Angry parents in Sydney suburb up in arms over 'offensive' posters advertising gay hook-up app
EXCLUSIVEPosters advertising a gay hook-up app have sent a Sydney suburb into turmoil after angry parents complained they were 'offensive'. Residents in Dulwich Hill in the city's inner-west have been divided over posters advertising the gay dating site Squirt.org. 'Come take a load off', a slogan superimposed over a photo of shirtless men read on one of the posters that appeared in a popular walkway this week. 'Come over to Squirt.org and join the action', another read alongside a photo of scantily-clad men holding a rainbow flag. The posters were erected in an main alleyway connecting a carpark to New Canterbury Road and are in close proximity to a public high school. 'Is anyone else quite offended by these posters? This was not around when I was a kid,' one angry parent wrote in a local community page this week. 'The posters are clearly adult themes and pertain to over 18 only. Please reach out as I would love to hear the communities thoughts. 'I feel like we need to keep our children safe.' One of the damaged posters featured the slogan 'Come take a load off' (pictured) Residents of the busy inner-city suburb (pictured) were outraged the 'offensive' postersThe post was quickly picked up by other residents, with one accusing the original poster of 'going out of your way to be offended'. 'Yes, I am offended, walking with three kids and seeing this horrible ad. It was just too much. Now they won't stop asking what a 'squirt' is,' the poster shot back. Another resident advised the parent to simply 'tell them'.'Sometimes honesty is best. That a body squirts should be explained like any other bodily function too. Being cagey about terms only increases the interest in something "mum won't explain",' one said. Some of the posters have been torn down, with a spokesman for the Inner West Council telling Daily Mail Australia it was not clear by whom. 'Our outdoor team said no one was detailed to take the posters down', he said, adding it was possible it was an act of vandalism. The spokesman said the council's regulatory team had not received any complaints relating to the posters.'If they were offensive posters near a school we would have taken them down but we haven't had any reports,' he said. Posters advertising the gay hook-up app Squirt.org in Dulwich Hill, in Sydney's inner-west, have been torn down after parents accused them of being inappropriate for childrenRead More Shocking reason almost half a million Aussie students are skipping school as drop-out rates surge Alex, 59, said he did not find the posters personally offensive, but added he could 'see how it could offend some people's sensitivities'. 'Some of the content, I can see people, particularly those with more conservative values, being offended,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's definitely out there, that's for sure'. Alex said a random act out vandalism was not out of the question.Restaurant owner The Nguyen, 50, said while graffiti was common in the area, serious crimes were less common. He said the kids who attended schools in the area were generally well-behaved. One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said simply: 'My only thought was that Mardi Gras was over, right?'Daily Mail Australia has contacted Squirt.Org and Dulwich High School of Visual Arts for comment.
