A book containing sexualised images of men in bondage gear has been removed from a pre-school nursery in England following complaints from parents.
Children as young as three were exposed to the cartoon images in a book called “Grandad’s Pride” which showed half-naked men waving a Pride flag.
It is the latest controversy surrounding LGBTQ, trans and gender identification education in Britain’s schools as the government continues to fail to set a date for implementing guidance on the issue.
On Tuesday the secretary of state for education was pressed on when official guidelines would be given to schools.
Gillian Keegan told LBC she wanted the non-statutory guidance “as soon as possible.”
However, she said that no date had been set for it to be implemented.
“It is very important that we get it right—but we are hoping to get it out as soon as possible.”
Ms. Keegan suggested several factors have delayed the new guidance.
Book Warning
The senior Cabinet minister said legal issues—previously reported to be the biggest reason for delay around the already drafted guidance—also needed to be taken into account.Asked if she is in favour of stopping pupils from self-identifying in schools, Ms Keegan said: “What I think is really important is, first of all, that we really do look at children and treat them with the right support and compassion that they deserve.
“But, secondly, this is non-statutory guidance that we are talking about and one of the things that may have got lost in some of this debate is there is only so far we can go with non-statutory guidance.”
The book at the centre of the Genesis Pre-School storm is written by Waterstones children’s award-winning author and illustrator Harry Woodgate, who uses they/them pronouns.
It has a 4+ age reading with the BookTrust warning 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.”
Will and Maria Taylor, of west Hull, had been asked by nursery staff if they were content about their child reading the book.
However, they were unaware of the images it contained until another parent pointed them out.
Mr. Taylor told Hull Live: “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.”
No Justification
The father told the news site that his “main and most immediate” concern is that children may 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.”The parents were concerned by the response from staff at the nursery which prompted the decision to remove their daughter from the nursery.
Mr. Taylor added: “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 parents were told the nursery disagreed with their assessment of the book, allegedly telling them “that’s just your opinion”.
The father added: “But this 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.”
Mr. Taylor argues that a child’s lack of understanding is no justification for exposing children to sexualised imagery.
The Epoch Times has contacted Genesis Pre-School for comment.
Safeguarding
According to Hull Live, the trustees of the pre-school have since confirmed the book has been removed from the nursery.In a written letter to the couple, they said: “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.”
The letter also stated that it felt each member of nursery staff 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.”
