Harry Woodgate/Waterstones
A Pride book featuring older men in bondage gear has sparked outrage after it was shown to four-year-old children.
Parents with children at Genesis Preschool in Hull raised concerns with staff after it was revealed pupils had been exposed to the images.
A staff member checked with parents if they were happy for the children to see the contents of the book Grandad’s Pride.
However, a parent took exception to images of “partially naked” men in “leather bondage gear”.
Will and Maria Taylor removed their child from the school amid the distribution of the book.
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 and a studded dog collar around his neck and knee high boots.
“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.”
A member of staff defended the images, arguing children would not understand the sexualised nature of the pictures.
The Taylors claimed a child’s lack of understanding does not exonerate staff for showing pupils the book.
The nursery’s trustees later confirmed the book had been removed while a safety audit was being conducted.
The literature reportedly remains widely available at bookstores and libraries.
The book has a 4+ reading age and details the story of Milly spending the summer at her Grandad’s cottage by the seaside.
Milly later finds her Grandad and Gramps’ old Pride flag in the attic.
She is told what Pride is and then plans a 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.”
https://www.gbnews.com/news/woke-madness-pride-preschool-hull-outrage