Libraries promoting body mutilation as “joy” in Norfolk

[CarobBean72]

Anyone here from Norfolk?

Norwich Millennium Library has a display of “Trans Joy”, apparently aimed at children & young people, which IMHO promotes body mutilation & self harm of women & girls & glorifies drug use. In the wake of the Cass Report it’s incredibly irresponsible.

It includes images of hypodermic needles for injecting testosterone, a packer & mastectomy scars, with the slogan “Self-made men play God right”.

Most disturbing is a small figurine of a woman’s lower half, cut off at waist & knees, bearing what appears to be a hysterectomy scar & what is either a pseudo-phallus ( an appendage made from a flap of tissue removed from the woman’s arm or thigh, rolled up and sewn to the groin to mimic a penis ) or a hypertrophied clitoris, one of the often painful effects of testosterone on the female body.

The display is accessible to children as the cabinets stand only a couple of feet high, designed for a child’s eye line and it’s placed next to the 8-14 book section. The cases are by the entrance - not noticeable when you go in but inescapable when you leave.

I can’t believe someone okayed this. If it was promoting anorexia or cutting or glorifying steroid abuse to children and teenagers, we’d all see it for what it is. Instead, it’s promoting self-mutilation under the banner of “Trans Joy”.

It’s especially irresponsible in the week the Cass Review revealed how poor the evidence base for so-called “gender affirming care” is and how little followup there has been to assess regret and de-transition rates.

Ive been trying to find a contact for the head of Norfolk Library Services - it’s a woman called Kerry Murray, who is also the Safeguarding Lead! But I can’t find any email listing for her.

Any suggestions?

Sharing images with trepidation: it’s a horror show!

Post edited by MNHQ

@Overlappingwaves where is this from?

Sorry, I should have said. It's copied from a friend's post about it on another social media site.

That statement from the Norwich women's groups is a thing of joy:

"Trans Pride is welcome to express their displeasure at being told “No” in peaceful protest. It will do them good to get out in the fresh air.

We hope the weather keeps nice for them".

😂😂😂

This passed me by. I like to support my local libraries, use it or lose it, but won’t be using this one any longer. I don’t want my young DC exposed to this, like a PP it reminds me of the pro-anorexia and self-harm cults. Shocking that it was approved and left to stand.

They are not remotely interested in listening to people who are concerned / angry about images and objects that glorify bodily mutilation being on display next to the CHILDREN’S area in a PUBLIC LIBRARY, are they?

It's quite telling that the media felt it necessary to blur out the genitals on the crotch-pot, but the library felt it appropriate to place it at toddler eye level.

Well done @KayMasonBillig for taking decisive action, and for having the ovaries to come on here and face the vipers of mumsnet.

That response is absolutely disgraceful. When will anybody realise that the trans community is not the only community in the world. Their dominance and everyone else's capitulation is shocking.

Heads should roll at that library.

So what that statement means is the TRAs have the council a hard time and rather than stand up to them they're hoping people will just forget about this sort of thing until the next time. @KayMasonBillig I don't think this is the robust response you proposed

I feel they've really fumbled it by also removing the 'trans safe place' poster. Of course the library is a trans safe place as it should be a safe place for everybody (including children!).

Now all the local TRAs are clinging to the poster issue and keeping quiet about the explicit exhibition to try and make the complaints look hysterical.

Removing the poster was a management decision. They will review it against guidelines and decide whether it can go back up or not. I’m not involved. My concern was on safeguarding children over the exhibition. Officers are dealing with any other issues. I want our library to be a safe space for everyone.

I have the protected characteristics of sex, age, disability, maternity & (lack of) belief - I’m one of those women who are stigmatised as TERFs because we don’t believe humans can change sex or that “gender” trumps sex.

Where’s my poster telling me I’m safe?

Do I get a poster for each protected characteristic?

Why wouldn't a library be a safe space? Why bring the overtly political and contentious into a public space. It's over-reach.

That's helpful to know, thanks.

@KayMasonBillig Thank you for coming back and answering our questions - many wouldn’t. And thank you for not only listening to our concerns but acting on them. I hope the inevitable fallout hasn’t been too awful.

Another one thanking Kay for coming back.
We desperately need those in charge at local and national level to ensure that staff aren't using the workplace to promote their own niche beliefs. Especially when those beliefs involve undermining the safety of children with age inappropriate images and pronouncements.

Norfolk Unison emailed members about it today, which is what made me come to Mumsnet to see what they were emailing about.

My organisation is highly... well let's just say that I'm VERY wary of posting the contents of the email myself, even with this name change. I can't find it in a public document. Is anybody else here a member of Norfolk Unison and in a better position to post it in full?

Essentially the email makes it clear that Unison are going after Cllr Mason-Billig and reads as if it's all about a "trans-friendly space poster" being removed, rather than the presence of imagery and themes that aren't suitable for children, in a public exhibition space where children are likely to see it.

@ThatLibraryDebate Shame on Unison for missing the point so spectacularly 🤬

Sadly that doesn't surprise me about a union. They are almost all firmly on the TRA side, as far as I can see.

<side eye at UCU>

Could anyone in Norfolk please contact their library/ council to ask where the poster is for the other protected characteristics?

Which are:

age
disability
marriage & civil partnership
pregnancy & maternity
race
religion & belief (including LACK of belief in, for eg, gender-woo)
sex
sexual orientation

The Equality Act prohibits discrimination in the provision of goods & services on those grounds.

Why is only the PC of “gender reassignment” worthy of a poster announcing they’re welcome & that it’s a safe space for them?

Does anybody know if one already exists? It would be good to be able to send one to them as a solution.

Never mind the missing posters for age, disability etc, we need really offensive and disturbing artwork to go with them!

If any union activists are reading this thread, please leave Kay Mason-Billig alone! It’s not transphobic to object to the staging of explicit art - including a micro penis and syringe - in a public library where it will be easily seen by children. Have your trans joy exhibition by all means, but in an adult-only space. Fill your boots! Nobody cares. Just leave kids out of it.

Meanwhile the trans ‘safe space’ poster is not offensive but it’s pretty redundant. Of course the library is a safe space for all protected characteristics! This is not the Wild West, it’s a flipping library. Grow up and stop trying to cancel people who have legitimate concerns around child safeguarding. Maybe use the library as nature intended - for reading books in a quiet and peaceful environment.

@KayMasonBillig just another Mother, of a young teen daughter, who lives in Norwich here to say thank you for bravely intervening.. I know full well how hard it is to take even a very reasonable stand against the TRA’s we really do appreciate your support.

Have your trans joy exhibition by all means, but in an adult-only space.

Not just an adult-only space, but an adult-only space where people have a reasonable idea of the kinds of things they might see.

I'm not a fan of extensive, explicit content warnings about absolutely everything, but I do think that it's inconsiderate to put potentially distressing material somewhere it won't be remotely expected. If I read a serious novel, go to a 15 certificate film, watch the news, go into an art gallery, or attend a history lecture, I should prepare myself for potential mention, discussion, examination or portrayal of difficult or upsetting issues.

But if I went into a wine bar I wouldn't expect to see images of suicide on the walls, the same way that if I went into the library — even the adult books section — I wouldn't expect to see graphic depictions of genitals and self-harm scars.

I agree with this.