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Parents from Hull have pulled their daughter out of nursery after claiming she was exposed to 'sexualised images' in a children’s book.
West Hull couple Will and Maria Taylor took their four-year-old out of Genesis Pre-School in North Road after claiming to have initially flagged their concerns with the nursery but were unhappy with their response.
The illustration in question, which appears several pages into the book named Grandad’s Pride, shows two men at a pride parade while dressed in black leather gear.
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Although the father thinks it's 'great' to have so 'many' LGBTQ+ books at nursery, he believes 'this book has gone too far in introducing sexual imagery'.
After other parents spotted the 'erotic' illustration, Will and Maria raised their concerns with the nursery.
"We identified two images of men who are partially naked in leather bondage gear," Will said.
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"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."
Regarding the school's response, Will said: "The safeguarding lead began to defend the images.
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"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.
"They disagreed with our assessment that the images are erotic and stated 'that’s just your opinion'. 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."
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An employee of the school was also said to have asked Maria if she was happy with the contents of the book, and the mum initially did not notice the images.
The trustees of the nursery said they have since removed the book from the school.
In a response to Will and Maria, seen by Hull Live, they said: “As Trustees, we agree that the images in the book 'Grandpa’s Pride' are not age appropriate.
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“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.
"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.”
In regards to the general backlash against the book's illustrations, 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.”
Anish Vij