John Lewis is facing calls for a boycott after it launched a magazine for staff which advises parents on how to find breast binders for ‘trans children’. The Telegraph has more.
The partnership, which also owns Waitrose, faced boycott calls on Wednesday after it issued a new publication to more than 70,000 staff members.
The Identity magazine, produced by the “LGTQIA+ network”, warned parents their support “can determine their child’s mental wellbeing” before quoting figures from controversial charity Stonewall, which suggested that the number of trans children attempting suicide is “double the national average”.
The magazine recommends support from the charity Mermaids, which is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission amid safeguarding concerns, and praises private clinic Gender GP for prescribing cross-sex hormones.
James Esses, co-ordinator of the Declaration for Biological Reality, who was sent the magazine by a concerned staff member, said “My main concern is that we have an employer pushing a divisive and dangerous ideology on to its staff members.
“It is particularly concerning that it suggests to potentially vulnerable parents in a difficult situation that the answer to their daughter’s distress with their bodies would be to get them a breast binder, that is the most alarming thing of all.”
Calls for a boycott of the stores come as the company is already struggling financially, with multi-million pound losses prompting plans for a major turnaround.
Earlier this week, it emerged that staff, braced for sweeping job cuts, have been warned they face disciplinary action if they post abusive comments on its internal forum.
It is not the first time that John Lewis has sparked controversy over trans issues. In 2019 it caused a row over protection of single sex spaces after telling customers they can use “whichever fitting room makes them feel most comfortable”.
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