Recent reports have made for some worrying reading about how young homophobic bullying can start. In the UK, two in five primary school (if you’re from the US, that’s elementary school) teachers say children experience homophobic bullying, while three in four say pupils in their school use homophobic language. However only a quarter of these teachers have actually addressed issues relating to sexual orientation in their classrooms.
Now campaigning group Stonewall has come up with something to help – Free – a film directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair, which is designed to combat bullying and most particularly anti-gay bullying, as well as the ‘importance of celebrating difference’.
Stonewall says, ‘Designed in conjunction with a panel of leading primary school teachers, this age-appropriate film builds on Stonewall’s acclaimed Different Families campaign, and has been specifically designed to complement schools’ Key Stage 2 Personal Health and Social Education (PSHE) curriculums.’
The film can either be viewed in its 60-minute entirety in classrooms, or in 15-minute blocks, each focussing on a different person. You can take a look at the trailers for the different parts below.
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