A library thought it appropriate to book this 'entertainment' for children and I feel sick

[flashbac]

I thought it was a joke, a photoshop job, a hoax even but it's not.

WTF

A children's entertainer in a library with this costume?

twitter.com/StandingforXX/status/1414247886242598912?s=19

What the hell is this?

That person will feel entirely comfortable wearing that costume around children, in fact more than comfortable…that’s the most worrying thing.

Exactly this. //\

Anyone who feels it is appropriate to wear that costume at an event aimed at children, isn't someone who should be around children.

The thing that really gets me about this is not only did Reading library book these people (if I call them what I believe that preformer is I'll get deleted) and when they arrived actually let them "perform". Then they joked about it online with Exeter library and when people started to complain about it and posting videos and pictures THEY DELETED THE LIBRARY TWITTER ACCOUNT hoping that this would go away and only after they reinstated the Twitter account and realising that this wasn't going to go away did they release an apology that to be quite frank only the mentally challenged would ever believe and has no mention of safeguarding or retraining everyone in safeguarding nor have they reported the "performer" to the police.
Everyone who is involved with this should be getting investigated by the police and the monkey should be arrested for outrage of public decency laws 🤬

I keep hoping it's a hoax..

What does Drag Story Time entail? I've never heard of it before today.

Men with drag names like Flo Job coming into libraries to talk to kids, often with innuendo, getting kids to sit on their laps and on the odd occasion, twerking.

gript.ie/parents-express-shock-after-seeing-footage-of-drag-queen-teaching-young-children-to-twerk/

But if you object, you’re a prude and a bigot 🙄

It's a fake baboon's bottom

It is not a fake baboon's bottom - it is a fake human bottom complete with rectum.

This is appalling but then I also find drag queen story hour appalling.
Since when was parodying women in over exaggerated whore or battle-axe costumes part of the LGB. Why is 'being inclusive' only ever concerning men and their fetishes instead.
I know we have always had panto dames, but they are usually obviously men playing women and thats the joke (because oh the horror of actually being a woman if your a man)
Drag is different, its adult entertainment and often highly sexualised, definitely not appropriate for children.

What does Drag Story Time entail?

Adult entertainers grooming children, libraries and parents into thinking adult entertainment is appropriate for children. The next step is you send in men dressed indecently as 'monkeys'. I dread to imagine what comes next.

WHAT THE FUCK

As a kid my local library was a sanctuary, a place to get away from a difficult home life. The head librarian was called the Dragon lady by the kids. She was very strict, particularly in the kids section that she had placed right next to the main reception. She would chase out any men on their own out of the kids are.

I didn’t realise until years later why she did this.

what comes next, let me think

Pole dancing for kids.
Careers advice on sex work as a new and empowering career option.
encouraging young girls to make themselves up as adult women with make up and gelled nails, false eyelashes.
Shops selling 'sexy' clothes to girls as young as 8 or with messages telling them to be cute/diva/sexy/ (as opposed to boys being told to be clever or strong )

Oh never mind that stuff is already happening

Shocking. Hideous. Scary. How did this ever get passed? What’s going on? Thanks for putting this on AIBU, it needs as big an audience as possible. Who are the thick idiots taking pictures? Sickening.

It's extremly worrying that this was at an event aimed at children - and serious questions about lack of safguarding should be asked.

But this entire event is deeply inappropriate for a libabary venue at all.

We're not a deeply reglious family but I woudln't want this around my teens or me - and when they were younger I'd have been beyond horrified - and I don't think my IL or DP who regaurly use their local libraries would be comfortable around such an event either. The area here apparently has a large Muslim population - I'd be worried an event like this will have an even worse impact on usuage figures.

I was taken to the liabary a lot when younger - as was DH - by our working class parents it was a hugely important resource for us into our teens and even young adults. I've taken my children - it's a resource under funded as it is stunts like this can only hurt it further.

A selection of things women get told when penises get swung about in front of us, and children.

• You bigot
• It's a female penis
• It didn't happen
• You're prudes
• If you look at it, you're a pervert
• It's your own fault for looking
• You shouldn't be looking
• Your children shouldn't be looking
• It's only genitals, we all have them
• Why are you obsessed with genitals?

I can spell library - just can't seem to proofread effectively this morning or type.

People who are responsible are MANDINGA ARTS -

@Cailin66, check this out

twitter.com/NLIreland/status/1413075648210472963?s=19

The problem here was they didn't specify who the performers or group were. Many people recognized them as a group called Glitter Hole (nice) which had an event for children at Deansgrange library cancelled back in 2019, after parents found out they are an adult drag troupe who normally do highly sexualised performances - and the library had obtained no safeguarding clearance or anything like that.

I would say I'm fairly difficult to offend but I would not be ok with this. Yes genitals are a fact of life but it's generally considered appropriate to keep them covered especially near children!

Who books a performance group called “glitter hole”for children’s story time??? Especially if that group does sexualised performances???

Our voices as women and feminists count for nothing in this brave new world. Please stop talking about LGBTQ+ community. As a lesbian and a feminist I absolutely reject this in every way. I and many others are not part of this so called community. However when we speak out about many concerns we have we are hounded out and relegated by those who say we shouldn’t be speaking about them on this forum, or we get banned and deleted for pointing out instances of grooming behaviour by men. THIS is what it is leading to. Knowledgable women who have research and information about safeguarding have also been banned. We are told that it is fine for a male to be sitting in a spa for women and children, with his genitals out next to the child. Time to wake up to what is going on. And for the few that are saying YABU ...let’s hear your reasoning.

@MadamBatty, very good point. Your post has just made me realize the library was one of the first places we were allowed go alone, as children. Our parents knew there was sensible adult supervision there.

As a child, I probably thought the children's section was in a room of its own, with the desk by the entrance and a watchful eye, to make sure we didn't get our hands on any unsuitable literature from the adult section It's only now I appreciate the safety it afforded me and my sisters.

WTAF?!? I would be disgusted and mortified if I took my child there she saw that! How the fuck did anyone think that was ok let alone funny? And why the fuck hasn't something been done about it?!? Fucking idiotic, moronic, perverted and immature bunch of assholes.

@EarringsandLipstick

To be fair, as it's not mentioned here, the library has apologised unreservedly. The apology is a pinned tweet on their Twitter account.

Did you see their initial tweet though? "If you've got it, flaunt it"

Hurried backpedalling fools no one.

@Morethanwordsonapage

Shocking. Hideous. Scary. How did this ever get passed? What’s going on? Thanks for putting this on AIBU, it needs as big an audience as possible. Who are the thick idiots taking pictures? Sickening.

And yet people complaining about the male penis in the hot tub with the nine year old girl the other weekend have been told it did not happen because no one videoed said male as evidence. (Never mind that it would have also captured all the other naked people in the spa at the same time.)

It seems to be a much easier choice to film this performance though to show to the respective organizers/council members/police etc. no one is naked.

The National Library of Ireland, apparently, @LittleMyTopKnot!

The event description was pretty vague. You'd think they'd mention the name of the entertainer or group who were going to be reading to children, wouldn't you?

It took people on twitter recognizing puppets and costumes from previous performances to make the connection. Someone posted that she emailed asking specifically if it was that group and the library didn't deny it.

Are some people thinking that this is ok because the butt showing, dildo wearing monkey was dressed in a rainbow outfit?? LBGTQ+??

Why wasn’t this creep pedo thrown out?