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?

[Helleofabore]

And no, I certainly don't associate this with trans. I associate this with queer theory and destabilising what is acceptable to allow children to see and interact with most definitely. If you don't, then I obviously have the wrong impression about the motivations of Foucault and friends and would be very happy to be corrected.

[PRabbit]

I can only assume that the library is staffed by volunteers who thought someone else had approved this and it wasn’t their position to object. If these are actual employees then holy shit, they need sacking and the person who booked this needs investigating, along with the perverts who thought it was ok to wear sexualised costumes and act in a sexualised way in front of children.

[PurgatoryOfPotholes]

There is a lot going on here.

Bypassing the obvious issue, why are the theatre team harassing people outside the library?

My local library runs plenty of events to increase community participation. I've taken the offapring to such events aimed at children and we always do the Summer Reading Challenge. Never ever has someone they hired been roaming around outside, intimidating potential library visitors.

I would think the library staff would look as dimly on their entertainers discouraging potential footfall as any high street shop manager would. So why was Monkey Suit Chap allowed to get away with it?

[KimikosNightmare]

The author of this article::www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/06/29/pride-month-kink-consent/considers herself part of the queer community. She's a heterosexual woman whose husband came out as trans.

And here she is arguing that kink is great for kids

She is nothing to do with LGB but has everything to do with the T and Q. Maybe you should do a bit of reading around queer theory

Blueberry has a valid point. This is vile and unacceptable yet the second post on here is linking it to LGBT- as did subsequent posts.

The performing group is not promoting LGBT issues or rights.

www.mandingaarts.co.uk/walkabouts.html

[Theeyeballsinthesky]

The company do carnival arts, nothing ti do with LGBT

That doesn’t mean it isn’t completely inappropriate

[KimikosNightmare]

[quote chickenyhead]@BlueberryCheezecake

The only person saying trans IS YOU!

these are men, normalising cocktails around kids.

Grooming paedophilia behaviour.

Nobody gives a flying fuck what/how they identify FFS.

WAKE THE FUCK UP[/quote]
LGBT was dragged in in the second post and repeated in subsequent posts.

[BatmansBat]

Kimikos, I am delighted that you agree that this is beyond awful. I still haven’t seen blueberry commenting on whether they agree with it or not. Blueberry almost seems to defend it.

I don’t want dildos anywhere near my children. Why are these people always going after children?

I haven’t seen anyone here saying that these people are trans. I think personally that a bunch of perverts are trying to fit in under the ever widening Stonewall umbrella. All decent people should group together and condemn them.

[FloralBunting]

Unfortunately a lot of people will be connecting this, not to the more nuanced critique of Queer Theory, but to LGBT people more widely.

As has been repeatedly warned over the past few years, when you yoke LGB sexual orientations and the rainbow with open kink and as was seen this past week, defending the display of male genitals to children, there are an awful lot of people who take only a glancing interest who will be utterly furious and will lash out when they see rainbow colours and a dildo.

I don't support them, I don't agree with them, and this is just completely wrong. As a lesbian it's fuck all to do with me. But I may well cop it, and if you supported the open kink and the knobs waved at kids and claimed it was because you support LGBT+, then own your shit.

[unwashedanddazed]

@Datun

Crikey, I was deleted. I have no idea why.

Never mind. This is what I thoroughly object to. Plastic phalluses inches from children's faces.

The face on that woman looking at her phone says it all. I hope she's phoning the police!

[Tibtom]

This is just a step on from drag queens in libraries. Is the poster denying any links with TQ+ denying a link with drag queen storytine too? One just leads on to the other.

[Helleofabore]

Unfortunately a lot of people will be connecting this, not to the more nuanced critique of Queer Theory, but to LGBT people more widely.

I think that you are spot on here Floral.

[chickenyhead]

Unfortunately, due to the ever expanding of LBGT over the years, many aren't fully aware of Q or kink etc. So the LBGT acronym is used to represent Q and kink, without adding any further letters.

Unless you have specifically sought to find out this information it is easy to make this mistake.

But nobody is saying this is T. Nobody.

What it is is a paraphilia, which desires children to be exposed to male genitals. UNACCEPTABLE

[TheDinosaurMum]

@Theeyeballsinthesky

The company do carnival arts, nothing ti do with LGBT

That doesn’t mean it isn’t completely inappropriate

Having looked at their website all the other animal acts seemed ok, so why chose the genital exposing monkeys 🤦🏻‍♀️ like did they book the wolfs but the guys in monkey suits turned up and they thought "fuck it, nobody is going to care about willy waving at a kids event right?"

[Peoniesandpeaches]

@littlbrowndog

Drag is adult entertainment. Why are schools and libraries pushing this stuff

We have it in Scotland as well. An MSP brought a drag artist into a school

SMH.

it’s a school not a night club

This isn’t drag though. This is a carnival company called Mandingo arts who have no connection to the LGBT

[StealthPolarBear]

@BlueberryCheezecake

There isn't even a rainbow. The monkey has a multicoloured costume. That's it.

Those of you going "No, but it is the LGBTs, it's definitely their fault somehow" are really not doing anything to dispell the impression that you've just made a kneejerk bigoted assumption.

Oh balls. Most lgbt people will be shocked I expect. The reality is there are some incredibly sinister people hiding behind a rainbow banner trying to push children's and parents' boundaries. If you can't see that then it's working on you.

[DdraigGoch]

@BlueberryCheezecake

Honestly, it's pretty clear at least some of you do just blame anything you don't like or disapprove of on the LGBT community, which honestly you want to take a good long hard look at yourselves and your prejudices

Who said that it's anything to do with LG or B people? They were forgotten about long ago.

No, this is the sort of thing which is latched on to the trans-movement.

[ZenNudist]

Hang on, so if I walk around with my arse hanging out I'd get arrested, but it's OK for entertaining kids? Eh?

[littlbrowndog]

I know that peonies

But it’s much the same thing. Exposing children to stuff they don’t need exposed to

Drag queens. Dildo monkeys

Why. ?

[Helleofabore]

To me, it is the equivalent to having children pat people dressed in dog outfits as their sexual kink costume.

[Shedbuilder]

@Mumteedum

Anyone just exhausted by the onslaught of dangerous fucking stupidity and people falling for it? I'm quite sure plenty of LGBT parents would not be ok with this shit either.

I hate the drag queen shite in libraries too. Don't particularly love or hate drag... but how does it benefit children? Why do we have to push adult stuff at them? They have enough to deal with. Just totally sick of it.

Don't for a minute think that this person represents LGB people, who are as appalled by what that monkey character seems to be saying about gay men, as anyone else. It's a hate crime, in my opinion: profoundly homophobic to depict a character in LGB stripes exposing themselves in public.

As a lesbian I'm increasingly worried about the backlash which, thanks to incidents like this, is going to affect me and all the other responsible citizens of the UK who happen to be LGB and want nothing to do with kink, trans and queer issues. There's already some evidence that homophobia is on the rise and incidents like this are bound to make it worse.

[Theeyeballsinthesky]

Exactly DinosaurMum what on earth were the thinking? Thy clearly have a ton of characters & costumes - did no one think “maybe not that one for a kids library”?

[TheDinosaurMum]

@ZenNudist

Hang on, so if I walk around with my arse hanging out I'd get arrested, but it's OK for entertaining kids? Eh?

Evidently...I'm going to whap my tits out at soft play and do cartwheels whilst singing itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout...I'm sure I'll be welcomed back with open arms 🤔

"But officer, I was just entertaining the kids".....

[Peoniesandpeaches]

@BatmansBat

Kimikos, I am delighted that you agree that this is beyond awful. I still haven’t seen blueberry commenting on whether they agree with it or not. Blueberry almost seems to defend it.

I don’t want dildos anywhere near my children. Why are these people always going after children?

I haven’t seen anyone here saying that these people are trans. I think personally that a bunch of perverts are trying to fit in under the ever widening Stonewall umbrella. All decent people should group together and condemn them.

I’m not blueberry but I’m one of the ones saying it has nothing to do with the LGBT. I can’t even see any connection between Mandingo arts the carnival company responsible and stonewall.
No I don’t think this costume should’ve been allowed but I’m dismayed and more than a little bit worried that the knee jerk reaction was to blame it on the LGBT.

[MrsOvertonsWindow]

Agreed FloralBunting.
If you take a look at some of the local facebook pages there are large numbers of parents making that same connection. Many of them are fairly openly LGBT hostile and this makes life that much more difficult for schools in the area trying to offer respectful inclusive education if the libraries are seen as unsafe for children.

Libraries are meant to be places where parents can allow their children to visit safely - and they're places where girls from some communities can have that extra freedom after school and in the holidays. Once they're seen as 'dangerous places' by some communities, then that's another bit of freedom lost to some children, especially girls.

[littlbrowndog]

And I never said it was linked to lgbt at all 🙁

I don’t know why drag queens and dildo monkeys should be involved at any point with children