By SUKHMANI SETHI – Daily Mail
A couple have taken their four-year-old daughter out of a pre-school after they say they were branded bigots for complaining about a book featuring men in bondage and with trans ‘top-surgery’ scars.
Will and Maria Taylor, of Hull, East Yorkshire, were horrified when they spotted ‘images of men who are partially naked in leather bondage gear’ in the pages of Grandad’s Pride.
One image featured trans men with ‘top surgery’ scars, sparking a furious reaction from parents who claims that it encourages body modifications too early.
‘Top-surgery’ involves either the removal or augmentation of the breasts, which if undergone by a trans man means breast tissue is taken out and the chest is contoured to emphasise the pectoral muscles.
‘Grandad’s Pride’ is the creation of Waterstones children’s book winning author and illustrator Harry Woodgate – who uses they/them pronouns.
When the couple approached Genesis Pre School in Hull with their concerns over the overtly sexualised images, they were shocked when the school refused to apologise for stocking the book.
The book, which has a 4+ reading aged, tells the story of Milly spending the summer in Grandad’s cottage by the sea.
When Milly is playing in the attic one day, she unearths Grandad and Gramps’ old Pride flag. When Grandad explains to Milly what Pride is, he and Milly plan a Pride march in the village.
The BookTrust, which promotes children reading, has already warned parents: ‘The illustrations in Grandad’s Pride include realistic depictions of what a Pride march might look like, including a person dressed in adult leather wear and some images which are culturally sensitive.
‘Parents and carers should read the book before sharing.’
The couple accept a staff member had checked with Maria whether she was okay with the contents. But she did not notice the images at first.
One image in the US version shows the two men in fetish gear kissing during a Pride march while another marcher holds up a sign saying ‘All we need is LOVE.
When another parent alerted them the couple complained to the nursery, expecting an apology. When staff defended the images, the couple decided to remove their four-year-old daughter.
Will said: ‘We identified two images of men who are partially naked in leather bondage gear. One has a leather cod-piece moulded tightly around his crotch along with garters running down his thighs.
‘He also has a studded dog collar around his neck and knee-high boots. Both have various leather straps around their bodies and studs/spikes.
‘The main and most immediate concern is that children have been exposed to at least two age-inappropriate sexual or erotic images of a man in what can only be reasonably described as ‘bondage/fetish/BDSM’ gear.
‘When we went to the nursery to raise concerns about the book, to be honest, we expected staff to instantly apologise and that would be the end of the matter. But the safeguarding lead began to defend the images.
‘They argued the children would not understand or perceive erotic or sexual images. Staff claimed the image was just portraying ‘dress-up’ and would not be perceived as erotic by a child as they have no idea what ‘erotic’ is.’
The staff denied the images are erotic, telling the couple: ‘That’s just your opinion.’
Mr Taylor continued: ‘That was no justification in our eyes. Arguing with us over the appropriateness of these sexual images quickly damaged the trust we held for the nursery team. At this stage I was concerned and took our daughter out of the nursery.’
Will argues that a child’s lack of understanding is no justification in exposing children to sexualised imagery.
He said: ‘It seems those with safeguarding responsibilities are basing their decisions on what is safe and appropriate based on whether the child will recognise the risk for what it is.
‘To be clear, the ‘perception’ of the child is not the arbiter of what is age-appropriate or safe, regardless of their level of understanding.’
Will says he and Maria have been branded ‘bigots’ for taking their stand. He added: ‘The staff felt I was being bigoted and I was not having that.
‘I have volunteered at both Hull and York Pride events. ‘Some people will try and twist this and make me out to be some kind of homophobe.
‘But if we want equality and understanding then we should respect certain boundaries.
‘There are many LGBTQ+ books at the nursery which is great. They encourage children to be tolerant, respectful and not to judge people. But I believe this book has gone too far in introducing sexual imagery.
‘I have been to many Pride events and there can be inappropriate behaviour for children which is why Hull has a family-friendly zone and that’s fine.
‘It is a shame as this is a very good nursery and my children have been very happy here. The trustees have responded reasonably well and taken the book out while carrying out a safety audit. My criticism is with the staff who thought it was okay in the first place.’
The trustees of the nursery have since confirmed to Will and Maria the book has been removed from the nursery.
The trustees says the book is widely available at bookstores and libraries in East Yorkshire and was a Waterstones children’s prize book winner.
They told the couple: ‘As Trustees, we agree that the images in the book Grandpa’s Pride are not age appropriate. This book has been removed from Genesis and a comprehensive audit of all other books has taken place to ensure all books, whilst celebrating culture and diversity, are age appropriate.
‘We also intend to raise this with Hull Early Years and seek their advice on the illustrations within this book, when the new school year commences in September.
‘After speaking to staff, we are confident that each staff member has a solid understanding of the statutory EYFS framework and safeguarding policies, including harmful sexual behaviours. We are also confident, after removing this book from the setting, that children who attend Genesis are not exposed to sexual or erotic images.’
But the trustees defended the response from the nursery staff and say they will continue to receive regular training in the policies and procedures.
The trustees say: ‘It is with deep regret that you felt it necessary for you to remove your daughter from Genesis.
‘We can assure you that Genesis Pre-school strives to create a culture of value and respect for each and every young person. As Trustees we are confident that Genesis does create a culture of safety, in which Safeguarding children is the highest priority.’
The book Grandad’s Pride, written and illustrated by Harry Woodgate, has already angered some parents when it was released earlier this year.
Publisher Andersen Press said: ‘We stand by our author and illustrator Harry Woodgate and their book Grandad’s Pride.
‘We believe it is a faithful representation of Pride Celebrations and Pride Parades around the country enjoyed by many families.
‘We discussed the images of the Pride parade during our stringent and robust editorial process and decided collectively that we should show a true representation of what a Pride march looks like and what the many children who attend these events see.
‘We consider accusations of ‘hidden messages’ to be baseless, deeply offensive and homophobic.’