Author/illustrator of 'Grandads Pride' chosen as artist for the Summer Reading Challenge

[RolledDahl]

Anyone here work in a Library?
For those of you who don't, you may know that every summer we promote the Summer Reading Challenge from the Reading Agency. It's a lovely way to encourage children to keep reading over the summer holidays.

This year the Reading Agency have chosen Harry Woodgate as the illustrator - he is the author of the controversial book Grandad's Pride, which included images of fetish wear...many of you may remember the concerns over some of his illustrations.

I shouldn't be surprised, knowing how captured the literary (& library) arena is in general, but it does seem to be a very deliberate decision.
And I'm not entirely convinced that his use of baby blue and pink as predominant background colours in the posters was completely accidental 😒

I thought it might be too hard for you. Quicker with the usual insults than just a clear answer.

Hmm I wonder why

There are some lovely toddler books that describe different families, with out the use of bondage.

This one is great.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Book-Todd-Parr/dp/0316070408

My challenge is if you are putting adult images in books, who is the real audience?

I am not sure this illistrator ahould be 'cancelled', but he should have a good hard think.

Evidence of both please because I'm struggling to find any.

'I am not entertaining this pathetic attempt at a gotcha' just means you don't have an answer really doesn't it.

Did ye aye? 😂

Weird. Because I googled "Where did the term gender ideology come from?" and there it was. So I'm guessing you didn't really struggle you just didn't bother :)

Yep. If they had an answer to a basic question maybe they’d have a point. But no. How bad can it be for it to crumble so quickly

Adults using dc as part of the ideology doesn’t wash though.

You do know that vulnerable adults and children use changing rooms?

Vulnerable adults include the elderly.

I have neither the energy nor the inclination to respond to a load of long-exhausted, silly, reductive tropes - with someone who refuses to acknowledge anything beyond the propaganda and misinformation, you've so happily and greedily gobbled down.

No thank you 😂

Yes I think that about your posts. But it still doesn’t address simple questions.

Being elderly does not automatically make someone a "vulnerable adult" in a legal OR a safeguarding sense.

Thank you for proving my point xx

Okay?

Good for you then?

Off you pop x

The book in question includes men in fetish gear and women with mastectomy scars (i.e. trans men, TiFs) who are part of the pride parade. There is also an illustration of an attic with some interesting codes, the one that stood out was the word map capitalised - which stands for minor attracted people - as well as several other slightly more subtle red flags. Not for small children because it normalises what is not only not normal but not in the least acceptable in a public setting where there are safeguarding issues.

I think it is the responsibility of parents to read books for under 5s before sharing them.

Sadly, they’d be silly not to these days. I also think that the publishers should have a duty of care to not advertise books for children that have sexual content. I’m amazed and saddened that this has to be pointed out but here we are.

His work should be judged by the same standards as other children's authors and illustrators.

Yes it should be. There is a big question about why his Granddad book clearly wasn’t held to the same standards as other authors. That is a problem.

Let me know when he produces something else like this. Meanwhile perhaps you should look at some of his other work, do you object to his art work for the Reading Challenge?

Or perhaps, as he doesn’t appear to understand the problem, he should just not be given a privileged position that I’m sure lots of safeguarding aware people would love? Why should he get more chances?

Anyway, thanks for providing some highly illuminating insight into how these books and unsuitable materials come to be produced and these disordered men given repeated opportunities they don’t deserve.

So no answer to my question then.

I understand, it probably doesn’t sound too great when you say it out loud.

I can’t face trawling his ‘trans rights’ posts right now but feel free to dig out any apology if he has made one. It would be a small relief.

You do that. The problem with the book gets worse. References to MAP for one.

Oh my goodness. So this material is being used to indoctrinate kids into thinking there is something other than male and female. It gets worse. I am horrified that a library would allow itself to be used like this.

Why would adults want dc to see that normalised.

I mean not really to you as we agree, just generally

In my library there is a question when we register people called gender: the options are male female transgender or prefer not to say.
I have never asked anyone the question as I am assuming the data they are collecting is actually sex and I can see that without having to ask.
We are only allowed to collect and hold data that is useful and relevant.
As to the subject of the thread, it would have been better for someone else to be given the opportunity to illustrate the summer reading challenge.

Oh for fucks sake no it does not reference MAP. It has a picture of a map in it, as part of a box of Grandad's stuff, many of which seem to be momentos of travel. Including - shock horror - a map of somewhere he had visited.

I remember the original thread a few years ago precisely because of the absolute batshit claim from some that this was somehow a veiled reference to paedophilia, it was just so absurd and would be hilarious if it wasn't so offensive to automatically assume a picture of a map in a book about a gay man is a reference to paedophilia.

It was this’ nod nod, wink wink, look what I’m doing, ha ha’ that was shocking.

I don't want to ask a child whether they want to call themselves a boy or a girl, it implies there's choice, which I dont agree with..

These people are bona fide conspiracy theory level deluded.

We are only allowed to collect and hold data that is useful and relevant.

Fascinating you're pretending to care about GDPR when you've admitted at least 3 violations of it in this post:

• People have a right to be informed what data you are collecting, so by not asking the question but still recording an answer you are denying them this information
• People have a right to "prefer not to say" even if you think the answer is obvious, you are denying them this option by not actually asking them the question
• People have a right to data being held about them being accurate - you are not actually checking accuracy, you are just recording your best guess
• People have the right to answer these questions themselves, it is not for you to do it on their behalf, even if your answer matches theirs you've still overstepped

And GDPR aside, your employer has asked you to collect certain data including the number of library users who identify as trans (demographic data about library users is useful for planning resources) and you are refusing to do so because you apparently have an ideological opposition to the existence of trans people. You're going to have some explaining to do to both your GDPR officer and your manager if you ever get found out.

You said "Safeguarding applies to young people and vulnerable adults". Vulnerable adults includes the elderly, disabled, learning disabled, autistic, children.

Let's ignore the elderly for now since not all of them are vulnerable.

But women with learning disabilities - my daughter- are vulnerable. It isn't OK to dismiss people like her as a sort of theoretical footnote whose needs for safety in changing rooms etc is inconvenient.

Safeguarding affects enough women to mean it cannot be ignored, dismissed as irrelevant.