diversity immediately evident. All colours, beliefs and cultures are displayed alongside attention-grabbing messages.
The film tells the story of troubled teenagers, showing the battles they face and how they deal with them. Their lives intertwine and it shows them attempting to fit in, yet at the same time, trying to stand out in a culture where everything from not liking sport to wearing the wrong trainers is 'gay'.
It's a serious issue for school pupils to swallow but the film tackles the issue in a cool and funny way, which helps viewers become more comfortable about a sometimes-touchy subject.
One particular character, Ryan, is a bully but it in the end it turns out he is gay.
The actor who plays Ryan, Stephen Hoo (pictured), recently commented on how similar he is to the character:
"At primary school I bullied two kids by insinuating that they were gay lovers. I would point my two fingers together and tell them that it didn’t work that way. I did it knowing full well that I was gay myself. I did it to make myself feel powerful because I was insecure."
A report released last week by the Lancashire National Union of Teachers found that over 57 per cent of teachers had overhead or observed homophobic abuse in their school on a daily or weekly basis.
Sue Sanders, co-chair of the anti-homophobia organisation Schools Out commented on the findings: “The Department for Children, Schools and Families, local authorities and schools must wake up to the urgent necessity to challenge such hate crimes in their schools. Not to act is to condemn more families and individuals to the horror unfolding on the streets.”
With the recent report showing signs of continuing homophobic bullying in schools, it will be hoped that this film will be a big step in the right direction to help educate children about the issue.