iandunt.bsky.social profile picture

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social

Legally, there isn't the slightest basis to the complaint, even on the most extreme possible interpretation of the Supreme Court judgement. A shop floor is not a single sex space, regardless of whether they sell bras or not. This is just hatred and spite, unleashed.

patricknessbooks.bsky.social profile picture

Patrick Ness @patricknessbooks.bsky.social

The employee asked the girl and her mother if they needed help shopping. That’s it. That’s all. The misinformation, the insinuations (because the facts are inconveniently benign) are EXACTLY what was done to lesbians in the 80s. This is the product of hate and fear, not reality.

JK Rowling tweeting got a boycott of M&S, stretching facts to the breaking point, and making the world a worse place for absolutely everyone.

Replies

  1. tjrh.uk profile picture

    Tim Hill @tjrh.uk

    It's clear no man has ever bought lingerie as a gift for JKR.

    1
  2. rouler.bsky.social profile picture

    Rouleur @rouler.bsky.social

    Next time l'm in B&Q and a female asks me if l need help, l'm complaining.

    It's bad enough having Women doing commentary on Men's sport.

    1
  3. joti.bsky.social profile picture

    jojitsu @joti.bsky.social

    I was about 10/11 when I came across my first trans woman while getting changed in Victoria station loos to go to a prize giving party, that was over 50 years ago. Was a bit surprised but Mum was ok I was ok, not traumatised she was just putting on her lipstick. This is getting ridiculous now.

    0
  5. stefanpaetow.bsky.social profile picture

    @stefanpaetow.bsky.social @stefanpaetow.bsky.social

    Maybe any employee encountering The One Who Shan'T Be Named seeking assistance should tell them: "Sorry, I can't assist you. According to your Twitter feed, you only want to be helped by those with XX genetics. Since I don't have a gene test to hand to prove my genetics, I cannot assist you. Bye!".

    1
  6. kencrook.bsky.social profile picture

    Ken Crook @kencrook.bsky.social

    Maybe you should do an Origin Story on this, covering the science of sex, the prejudice experienced by trans people, the effects of puberty blockers, the hatred and spite shown by trans activists, areas of conflict with women's rights, the backlash against trans people. Would be interesting.

    0
  7. jeffm2018.bsky.social profile picture

    Jeff @jeffm2018.bsky.social

    LBC morning slot was banging on at this and huffing and puffing as usual. I use him as a weather vane for the days right wing ire.

    0
  9. louise275.bsky.social profile picture

    Louise @louise275.bsky.social

    I'm really disappointed that M&S didn't defend their employee in this scenario. It seema to me they deserved a duty of care fron their employer and I hope they're getting support.

    0
  12. ally70.bsky.social profile picture

    Ally @ally70.bsky.social

    Go into any department store, and you'll find women in the men's section, you most probably find a woman in the fitting rooms, where there's usually chairs or a sofa for them to sit on. So of they want single sex shops, ban women from male spaces too

    0
  15. spad.uk profile picture

    Adam @spad.uk

    This explains why I was tackled to the floor by security the last time I took my wife bra shopping.

    7
  25. iamfrogprincess.bsky.social profile picture

    Erika R-C @iamfrogprincess.bsky.social

    Reading some of the replies to this, I’m amazed that some people manage to leave their houses and exist in the same public space as anyone else. Heaven forfend a man might be in the same shopfloor space as a bra. Or what about the supermarket aisle with sanitary products? How do they live!

    0
  26. verafang.bsky.social profile picture

    Vera Fang @verafang.bsky.social

    Every time she writes now, I think of Boy George saying the hate shows in her face. And it does, hate has made her look as evil as she feels. May she never know another day of joy or love

    0

  27. @leetaylorbythesea.bsky.social

    Equal measures of pathetic and hatred combining. Ban men from designing women's underwear in fact do not allow men in to the lingerie section, and ban them from buying online, you need a digital ID that proves you are female. Problem solved

    0
  28. malcolmsleath.bsky.social profile picture

    Malcolm Sleath @malcolmsleath.bsky.social

    My understanding is that J K Rowling was advised by her publisher to use initials in her authorial name so people wouldn't think she was a woman and boys would buy her books.

    Funny that.

    1
  29. gillwest.bsky.social profile picture

    Gill West @gillwest.bsky.social

    I find this sad and infuriating in equal measure. A shop assistant does what they’re paid to do, ie help customers, and because of their perceived gender ID someone has a fit of the vapours, makes a complaint, & the RW rags jump on the bandwagon and punch down on trans people. Grow up, be kind.

    1
  31. charlessurface.bsky.social profile picture

    @charlessurface.bsky.social

    Legally, I agree.

    I still think it's inappropriate for males (however they identify) to approach teenage girls when they're bra shopping and make them cry.

    Still, I'm sure it's the 14 year old who's in the wrong and is an awful bigot. Burn her, probably, right?

    11
  33. victoria1921.bsky.social profile picture

    victoria1921.bsky.social @victoria1921.bsky.social

    Time for obscenely wealthy Rowling to stop pretending that she is a spokesperson for all women when she clearly is NOT. As a straight woman, wife, mother & grandmother, I have never felt fearful of, or objected to transpeople. In fact the opposite is true due to positive, previous work experience.

    2
  34. 207michael.bsky.social profile picture

    @207michael.bsky.social

    I honestly don't know what's wrong with people at times. There doesn't appear to be anything inappropriate but yet things get stirred up

    0
  37. dwaind.bsky.social profile picture

    @dwaind.bsky.social

    But Rowling will feel powerful in the fact she was able to stand with the disgruntled teen and her mum who were offered - a kindness..

    0
  39. gaillardiafever.bsky.social profile picture

    Marigold @gaillardiafever.bsky.social

    I agree that the lingerie department is not a single sex space. Men obviously shop there for their wives, or possibly themselves. The questions of whether the fitting rooms should be single sex, and whether working in women's lingerie specifically should be a women-only job are what's relevant.

    0
  40. smokeandwax.bsky.social profile picture

    Paul @smokeandwax.bsky.social

    I remember the old days when if you didn't like a shop, you walked out. Moaning to the media seems to be a new thing in the age of moaning.

    0
  43. wispabar.bsky.social profile picture

    @wispabar.bsky.social

    Shelagh Fogarty is talking about it now on LBC. She is allowing some awful woman to call the assistant ‘he’ and labelling her ‘creepy’ without any correction. I’ve obviously turned it off.

    6
  45. judyw.bsky.social profile picture

    Judy Webb @judyw.bsky.social

    What an orgy of abuse, insults and misogyny in response to your post Ian. Whatever your view of this event, plenty of women don't want men in female spaces. For sure, no law was broken except the law of respect for female boundaries. Why is this so hard to accept?

    3
  47. juneussell.bsky.social profile picture

    Flaming June @juneussell.bsky.social

    Anyone who has ever worked in a department store knows that approaching customers with polite openers like ‘Can I help you?’ and ‘Are you being served?’ is part of the job. It’s drummed into you in training.

    1
  49. mpd77.bsky.social profile picture

    @mpd77.bsky.social

    Ian. I used to be a fan of yours. But you're so wrong on this. It's inappropriate for a male to approach a woman or girl of any age buying lingerie. Buy Google 'Autogynophilia' to find out why a trans woman would seek out this validation experience and the 'euphoria boner' they might get from it.

    0
  50. jacks-brokenheart.bsky.social profile picture

    @jacks-brokenheart.bsky.social

    That is one of the most ridiculously irrational & insulting things, when employees harass us to ask us, "Do you need help?"

    Obviously, had I needed any such help, I would be approaching an employee, ASKING.

    It is so invalidating & wasteful, demanding attention they neither value nor deserve.

    4
  55. markwindmill.bsky.social profile picture

    @markwindmill.bsky.social

    Your idea this is ‘just hate’ is odd. The girl’s feelings matter most, not the validation of the trans person. She saw the employee was male and felt freaked out. Not an unexpected reaction from a 14yr old.

    Any male worker should have thought, ‘I’m not approaching a mum & teen in the bra section’.

    1
  61. springtimewanderer.bsky.social profile picture

    Greg Pearson @springtimewanderer.bsky.social

    the basis is the same as if any other male staff member had made a teenage girl uncomfortable in the underwear dept - might even be an innocent misunderstanding, but the mum was perfectly within her rights to raise it.

    5
  62. martinavatar.bsky.social profile picture

    Martin @martinavatar.bsky.social

    The thing about customer service is that it’s ok to identify someone who may need help from someone better qualified than yourself.

    As well as the customer requesting that (or indeed subsequently changing their mind for whatever reason).

    0
  64. jacklondonbluesky.bsky.social profile picture

    Jack London @jacklondonbluesky.bsky.social

    I doubt JK Rowling ever darkens the door of M&S ....

    She can insist on whatever gender/sex personal shopper she wishes wherever she gets her stuff

    STFU is my advice

    0
  66. dazwright.com profile picture

    Daz @dazwright.com

    Oh no. What happens when people find out that as a 15 year old (not even a fully grown man) in 1986 I was completely in charge of monitoring what women took into the changing rooms in BHS?

    Nobody complained and nobody cared.

    1
  67. danielmrussell.bsky.social profile picture

    Daniel @danielmrussell.bsky.social

    It’s situations like this that expose Rowling’s unhinged obsession. I hope more people have the scales fall from their eyes.

    0
  68. jacky3344.bsky.social profile picture

    Jacky @jacky3344.bsky.social

    There's not even any evidence that the shop assistant was trans, other than that they were unusually tall for a woman. This is even worse than the kind of stupid bigotry that resulted in Section 28, back in the day. And it's exactly the kind of problem @goodlawproject.org was predicting.

    0
  71. censored-by.bsky.social profile picture

    Only human from Canada @censored-by.bsky.social

    Ladies, ladies, biological and natal women, listen carefully to Ian: he's going to explain to us how we're supposed to feel when we try on a bra and a 6-foot man stands in front of us.

    We need more mensplainers like him: without them, we would be so confused.

    4
  72. maraleia.bsky.social profile picture

    maraleia @maraleia.bsky.social

    And prominent UK actors are still saying yes to Harry Potter projects which means they have always been anti-trans bigots.

    0
  76. antartica81.bsky.social profile picture

    Jorge @antartica81.bsky.social

    There's something really venal and spiteful about Rowling's ongoing proclamations about this. Sure, everyone is entitled to their view but she absolutely knows that with a position of influence comes responsibility and accountability. I'll likely end up being blocked by more haters for posting this.

    0
  78. planetmatt.bsky.social profile picture

    planetmatt @planetmatt.bsky.social

    This event took place prior to the Supreme Court Ruling. How did M&S ignore the ruling? WTF is Rowling even going on about now? Just another excuse to bully trans people.

    0