Cartoon characters, equality nurseries and children’s ‘best interests’: On childhood and sexuality in Poland

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the intersections of childhood and sexuality as they come to light in a variety of public arenas. Looking at three case studies from Poland, I explore how spaces culturally assigned to childhood become symbolically ‘invaded’ by contexts that are stereotypically associated with adulthood. In particular, I analyse the debate about the popular children’s television series Teletubbies that raged in Poland in 2007 and the more recent discussions surrounding the opposition to the naming of a playground in the provincial town of Tuszyn after Winnie-the-Pooh. Moreover, I look at the educational programme on gender equality that has been implemented in some Polish nurseries since 2011 and the anxiety it generated at both political and social levels. I place these debates in the political context of Poland, pointing to the continued supremacy of the conservative right as one of the defining factors in these contentious debates.