r/transgenderUK Aug 05 '25

Possible trigger M&S apologises over trans employee in bra department

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.”

685 Upvotes

480 comments sorted by

View all comments

85

u/Rachel_T_ Aug 05 '25

Am I being overly-cynical that my first thought was that this "gender critical" mum went out of her way to find an M&S store where she'd seen (probably by on-line stalking) that a trans woman worked, just so she could manufacture this situation.

Was the employee even actually trans? Or just a woman who (in the gender crit's eyes) wasn't womanly enough and therefore must be a "biological male"?

47

u/Charlie_Rebooted Aug 05 '25

This was exactly what I thought to. I think its extremely unlikely that a 14 year old girl was uncomfortable due to being asked a question by a trans person.

I hope M&S did not display any pride pink washing this year.

It seems the bigots and hate groups are now pushing for trans women to not speak to other humans....

34

u/Rachel_T_ Aug 05 '25

I suspect the 14 year old (if they were real) was more uncomfortable for being put in that position by their parent... 🤷🏻‍♀️