The Family Sex Show to continue, despite widespread outrage

'The decision has been made by venues to cancel the tour of The Family Sex Show this Spring 2022. There will be performances for an invited audience at The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath ahead of subsequent public performances in the future.

These public performances would have offered safe and positive learning to children, young people and guardians about rights, bodies, sex and relationships, advised by safeguarding and educational specialists.

Audiences were given information about the content before booking, so that they could make an informed decision to watch the show.

It is regrettable that violent and illegal threats and abuse directed at the company and venues by a small group of people with extremist views has prevented families from opting to attend something that was transparent, consensual and legal.

We believe that what has happened is reflective of structural and societal attitudes towards Relationships and Sex Education as well as art, culture and who is allowed to create and what we are allowed to engage with in the UK.

The creative team will spend the next two weeks finishing the show, ready for a time it might be able to meet a public. We also want to respond to the events of the last few weeks and how we move forward. Removing work that celebrates freedom of expression from stages cannot be the answer.

For audiences who booked, or wanted to come to the show, we are sorry, we hope you will be able to soon.

For venues who might want to programme the show, we hope you will.

In the meantime, anyone who wants to explore some of the themes of the show for themselves, we have made some pages on our website to support that here: thefamilysexshow.com/the-zine'

www.instagram.com/thisegg_/

Have requested withdrawal of the screenshot for privacy reasons. But the Twitter thread contains a link to these resources. They are shocking.

All I hear is the letters DARVO singing in my head to the tune of the farmer with the dog BINGO. Boo hoo those mean people don’t want us to expose ourselves in front of their 5 year olds, what is wrong with some people eh???

The company they used for advice, that apparently is used by schools, had playdoh vulvas on their website. Or it did.

It’s times like this, that I wish certain banned posters with particular specialisms in , oh I don’t know, say safeguarding, could be reinstated.

Especially when you consider what they were banned for & how the specifics of the ban could be challenged if it were in other settings ie work…

What a bunch of dangerous loons.

Yes, the aim seems to be to obfuscate the facts that 16 is the age of legal consent to sex, and that adults touching children sexually is always abuse.

Oh my god, what is going on with the first paragraph posted in that screenshot?

Everyone’s different and will have different things that feel nice to touch for them! If one day you decide you don’t want to be touched in a particular way that’s absolutely okay. You decide what feels good for you.

Is there any mitigating context? Anything that suggests that some “particular ways to be touched” aren’t appropriate for children to experience? Or is it all down to the children to decide “what feels good?”

The Arts Council.

There's another thread on which the views of one of the performers was shared via a podcast on their site, in which they talk about how they don't call themselves a 'woman' because it's a violent, racist term and sullied by those rotten women who want to retain their rights. The word 'Terf' is used and is in all the info about the show.

This kind of extremism should not be publically funded or used to recruit children.

tabbycatstripy

"Use the internet to find some examples of other animals that masturbate."

These people have lost their minds.

From my brief research Bristol, Bath and Norfolk venues are still selling tickets. Nothing on their own website to infer cancellations 🤷‍♀️

Some animals do appear to pleasure themselves. It’s not what we talk about with small children.

The aim of this is scaffolding. Get kids to talk about bunnies. Get kids to talk about other fluffy animals. Get kids to talk about touching. Get kids to talk about masturbation. Get kids to masturbate.

They see nothing amiss with any of that.

Use the internet to find some examples of animals that masturbate.

What could possibly go wrong?

So they want kids Googling masturbation now? How have they managed to go away, think about it and come back worse??!

I’ve clicked twice and I’m on ‘draw some animals that you think masturbate’.

Well my cat plonked herself down on the landing, rested her back legs on the step and proceeded to thoroughly investigate her bottom. I thought she was cleaning herself as she is very fussy about her personal hygiene but maybe she was masturbating 🤷‍♀️

No, it really says that.

This is a set of resources aimed at 5 year olds that tries to get them to think about animals masturbating.

Maybe, they've taken some constructive criticism and are putting on a show for some safeguarding people to demonstrate that it is harmless? If it can be delivered in a fashion that is safe for the intended audience of 5+ then good luck to them. If this is the case then it would be nice to have a bit of an olive branch, some contrition, some acknowledgement that they understand the widespread concern they've caused. A bit of an apology from them would be nice.
Though frankly they've done nothing to deserve trust. In fact, they seem to be determined to undermine it, creepy and insulting podcasts, pornographic website, etc.

I very much hope they have gone to the police with the violent and illegal threats they've received

I’ve clicked twice and I’m on ‘draw some animals that you think masturbate’.

Are you fucking kidding me?

They’ve created a page so people can ‘have a go’ at exploring some of the ‘themes’.

Let’s see...

I’ve clicked twice and I’m on ‘draw some animals that you think masturbate’.

Absolute filth.

Invited audience of naked smurfs?

Will wait to see if the invited audience are those sympathetic to the cause and willing to write rave reviews or safeguarding experts.

I suspect it will be the former.