Birds and bees have become much more controversial.
A positive sex guide marketed to teens detailing various sexual acts is causing outrage among parents, some of whom may have led to its removal from some store shelves.
Originally published in May, “Welcome to Sex: Your No Dumb Questions Guide to Sexuality, Pleasure, and How to Solve It” is described as a “frank and age-appropriate introductory guide to sex and sexuality for teens of all genders.”
Australian podcast host Chris Primod took to Instagram on Sunday to criticize the book, available from Australian store Big W, despite the fact that it was published months ago by authors Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang.
“@bigwaustralia continues to stockpile books that are grooming our children, exposing them to highly inappropriate and sexually explicit material,” the enraged host wrote. “This isn’t the first time Big W has stocked books like this marketed to children.”
According to the introductory page of the book, the guide is meant to help everyone.
“Whether you’re an apprehensive 11-year-old, a curious 14-year-old, or the parent of someone with a ton of questions, this book is reassuring, engaging, and full of the information you need,” the text says. .
In his video, Primod flips through various sections of the book, “with illustrations,” he notes, that discuss penis size, sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as activities like scissoring, fingering, and oral and anal sex.
“How can anyone think they don’t go after kids after seeing books like this openly for sale at Big W?” says the histrionic host and harangue.
A Big W spokesperson initially told Australia’s news.com.au that the book “is an educational, age-appropriate and inclusive book featuring content from adolescent health experts that is matched to the early development and experiences of adolescents aged 12-15.
“It’s filed under parenting in our books section so parents can make their own decisions about what’s appropriate for their family.”
However, the book has since been pulled from shelves due to alleged abuses against store staff, according to Australia’s Nine News.
“We know that there have been a wide range of views on the book; however, it is disappointing that there have been multiple incidents of abuse directed at our store team members in the last 24 hours,” a Big W spokesperson told the outlet.
“To keep our team and customers safe, the book will be available to customers online only starting today.”
In the wake of Primod’s tirade, several parents flocked to the comments to voice their opinions on the tome.
“Imagine thinking this is appropriate for children,” criticized one angry commenter. “As concerned as I am about the author’s intentions with this, I’m actually more concerned about what’s on the devices of those who allowed this on their shelves.”
“This is disgusting! What happened to the good birds and bees and parents having NORMAL open discussions with their kids? Age appropriate discussions,” said another writer, while one commenter yelled that it’s “outrageous” and pornographic”.
Other parents found the book quite helpful.
“You realize that if you don’t want your kids to read these books, you could just… Don’t buy the book,” one user growled. “Your kids are going to learn about sex anyway, I’d rather they learn from a book that talks about consent and pleasure rather than pornography. But I am so I”.
“This is a WONDERFUL and safe resource for teens who would otherwise be using the internet to get answers to these very normal questions,” read one sign. “At least with this book you know that the content is safe and correct.”
“All he is doing is normalizing himself. Grow up,” said a third person.
The book is the fourth in several body-positive guides, including “Welcome to Your Period,” “Welcome to Consent,” and “Welcome to Your Breasts.”
The Post has reached out to Big W for comment.