Two parents said they were branded as 'bigots' for speaking out against the book
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A preschool in England has removed a book from their curriculum after children were exposed to illustrations of men kissing in bondage and transgender people with surgery scars.
Parents voiced their frustrations after it was revealed that kids as young as four had been shown the book "Grandad's Pride," written by award-winning author Harry Woodgate.
One illustration from the book, which has a 4+ reading age, shows transgender men with markings from breast augmentation or removal surgery, commonly referred to as "top surgery."
Another illustration shows two men who are partially naked in leather bondage gear. One man has a leather cod-piece wound against his crotch and garters strapped down his thighs. Both men in the image passionately kiss.
An image of two men in bondage gear kissing in "Grandad's Pride" by Harry Woodgate. (little bee books)
Two East Yorkshire parents, Will and Maria Taylor, confronted Genesis Pre School in Hull about the sensitive content and were horrified when the school refused to apologize for the book.
"They argued the children would not understand or perceive erotic or sexual images. Staff claimed the image was just portraying 'dress-up' and would not be perceived as erotic by a child as they have no idea what 'erotic' is," Will said.
The staff also allegedly claimed the images were not objectively erotic and told the couple, "That's just your opinion."
"That was no justification in our eyes. Arguing with us over the appropriateness of these sexual images quickly damaged the trust we held for the nursery team. At this stage, I was concerned and took our daughter out of the nursery," Will added.
The couple admitted that a staff member had checked with Maria about whether she was okay with the book's contents prior, but she said she did not initially notice the images.
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The parents claimed they have been branded "bigots" for speaking out against the book, a claim that they vigorously deny, noting that while there are many LGBTQ+ books at the nursery which are "great," this particular book went "too far in introducing sexual imagery."
"I have volunteered at both Hull and York Pride events. 'Some people will try and twist this and make me out to be some kind of homophobe," Will added. "But if we want equality and understanding, then we should respect certain boundaries."
The couple eventually decided to remove their daughter from the nursery.
Later, trustees of the nursery announced that the book had been removed from the school but noted the book is widely available at libraries across Easy Yorkshire and has received the prestigious Waterstones children's prize book award.
A library member quietly reads a book. ((Hoover Library/Lance Shores))
"As Trustees, we agree that the images in the book Grandpa's Pride are not age appropriate. This book has been removed from Genesis and a comprehensive audit of all other books has taken place to ensure all books, whilst celebrating culture and diversity, are age-appropriate," they told the couple.
"We also intend to raise this with Hull Early Years and seek their advice on the illustrations within this book, when the new school year commences in September."
The trustees added they are "confident" staff members understand the school's safeguarding policies against harmful sexual behaviors and believe, with the book's removal, that children attending the nursery are "not exposed to sexual or erotic images."
"It is a shame as this is a very good nursery and my children have been very happy here. The trustees have responded reasonably well and taken the book out while carrying out a safety audit. My criticism is with the staff who thought it was okay in the first place," Will said of the trustees' statement.
Fox News Digital reached out to Genesis Pre School but did not immediately receive a response.
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Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
