Rainbow-dressed monkey man with “perky prosthetic bum cheeks, sagging nipples and eye-catching dangling dildo” hired by Redbridge Libraries for children’s reading event, reports Jo Bartosch

Over the weekend, an organisation called Vision – Redbridge Culture and Leisure (VRCL) was stretched on the social media rack. It emerged VRCL was responsible for hiring a performer who went into a library wearing a monkey-suit costume – complete with perky prosthetic bum cheeks, sagging nipples and an eye-catching dangling dildo. The obscene rainbow-dressed monkey man was booked as part of the Summer Reading Challenge; an otherwise laudable initiative funded by Arts Council England which aims to encourage children to read more.

Footage was shared on social media showing the three Mandinga Arts troupe actors at Goodmayes Library in Redbridge; accompanying the ape and his appendage was a man dressed as a giant strawberry and another as a lizard. Whilst the staff responsible for Redbridge Libraries’ social media were making jokes about the well-endowed monkey, online outrage from parents and concerned citizens was boiling over.

By Saturday evening, Redbridge Libraries had promised an investigation. By Sunday Mandinga Arts had issued a limp statement apologising for “offence caused” – the website has now been taken off-line and images of the ‘monkey men’ have been deleted from their social media feeds.

Whilst the staff responsible for Redbridge Libraries’ social media were making jokes about the well-endowed monkey, online outrage from parents and concerned citizens was boiling over.

One of the first to sound the alarm on Saturday morning was the Conservative Party’s 2018 prospective parliamentary candidate for the area Has Ahmed. He tweeted an image from the library event, copying in Labour council leader Cllr Jas Athwal:

“Apparently this is meant to encourage kids in Redbridge to pick up reading for summer. Please tell me the rationale behind these indecent costumes that were shown to families and done so publicly. Is this really necessary?”

After some dispute on Twitter, Cllr Athwal responded yesterday with a statement that he had contacted VRCL “and that they had confirmed that the contract has been cancelled, an apology is sought in the first instance and an explanation will be scrutinised by the council’s legal team.”

Yesterday, Labour’s Wes Streeting MP weighed-in with a letter circulated on social media. The member for Redbridge wrote to Iain Varah, chief executive of VRCL:

“There must be consequences for this appalling lapse in judgement and urgent action is needed to give parents confidence to know that our libraries are safe places for children to be, operated by people who understand what is – and isn’t – age appropriate.”

But Streeting is one of those MPs who has, whether he chooses to acknowledge it or not, ignored the concerns of parents, like those in Redbridge, about age appropriate sex and relationship education and the impact of trans-inclusive policies on children’s safety and safeguarding.

Wes Streeting was part of a Facebook group which contained a blacklist of 32 women Labour Party members suspected of transphobia. Some of those listed included long-standing members with concerns about the impact of trans-inclusive policies on safety and safeguarding. As such, Streeting’s outrage about a prosthetic chimp cock seems inconsistent.

In 2017 Mr Streeting sponsored an Early Day Motion on Transgender Rights. Key points included legal protection for non-binary identities (including those identify as both, a third gender or gender fluid), a recommendation about strengthening hate crime legislation and provision of hormones ahead of referrals to gender identity clinics.

In 2018 The Times reported that Wes Streeting was part of a Facebook group which contained a blacklist of 32 women Labour Party members suspected of transphobia. Some of those listed included long-standing members with concerns about the impact of trans-inclusive policies on safety and safeguarding. As such, Streeting’s outrage about a prosthetic chimp cock seems inconsistent.

Wes Streeting MP

Tanya Carter, a spokeswoman for the safeguarding group Safe Schools Alliance said:

“We are pleased to see that on this occasion Mr Streeting has recognised the appalling safeguarding failures here and taken action. We are aware that previously he was involved in a Facebook group that accused women of ‘transphobia’ rather than take concerns raised seriously.”

“We note that many of the parents in his constituency are also campaigning against RSE [Relationships and Sex Education] teaching. Whilst we are unaware of what their particular complaints are the organisations mentioned in their petition “Jigsaw”, “Stonewall”, “Just Like Us” “Twinkl” and “PSHE Association” are all providers whose resources undermine safeguarding, breach DfE guidance and/or contravene the Education Act with regards to political indoctrination of students.”

The petition asks for the council and schools to “scrap all controversial resources including but not exclusive to Jigsaw, Christopher Winter Project, Stonewall, Just Like Us, Twinkl and the PSHE Association” and to “hold off all implementation” of sex and relationships education on the curriculum until there has been a meaningful consultation with parents.

She added:

“We would urge Mr Streeting to also look into these complaints. It is incredibly damaging to children with same sex parents and/or just realising their own same sex attraction when inappropriate materials such as these are foisted on communities under the guise of ‘diversity & inclusion’.”

At present, a petition against sex education started by parents in the Redbridge area has over 1,000 signatories. The petition asks for the council and schools to “scrap all controversial resources including but not exclusive to Jigsaw, Christopher Winter Project, Stonewall, Just Like Us, Twinkl and the PSHE Association” and to “hold off all implementation” of sex and relationships education on the curriculum until there has been a meaningful consultation with parents.

Just last week the Department for Education (DfE) came under fire for tweets which appeared to recommend free resources from the charity Just Like Us. Materials produced by the LGBT educational organisation were criticised by the lesbian collective Get the L Out.

It seems concerns about safeguarding extend beyond the local library. Further statements from Redbridge Libraries, VRCL and Mandinga Arts will no doubt be forthcoming.

Photos: Has Ahmed/Twitter