Obscene costumed volunteers handing out summer reading at Redbridge library

[WombOfOnesOwn]

A library had a man in a rainbow monkey costume, with a dildo penis and a fake exposed butt, handing out summer reading books.

Look at this obscene sex clown mocking and terrorising local Muslim women:

twitter.com/HasAhmed_/status/1413931013340807172/photo/2

The library is, of course, apologizing about it now:

twitter.com/RedbridgeLibs/status/1413975910433366020

But during the event, they thought it was pretty funny:

twitter.com/turtillachip/status/1414255270038016009

What is happening? Why should parents going to the library's summer reading program worry that THIS is what they'll see? The website for this troupe of "performers" clearly shows this monkey performer with his fake penises inch from children's faces. There has been no vetting. No safeguarding.

And there'll just be an apology, another "isolated incident." Of course, the local Muslim women and girls know exactly what this library thinks of them now, and what may happen to them if they choose to even walk nearby. Do we think they're going to want to go in?

The true agenda is emerging. I suspect that lots of allies will now begin to see the light.

@RedDogsBeg - thanks for the explanation . Am not sure whether to feel pleased or not that this is “business as usual” - guess it’s better than an escalation (am looking for a bit of silver lining).

I think a few more people will definitely take more interest. It’s how I found my way to this corner more recently.

I just read the text about the founder of the company and it is a South American woman

The company was set up and run by a gay guy but this was much before the gender debate. He's a challenging chap but more in a perfectionist way than any kind of pushing an agenda way so I was shocked and disgusted to see this

Both these statements appear to contradict each other.
I'm left wondering if there are two similar sounding companies that do similar work.

@PurgatoryOfPotholes

Hang on a minute... Wasn't there some kind of contretemps about women wearing hats that paid homage to the female reproductive system? And that the wearing of such "pussy hats" was transphobic and hostile to transwomen?

But giant phalluses shoved in children's faces and penis sketches are just normal humour?

Yes there was, now you come to mention in.

Women in pink hats at a political protest = literal violence

Man wearing a giant dildo at a children's book event= harmless fun

I hope some mainstream journalists start to report and investigate this. I posted the below on Sunday. There needs to be a push back before children are harmed. I also have grave concerns for LGBT people. The actions of a few, and the very powerful lobby groups (Stonewall etc) are very damaging.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4293996-We-need-to-keep-fighting-this

DevonTF Sun 11-Jul-21 14:58:07
I have been trying to understand how we are in the present situation in 2021 - Gender Identity / Queer ( ie - what happened at Redbridge Library today) the loss of women and children rights.

I keep talking to friends - who have no idea. The don't seem to be aware for example that men can be classed as female if they want when recording crimes - including sex-based crimes (I have images of the FOI responses from each police force now to show everyone), and what this means. Men in prisons / in spas / in any place they damn well want to be.

I have been talking it through with my Mum - She feels it is similar to the MagPie scandal of the 1970s. I, my Sister and brothers were all born in the 70s/80s. She recalls this, as a young mother being a terrifying time. Until more and more voices started speaking out.

Is this us now ?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/02/how-paedophiles-infiltrated-the-left-harriet-harman-patricia-hewitt
OP’s posts: See next | See all

When did people get so stupid?!

My SC are all adults now but I can honestly say if that pedophile came near me or my children then he'd lose his fake dick and his real one. Sickening pervert. Why are the people in charge allowing this abomination?!

Found the details of the Pussy Hat Horror now.

Munroe Bergdorf's tweet about pussy hats:

I also want to stress that if you do attend, it is CRUICIAL that you do with an INTERSECTIONAL mindset. Centering reproductive systems at the heart of these demonstrations is reductive and exclusionary.

Munroe Bergdorf's follow-up in Grazia

An example – January saw the second annual Women’s March in major cities in the US and UK. Rightfully charged up in the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, hundreds of thousands of women took to the streets to show a united front against abuse and harassment. But in among the banners, a well-intentioned yet misguided symbol of women’s equality was worn by protestors – the pink pussy hat.

It might seem like a fun, inoffensive and light-hearted accessory, designed to unite women, but it feeds into a narrative that continues to push us apart. Last month, prior to the march I tweeted a reminder to those participating that it was an event for all women. I said, for the day to be truly progressive, it should focus on elevating the voices and experiences of those who are most often silenced and ignored in society. I felt it seemed reductive to summarise women as walking vaginas – isn’t that a similar approach to that of misogynists?

Almost immediately, I was shut down with a tidal wave of rebuttal, largely from cisgender women who seemed to believe that it was my desire to ‘co-opt the female experience’. Some said transgender issues are a ‘special case’ that not ‘all women’ should be expected to relate to. I stressed that you don’t need to be able to relate to somebody to exercise a sense of empathy. Injustice is injustice and trans women have a place under the umbrella of ‘all women’.

graziadaily.co.uk/life/opinion/munroe-bergdorf-women-getting-feminism-wrong/

@Congressdingo

I just read the text about the founder of the company and it is a South American woman

The company was set up and run by a gay guy but this was much before the gender debate. He's a challenging chap but more in a perfectionist way than any kind of pushing an agenda way so I was shocked and disgusted to see this

Both these statements appear to contradict each other.
I'm left wondering if there are two similar sounding companies that do similar work.

I noticed that too, so I checked it out on their website before it was all deleted.

The company was co-founded by a woman and a man. The woman left in 2016. I wonder if she didn’t like the direction they were going in?

(Thought it was v typical of that one poster to use “this company was founded by a South American woman” as a smokescreen without mentioning the woman left 5 years ago.)

@Secondbellini

‘Because there is no doubt, even if dildo monkey is aghast at how his behaviour has been interpreted, it will still have the effect of grooming children who are subjected to it. By normalising the public display of genitalia around children.’

Yes. We are all being groomed. It is becoming normalised.

The worrying thing is that staff at the library should know this. Why did none of them feel able to to say no?

I would be interested to know where the line is that adults and parents who are defending this would draw for:
their own children;
all children.

If there's no line - why?

The company was co-founded by a woman and a man. The woman left in 2016. I wonder if she didn’t like the direction they were going in?

I think she’s still there - a Colombian textile artist, listed as a company director and married to one of the other directors who is also an artist.

Although another art website lists her as “retired” and concentrating on creating artworks.

@Ekofisk

The company was co-founded by a woman and a man. The woman left in 2016. I wonder if she didn’t like the direction they were going in?

I think she’s still there - a Colombian textile artist, listed as a company director and married to one of the other directors who is also an artist.

Again, the company website said she left in 2016.

And yet she is still listed as an active Director on Companies House and listed in the last set of accounts as being owed money by the Company?

I see Mandinga has now bolted the doors on their twitter account. Not surprised really, as last time I looked it was full of comments - was surprised they left it open for as long as they did.

They have reopened their webpage with a statement that looks like it was written through gritted teeth.

www.mandingaarts.co.uk/

They still don't sound like they really get it. Why in earth didn't they realise the penis monkey was inappropriate before the event

not individual performers or library staff who have done nothing wrong

They just don’t get it. They HAVE done wrong. It may not have been intentional but it was wrong. Wrong to think it was appropriate. Wrong to have no knowledge of safeguarding. Wrong to have no awareness of the impact of such a costume has. Wrong to book it. Wrong to laugh about it.

The performer did wrong even if he didn’t know why. And to tell him he did nothing wrong is to say he doesn’t need to understand why.

The library staff did wrong even if they didn’t know why. And to tell them they did nothing wrong is to say they don’t need to understand why.

👏 NotBadConsidering

Just seen that on Twitter. Unless they blindfolded the performer before putting the costume on, unless the library staff were blindfolded throughout how we're they not complicit in this open child abuse?

@NotBadConsidering

not individual performers or library staff who have done nothing wrong

They just don’t get it. They HAVE done wrong. It may not have been intentional but it was wrong. Wrong to think it was appropriate. Wrong to have no knowledge of safeguarding. Wrong to have no awareness of the impact of such a costume has. Wrong to book it. Wrong to laugh about it.

The performer did wrong even if he didn’t know why. And to tell him he did nothing wrong is to say he doesn’t need to understand why.

The library staff did wrong even if they didn’t know why. And to tell them they did nothing wrong is to say they don’t need to understand why.

Absolutely NotBadConsidering.

There is NO justification for the choosing of this costume for this particular event, for the wearing of this costume at this particular event, for the antics of the person in the costume at this particular event. Anyone with a grain of common sense and decency would have known instantly that this was not acceptable or appropriate and that goes for Mandinga Arts, The Library staff, the wearer of the costume and the other participants in their costumes, this was an event aimed at children. The picture of the person in the costume in the Library is so blatant yet not one of those involved had any misgivings and even found it amusing, that the thought never entered their heads as to how inappropriate it was is incredibly concerning.

Are these performers DBS checked and aware of safeguarding? Is the Company trained in safeguarding, is the Library and their staff? Are any of them aware of what behaviour is appropriate around children?

If they are then they have failed spectacularly including with that statement about people being offended and no-one having done anything wrong.

Also a distinct whiff of well, we did it before and got away with it, why are you complaining and taking offence now.

Clearly don't like the scrutiny now being applied to their costumes and the behaviour of their performers at previous events involving children, tough.

Brushed away as "people being offended" when what actually happened is "children were harmed or set up for being harmed in the future".

Fucking idiots.

Also... why do they thing that THEY get to decide who did something wrong?

Yes, they write about “mixed” audience.

Although the monkey was well-received at carnival events with a mixed audience, it was entirely unsuitable for a children’s event

So it’s ok if kids see it if there is a mixture of people at an event that doesn’t specify it’s for children but it’s not ok for kids to see it if there is a mixture of people at an event specified for children. So it’s about the event name. Kids are fair game if they just happen to catch a glimpse of a dildo, gotta expect that kids!

FFS. They are abominable.They just don’t get it.