Toddlers have been banned from making a sign while singing the nursery rhyme ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, for fear of offending the deaf.
It is said that the gesture, which children use when singing ‘like a diamond in the sky’, is similar to ‘vagina’ in sign language.
Parents at the Sure Start mother and toddler group in Acomb, North Yorks, have slammed the move.
“These are innocent children. Now every parent may worry their child is making an offensive gesture,” the Sun quoted one parent as saying.
However, a spokeswoman for City of York Council - which is responsible for the group - insisted that it was ‘a sensible decision to stop deaf children or parents being offended’.
A spokesman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness called the move ridiculous.
“This is ridiculous. Perhaps it is time for the adults to grow up,” the spokesman said.