More than 50,000 people have signed a petition calling for the removal of a trans book aimed at teenagers from the shortlist for Waterstones' annual Children's Book Prize.
Welcome to St. Hell - My Trans Teen Misadventure, by Lewis Hancox, was shortlisted in the 'Older Readers' category.
The book is a memoir of Hancox's own transition from a girl to a boy and is described as being suitable for children aged 14 and over, even though it has an adult content advisory warning on the back.
"In Welcome to St Hell, author-illustrator Lewis Hancox takes readers on the hilarious, heartbreaking and healing path he took to make it past trauma, confusion, hurt and dubious fashion choices in order to become the man he was meant to be," the Waterstones' description states.
A petition on CitizenGo calling for Hancox's book to be removed from the shortlist received over 50,300 signatures.
The petition objected to illustrations in the book labelling breasts as "fatty lumps that should be gone", describing "hips from hell", and pointing to an "imaginary willy".
"Books appearing on this shortlist can expect to significantly boost their sales and popularity as Waterstones will ensure that they are foregrounded in stores, meaning that they will be given a prominent position on displays aimed at children and parents, to entice them into a purchase," the petition said.
"My trans teen misadventure plays upon the natural anxieties of pre-pubescent and adolescent girls about their appearance and encourages them to despise their developing bodies and perfectly natural body hair."
It added, "This cartoon adventure is not literature that will inspire and enrich young minds. It is political propaganda aimed at indoctrinating children and encouraging vulnerable girls to hate their bodies."
The winner of the 'Older Readers' category, announced on Thursday, was Nadia Mikail for her book, The Cats We Meet Along the Way. She was also crowned the overall winner for her book, which tells the story of an end-of-the-world road trip.
