Bleeding Poof is a dark, edgy short drama set in a not-so-idyllic community where filthy looks and cruel jibes have some very shocking results.  

Sticks & Stones brings together isolated young gay men and women in a project that actively challenges homophobic prejudice and bullying.

Gay equality organisation Stonewall estimates that more than 60,000 gay and lesbian pupils in schools are victims of homophobic abuse, which can range from name-calling to serious physical and sexual assaults. 

Living in a rural area can exacerbate the problem for young LGB people and make it even harder for them to come out and feel confident with their sexuality, without being victimised.  The Sticks and Stones project created an on-line forum to capture the experiences and ideas of young LGB people and then worked with them to create a powerful new drama entitled Bleeding Poof and other short film materials, that conveyed some of their stories about what it’s like to be young and gay in a rural area.

The Bleeding Poof film shoot took place during June 2008. The actors chosen from the workshops - Simon, Hannah, Emma - together with a professional production crew filmed in rural locations across Herefordshire. Emma, who had been involved with the project since she joined the online forum, said

"It was surreal to be filming a gay-themed story in Hereford because that's where I grew up and I got my fair share of abuse. Whereas in big cities like London and Brighton there are more support groups around that can keep young gay people safe, here we didn't have that. We had one pub which had a 'back bar' we could use one night a week. It was the only place to go to meet other gay people."

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The DVD is accompanied by a 20 page booklet with advice and guidance for professionals on how to tackle homophobic bullying.

The Sticks and Stones project has three main purposes

1. To enable victims of homophobic bullying and hate crime to feel less isolated by having access to a new, high impact and easily shared digital resource.

2 To encourage young people who witness homophobic bullying, or who are immersed in a homophobic culture, to see it for what it is, to understand its impact, to re-assess their own attitudes and actions and be empowered in challenging it.

3. To support those who work with young people by giving them access to an effective, contemporary media resource from a wide range of young people, especially those from rural communities, in order for them to feel more confident in facilitating discussion and positive responses about sexuality and prejudice.

The Sticks and Stones project demonstrates that by working with people at the receiving end of prejudice, poor services, policies or leadership you can create highly effective participatory film productions to tell stories that otherwise may remain untold.