Is Winnie the Pooh Transgender or Intersex?

One town in Poland seems to think so -- and they are not happy about it.

Diane Anderson-Minshall

Diane Anderson-Minshall is the CEO of Pride Media, and editorial director of The Advocate, Out, and Plus magazine. She's the winner of numerous awards from GLAAD, the NLGJA, WPA, and was named to Folio's Top Women in Media list. She and her co-pilot of 30 years, transgender journalist Jacob Anderson-Minshall penned several books including Queerly Beloved: A Love Across Genders.

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Diane Anderson-Minshall

November 22 2014 12:18 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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Winnie the Pooh, the beloved animated bear that has delighted children worldwide, has been banned from a playground in Tuszyn, Poland, because the city council there believes the bear is either transgender, intersex, or gay. According to The Independent, Winnie was being considered as the new famous character that would adorn the city's new playground, when "the idea soon sparked outrage among more conservative members, with one councilor even calling the Pooh bear a 'hermaphrodite.'"

The meeting was secretly recorded by a (presumably more liberal) city council member then leaked to local media. The Independent reported council member Ryszard Cichy saying, "The problem with that bear is it doesn't have a complete wardrobe. It is half naked which is wholly inappropriate for children. [Poland's fictional bear] is dressed from head to toe, unlike Pooh who is only dressed from the waist up."

Another council member, Hanna Jachimska, also attacked the creator of Winnie the Pooh, author AA Milne, lambasting, "This is very disturbing, but can you imagine, the author was over 60 and cut [Pooh's] testicles off with a razor blade because he had a problem with his identity."

In the end, the council officially dismissed the bear because of Pooh's "dubious sexuality" and "inappropriate" dress. No word yet on who they'll choose instead, but you can bet it'll be wearing pants.