FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) will present an encore showing of the film Bullied on Monday, Jan. 30, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Coral Springs Center for the Performing Arts, with a catered cocktail reception before the film, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Among those attending will be Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti, who will discuss his office’s Anti-Bullying initiative. Also expected to attend are Captain Rick Wierzbicki of the Sheriff’s Office Hate Crimes and Anti Bias Task Force; Robert Tanen, the Associate Florida Regional Director of the Anti Defamation League, and Lily Medina, the Anti-Defamation League’s education director.

Bullied chronicles the story of Jamie Nabozny, a gay Wisconsin teen who fought his tormentors in the federal courts and won. The suit led to a landmark decision that holds school officials accountable when anti-gay bullying persists.

Wierzbicki, a former chief of police of Wilton Manors, says, “the message of the film, which was really Jamie Nabozny’s message to the bullies who made his life hell, is that all children and teens are entitled to attend school in a safe environment that’s free from harassment and abuse.”

In spite of the decision in Nabozny’s case, bullying against LGBT students remains a severe problem. Today, more than 80 percent of LGBT youtth report being harassed at school. In spite of this, many schools across the country remain unwilling or afraid to openly address anti-gay bullying.

BSO, in conjunction with the Southern Poverty Law Center, premiered Bullied to South Florida audiences last September at Fort Lauderdale’s Cinema Paradiso. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Shelly Solomon Heller at 954-557-7760, or via email at shelly@shellylifecoach.com. More information about BSO’s anti-bullying initiative can be found online at www.sheriff.org/antibullying.