Multiple customers who support trans rights say they have complained to UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) after it apologised over a ‘trans’ employee asking a woman for help, and another 410 people have signed an open letter about the issue.
M&S issued an apology to a mother and her 14-year-old daughter after they complained that an employee, who they allege was trans, had offered them assistance on the shop floor.
The mother claimed that she and her daughter had entered the lingerie section of an M&S branch hoping to arrange a bra fitting, when the shop assistant approached them and ‘politely’ offered to direct them to the right section of the shop.
In a complaint to M&S, shared byThe Telegraph, the mother alleged that the staff member was a “biological male” and said her daughter was “visibly upset” and felt “freaked out” after leaving the shop. She claimed it was “obviously the case” that the employee was trans because they were “at least 6ft 2in.”
A customer service spokesperson, speaking on behalf of M&S, said the retailer was “truly sorry” over the “distress” the pair had experienced and assured them they would “receive assistance from a female colleague.”
The decision to apologise over the complaint has since prompted widespread backlash from customers and members of the public.
Several users on social media have shared snippets of complaints made to Marks & Spencer’s customer support team. One person wrote that they were “very disappointed” to see the “lack of support for your staff member” and the trans community.
The complaint, posted toBluesky, continues: “The stories report the member of staff [asked] the customers if they needed help. Surely this is an entirely normal action that members of your staff perform countless times every day.
“That this member of staff should bevilifiedin the press and the subject of an apology from you for simply doing their job while being LGBTQ+ (or appearing to be so) is outrageous.”
Another usershared an email complainturging the retailer to acknowledge whether it is “prepared to support trans employees in customer-facing roles” and whether it is “prepared to accept trans people as customers on an equal basis with cisgender people,” adding that it would “have a huge impact on my decision to continue to shop at M&S.”
Anopen letterpublished on Wednesday (6 August) urges Marks & Spencer to retract its apology while expressing “serious concern and disappointment” over its reaction to the complaint.
Signed by over 410 people at the time of reporting, the petition accuses M&S of entertaining “discriminatory views” under the “guise of customer feedback.”
“This is not a matter of differing opinions. It is a matter of human dignity, workplace safety, and legal protection,” it goes on. “Transgender people deserve the same respect and rights as any other staff member.”
The author of the petition, who asked to remain anonymous, told PinkNews that M&S’s response had deeply outraged them, adding that they wanted to “try and make a difference.”
“Hopefully, M&S will see this open letter and realise just how big a mistake they have made,” they continued.
In a previous statement to PinkNews, an M&S spokesperson said it had written to the mother to explain that its staff “typically work across all departments in our stores” and that customers can “speak to the colleague they feel most comfortable with.”
PinkNews has reached out to M&S for additional comment.
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