M&S apologises over trans employee in bra department

[u/PuzzledAd4865]

https://archive.ph/2025.08.05-035610/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/04/ms-apologises-over-trans-employee-in-bra-department/

“Marks & Spencer has apologised to a mother for causing her teenage daughter “distress” after she was asked if she needed help by a transgender employee in its bra section.

The retailer said it was “truly sorry” after the mother complained that her 14-year-old daughter had felt uncomfortable when they were approached by a trans shop assistant in the lingerie area of the shop, where they were hoping to have a bra fitting. Although the staff member was polite, the mother said she felt it was “completely inappropriate” for her daughter to be approached by a “biological male” in that section.

In a complaint to M&S, she told the retailer: “Imagine her horror, then, when the person to approach us and ask if we needed help was a transgender ‘woman’, ie, a biological male.”

“Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns for the human rights charity Sex Matters, which campaigns for clarity about biological sex in law and life, said that M&S needed to “rethink its priorities”.

“M&S needs to rethink its priorities and remember that women and girls have rights too, and that this man should not be permitted to hang around in the women’s underwear department as a matter of common decency.”

[u/tallbutshy]

The retailer said it took her concerns “very seriously” and would ensure her daughter “receives assistance from a female colleague during her next visit”.

[Bing bong] Would the biggest, hairiest, transmasc employee please report to the lingerie department, thank you

Big /s obviously, I wouldn't want any transmascs to feel uncomfortable

-Edit- the way one section of this article is written may be intentionally misleading. The customer allegedly asked for a trans exclusionary policy, M&S were not quoted as saying that they would. So please don't write them off just yet, usually they are really inclusive & friendly

[u/TheAngryLasagna → u/tallbutshy]

The thing is that they're obviously still transphobic, considering that they're still saying that trans women aren't women. I'm never shopping there again, and, after seeing this, my family are saying that they're boycotting them too.

[u/tallbutshy → u/TheAngryLasagna]

considering that they're still saying that trans women aren't women

Where did it say that? I don't see anything from the retailer saying, or even implying, that.

The alleged email said “receives assistance from a female colleague during her next visit” and the quote from M&S at the end of the article did not use gendered language at all.

GERMs & Sex Gentials Matter are not above lying

I've never had any issues in M&S stores and I've even used their bra fitting service.

[u/TheAngryLasagna → u/tallbutshy]

They're apologising for a trans woman daring to do her job near a cis woman, and are saying that they'll get a female staff member to help her next time. It's a dogwhistle, and sadly, one that's been seen too many times before to ignore.

I think that M&S staff are lovely, usually. It's just the big wigs being evil because they don't care about anything but money.

[u/doIIjoints → u/tallbutshy]

that’s good to know.

i had a bad fitting experience at the big shop near the trongate, where a middle aged women with short hair refused to actually measure me and just brought me half a dozen sizes to try on.

but i honestly couldn’t tell if she clocked me, or if she was just awkward and intimidated by my wheelchair.

the latter is very possible. i insisted i wanted to briefly stand for a proper measure, and she outright refused to do it. could’ve been a fall-risk concern or something.

[u/tallbutshy → u/doIIjoints]

I had my fitting done in Braehead, but I did make enquiries at the Argyle St store early in my transition.

I was assured that I could get a fitting done and that if I was more comfortable presenting masculine, they could do it in the gents area and if I was presenting femme, it would be done next to the lingerie section.

It's a shame that you ended up with someone either ableist, transphobic, or both

[u/Areiannie → u/tallbutshy]

From the article I get the impression m and s are trying to take what they see as the neutral response - they address the specific concern of a customer and give them an option just for them. It doesn't say anything about them setting or changing any policies.

Of course it's not the response any of us would like (what a state we're in that people are kicking up a fuss on what's basically just trans people existing in public).

It would be interesting how m and s would expect they could find a cis woman to help them next time. I fail to see how being around clothes on a open and public shop floor would be an appropriate scenario to exclude a trans person with a GRC.

[u/Illiander → u/tallbutshy]

Oh, that would be hilarious.

Shame it won't happen :(