Bullying is always a presence in schools, but the concept is occasionally ignored and placed on the back burner. Bullying, especially toward LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual) youths has escalated in the past years.

The idea to film a documentary devoted to this issue began as a research study involving LGBT kids’ experiences in high school.

“We didn’t want the stories we were hearing to only live in academic journals. I wanted people to see them, “said Professor Anneliese Singh, who co-created the documentary with Cory Johnson. The creators’ main purpose of the film is to show educators they have a moral responsibility to keep kids safe in school.

“We had a seminar about [the topic] and we had to turn people away since the building could only house around 40 people,” Singh said.

“That is when we realized it was a larger issue than we had originally thought.”

The documentary, which premieres at the Miller Learning Center, also targets middle and high schools with the hopes of showing students and faculty alike the importance of creating a safe environment for LGBT youths.

“The film comes with curriculum, [where] schools can host a viewing and go through discussion questions based on the participants’ stories,” Singh said.

Singh explained that at this time, 10 percent of people are under the “queer umbrella.” These kids are bullied for both their sexual and personal beliefs. Singh describes this oppression as having escalated in high school.

“The physical bullying has decreased, but the verbal assaults have increased,” Singh said.

Research has shown if schools are safer for LGBT students, every group feels safer as well.

“We can’t have another Jaheem Harrera, the 11-year-old boy who hung himself for being bullied for being gay,” Singh said. The goal of Singh and Johnson’s documentary is to help keep youth safe while creating an environment free of hostility.