A museum has controversially defended its decision to allow a man in women’s lingerie to play with Lego next to children as one visitor slammed it as “disgusting”. Photos emerged of a man wearing revealing fishnet stockings, pink boots, and women’s underwear surrounded by children at a “Nights at the Museum” event back in April.
The Australian Museum situated in Sydney has spoken out in defense stating they were offering a “safe place where everyone feels welcome”, news.com.au reported. “You let a male in fetish gear play in the kid’s Lego pit during the school holidays,” the woman wrote on Twitter with the accompanying image.
“When I spoke to security they said they could do nothing and pointed me to the organizer. He’s sitting there with his full package out. Disgusting!” The woman’s account appears to have since been deleted.
Others chimed in on social media, with one user stating: “Man in fetish clothes wants to play with children and the museum is too chicken to remove him. “I’m shocked that the parents didn’t pick him up by the hair and kick him into next week. He was poking the hornet’s nest.”
‘He’s sitting there with his full package out,’ one horrified parent said. ‘Disgusting.’ The photos are still being widely circulated online four weeks after the event. ‘Is this the arts sector of Australia! I don’t like to see my children raised in that environment!’ one person tweeted on Monday.
Another added: ‘Because of the vulnerabilities of all children, when you put on a children’s event, you must prioritise their needs and welfare. A ‘suitable person’ must safeguard – these responsibilities are wide and cannot be delegated.’
The ‘creepy’ photos sparked outrage from 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham, who urged the museum to consider how future events are run during the school holidays.
‘I think they might need to think about how this works the next time around,’ he told listeners. ‘It was the school holidays, you’ve got a Lego area and you’ve got a man sitting alongside the kids leaving very little to the imagination.’ I don’t know know how the museum knows it’s fancy dress either. It might just be his or her look.’
