Kid’s Cartoon Featuring Dancing Genitalia Condemned as Inappropriate, Transphobic

Swedish public service channel SVT came under scrutiny this week for an educational cartoon featuring dancing genitalia.

The clip comes from Bacillakuten, a program that teaches biology basics to 3-6 year olds. It shows a dancing penis and vagina singing, “Here comes Willie at a run, he has no pants. Twinkle is cool, you better believe it, even on an old lady … Willie and Twinkle, what a great gang!”

The clip was initially labeled on YouTube as “adult,” sparking some outraged responses over the appropriateness of the presentation, as well as support. (SVT got the video re-labeled.)

Thus far it does not seem as though the show is backing down. “We aim our programmes at children, but most parents watch them with the kids and we hope we make it easier for them to talk about and explain things,” said Kajsa Peters, the show’s executive producer. “When there is so much discussion and debate maybe that means it’s something society needs.”

It’s not just the puritanical who are objecting. Some also protest that the cartoon allows only traditional gender roles, with lines like “Pee, pee with the penis / Or the vagina if you’re a girl!” considered ciscentric. Johan Holmström, who wrote the song, said the condensed nature of the video left little time to address gender identities.

Watch the clip below:

[h/t Atlantic]

[Image via screengrab]

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