The birds and the bees just got a lot more controversial.
A sex-positive guidebook marketed for teenagers detailing several sexual acts is causing outrage among parents — some of whom may have led to it getting pulled from some store bookshelves.
Originally published in May, “Welcome to Sex: Your No-Silly-Questions Guide to Sexuality, Pleasure and Figuring It Out” is described as a “frank, age-appropriate introductory guide to sex and sexuality for teens of all genders.”
Australian podcast host Chris Primod took to Instagram on Sunday to bash the book, available at the Australian store Big W, despite it being published months ago by authors Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang.
“@bigwaustralia continue to stock books that are grooming our children, exposing them to sexually explicit and highly inappropriate material,” wrote the enraged host. “This isn’t the first time Big W have stocked books like this marketed towards children.”
According to the book’s introductory page, the guide is meant to help everyone.
“Whether you’re an apprehensive 11-year-old, a curious 14-year-old, or a parent of someone with a bunch of questions, this book is reassuring, interesting and full of the info you need,” reads the text.
In his video, Primod flips through various sections of the book — “complete with illustrations,” he notes — that discuss penis size, sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as activities like scissoring, fingering and engaging in oral and anal sex.
“How can anyone think they’re not coming after the children after seeing books like this for sale openly in Big W?” says the histrionic, haranguing host.
A spokesperson for Big W 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 matches the development and early experiences of teens aged 12-15.
“It is shelved in parenting in our books section so parents can make their own decisions on what is appropriate for their family.”
However, since then, the book has been pulled from shelves due to alleged abuses against the store’s staff, according to Australia’s Nine News.
Read Related Also: How plans to make NZ road signs bilingual took an unexpected turn
“We know there has been a wide range of views about the book; however, it’s disappointing that there have been multiple incidents of abuse directed at our store team members in the past 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 from later today.”
In the wake of Primod’s rant, several parents had flocked to the comments to dish their opinions on the tome.
“Imagine thinking this is appropriate for children,” slammed one irate 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 old birds and the bees and parents having NORMAL open discussions with their kids. Age-appropriate discussions,” said another writer, while one commenter screeched that it is “outrageous” and pornographic.”
Other parents found the book to be rather helpful.
“You realize if you don’t want your kids to read these books you could just…. Not buy the book,” snarked one user. “Your kids are going to learn about sex anyway, I’d rather they learn about it from a book that talks about consent and pleasure rather than from porn. But that’s just me.”
“This is a WONDERFUL and safe resource for teens who would otherwise be using the internet for answers to these very normal questions,” gushed one poster. ” At least with this book you know the content is safe and correct.”
“All it’s doing is normalizing. Grow up,” stated a third person.
The book is the fourth of several body-positive guides, including “Welcome to Your Period,” “Welcome to Consent” and “Welcome to Your Boobs.”
The Post has reached out to Big W for comment.
