A cartoon mascot designed to promote reading among young children became a hot topic on Twitter, after some anti-trans voices accused the fictional alien character of being “not age appropriate“.
In August, a local library shared ‘Tala the Storyteller’ – a cartoon character, designed by local artists, created to act as a library card mascot and “to inspire families with babies and young children to visit Hertfordshire’s 46 libraries.”
Tala is described as “a lovely little creature who likes to search for stories to tell and rhymes to sing”.
Adorable, right? Take a look..
🎊 Meet Tala the Storyteller, our new early years character for @HertsLibraries 🎊
Tala features on our new library card for children aged 0-5 and our My First certificates – My First Day at School, My First Library Card and more – available from 1st Sep!📚 #ACEfunded pic.twitter.com/owUGpoqOsj— Hitchin Library (@HitchinLibrary) August 25, 2022
All fine, lovely and perfectly normal.
Enter “gender critical” Twitter voice and executive director of Sex Matters, Maya Forstater, who angrily shared the fictional alien character online, claiming to have been contacted by an upset parent.
Forstarter says the unidentified parent messaged her, saying: “Book Start Bear has been retired and replaced with Talia, a ‘trans’ bear, with they/them pronouns.” “I cannot express how upset I feel. Why do children need this?”
Sharing her concerns to Twitter, Forstarter reasoned that Tala being referred to as ‘they/ them’, implied that they were, in fact, a trans fictional alien and therefore, in her eyes, posed a considerable risk to children.
The library was quick to offer a response to the accusatory tweet, with a simple but wonderful reply, saying, “Tala isn’t trans, they are an alien.”
Just to confirm – Tala isn’t trans, they are an alien.
— Hitchin Library (@HitchinLibrary) September 29, 2022
Undeterred, Forstarter asserted, “The parent who messaged me told me she was told “Tala is non-binary” and “uses they/them pronouns”.
To which the library then replied:
“These are true things. Tala is a storytelling alien from outer space, so neither male nor female.”
These are true things. Tala is a storytelling alien from outer space, so neither male nor female.
— Hitchin Library (@HitchinLibrary) September 29, 2022
At this point, rather than offer an apology to the library or just quickly change the subject and hope no one noticed, Forstarter maintained.
“The idea that this alien species are not male or female, and that this is something we should all take in our stride, is the idea that the question of where this infants mother is should not even be asked… “
“It is important that institutions do not allow cultures to develop where it is ok to lie to & disparage parents. Safeguarding 101. “Queering” these institutions w ambiguity & lies, makes parents rightly feel they are unsafe.”
The internet didn’t miss a beat in unpacking the unfortunate mix-up, and her @ replies quickly became a thing to behold.
Here’s what some folk had to say:
I too am furious at these newfangled gender-bending characters being shoved down our children’s throats! Bring back the bastions of heteronormativity that I grew up with!!! 🤬🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/WO249Quhr3
— Grace Petrie (@gracepetrie) September 30, 2022
In some Extremely British news Maya Forstater, a prominent “Gender Critical” anti-trans outrage merchant and friend of JK “Yes, Her Again” Rowling, is attacking a library on Twitter for having a non-gendered alien storyteller character.
The character, Tala, is not even trans. pic.twitter.com/vhQmiEsfSm
— Bad Writing Takes 🖊️🏳️🌈 (@BadWritingTakes) September 29, 2022
can you imagine being the library workers getting this complaint and being like “what the fuck are you on about tala is a cartoon of an alien please calm down” but then having to re-write it 50 times to make it sound polite https://t.co/ETH1J5JFO7
— norks (@notCursedE) September 29, 2022
In case you’re not keeping up, Maya F is now fretting about Tala the agender alien storyteller cartoon because it is apparently travelled to Earth – and Hertfordshire in particular, unaccompanied by its mother.
Amazing. I’m in awe. pic.twitter.com/1lO9GpbDrx
— Ally Fogg (@AllyFogg) September 30, 2022
The most absurd thing about this row is that the agender alien means that the library doesn’t have to pick a gender (for the character), and thus exclude kids of another one.
Tala is also slightly Other – and normalises that beautifully.
It was also designed by kids. https://t.co/1m4zgUWPPZ
— John Urquhart (@TheDryhtscipe) September 30, 2022
Library:
– “Our mascot is a colorful and cute alien that doesn’t have a gender. Their name is Tala and they look like a cartoon character.”
TERFs:
– “Okay but what’s in its pants ? How does it fuck ?”
☮️🌈
— ExcuseMyFrench!#🌈❤️ (@TheSapphicEnby) September 30, 2022
transphobes desperately trying to work out the logistics of cartoon alien genitalia and reproduction when all Tala wants to do is wear dungarees and read stories to children 😩
— Sorcha Ní Nia (@Luiseach) September 30, 2022
I, too, send myself fictional messages from imaginary people who just happen to share my biases. Perfectly normal behaviour.
— Fancy Brenda 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (they/them) (@SpillerOfTea) September 29, 2022
Planets going through the worst economic disaster since AT LEAST the '08 recession, and Maya's out here pure ragin at a cartoon alien because it doesn't have genitals
— Anarcho-Bobcat Rebellion Committee (@AnarchoBob) September 29, 2022
Maya when you're having to be loudly wrong about Earth biology in order to try and force an imaginary alien into your stupid binary worldview, out of a fear of trans people, maybe it's time to re-evaluate your entire life
— Katy Montgomerie 🦗 (@KatyMontgomerie) September 30, 2022
What are the top most ridiculous GC meltdowns?
Alien Genitals
Smoothies say trans rights
Hacked Ince Post Office
Boycott margarine
Close your Barclays account
Cancel organ donation
Carless Wispa
Spaghetti briefcase
Have you checked your like?!
I must be missing some!— Katy Montgomerie 🦗 (@KatyMontgomerie) September 30, 2022
Do you want an ambulance after that reach? Did anyone ask where ET's parent's were? Where was the very hungry caterpillar's carer? What about Paddington, who only ever had his Aunt Lucy who negligently sent him overseas by himself in a safeguarding nightmare? https://t.co/kmlurFyKJp
— Ann Tories Out Coates 🦕🦖 (@setoacnna) September 30, 2022