World Pride mural near Wynyard Station causes uproar

A gay pride mural in Sydney’s CBD of a teddy bear in a bondage outfit has outraged locals, with people demanding the ‘creepy and sexualised’ image be removed.

The Wynyard St mural, located directly opposite one of the busiest train stations in the city, was commissioned by YCK Laneways, a collective of local shops in the area.

The painting shows an overweight, hairy man wearing a teddy bear head and bondage gear while lying on a pride flag above a dilapidated hall.

YCK Laneways said the mural was created to celebrate World Pride, a global event celebrating the queer community that is currently taking place in Sydney.

But many Australians have called for the “inappropriate” mural to be removed, saying wearing a teddy bear would draw attention to children who shouldn’t be exposed to sexual fetishes.

Catlin Roper, a spokeswoman for Collective Shout, an organization that campaigns against growing culture pornography, said it was creepy.

‘Whose idea was it to pair a teddy bear with BDSM for a public audience? This is creepy,’ she said.

A second person wrote: ‘Why is a captive teddy bear supposed to represent pride?

“The gay community worked hard for years to distance itself from this type of representation. Small children will walk through here.

Another angry commenter said: ‘How did YCK Laneways come to the conclusion that a BDSM hairy/clothed man would be suitable for boys to walk around in their own community? This mural must be removed as soon as possible.’

A fourth person wrote: ‘Why would you think this is appropriate to show in public?

‘A fat, hairy, booze-drinking, bondage-wearing man with a teddy bear on display where people pass to work, and in full view of children.’

Others compared the disturbing correlation between children’s toys and sexual fantasies to the Balenciaga scandal that caused the company to be ‘canceled’ for depicting children with bondage-clad teddy bears.

A Sydneysider shared his thoughts on explicit painting on TikTok.

‘At what point does inclusivity go too far?’ said user Moeyreacts.

‘You’ve got a fat man who’s naked in a gimp costume with a cute teddy bear hat, right in Wynyard.

‘Now tell me this, when you’re walking down the street with your child and the child looks at a cute teddy bear hat and associates it with a man in a gimp suit, at what point does it get too dangerous?

“I think this is disgusting, these are the Balenciaga vibes.”

More than 1,000 viewers commented below the video, with the majority again calling for the mural to be taken down.

“It is beyond my comprehension how this can be allowed to happen,” said one commenter.

“I saw that on the way to work, I was considering buying a bucket of black paint and covering it,” a second person wrote.

‘I’m sorry, but I couldn’t explain it to my children. That’s too far! ‘ said another.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted YCK Laneways for comment.