Harmful misinformation about the M&S ‘trans’ bra row is spreading – here are the facts

Controversy over a ‘trans’ Marks & Spencer (M&S) employee offering assistance to two customers has given way to harmful misinformation – here are the facts so far.

Earlier this week, it was reported that British retailer M&S had apologised to a mother and her 14-year-old daughter after they complained that an employee, who they allege was trans, had offered to help them on the shop floor.

Writing for The Telegraph, journalists Daniel Martin and Neil Johnston claimed that the mother and daughter had entered the lingerie section of an M&S shop hoping to arrange a bra fitting, when the shop assistant approached them and ‘politely’ asked whether they needed assistance.

The mother alleged that the staff member was a “biological male” in a complaint to the retailer, arguing this was “obviously the case” because of their height.

She went on to say her daughter was “visibly upset” and felt “freaked out” after they left the shop.

The following day, a customer service spokesperson apologised on behalf of M&S in an email, writing: “We deeply regret the distress your daughter felt during her visit to our store. We understand how important this milestone is for her, and we are truly sorry that it did not go as you had hoped.

They also offered to ensure her daughter would “receive assistance from a female colleague.”

The story has since proliferated online with Harry Potter author and infamous ‘gender-critical’ pundit JK Rowling calling for a boycott of the retailer.

The original complaint even suggested that M&S should bring in a policy preventing trans employees from speaking to young girls entirely.

The known facts of the story have already been contorted – here are just a few examples of what we know.

Fact: It is not known whether the Marks & Spencer employee was trans

While the mother behind the original complaint assumed the M&S employee was trans, there is no evidence as yet that this is even the case.

The original report merely repeat that mother’s claim that the staff member was “obviously” trans because she was “at least 6ft 2in tall”.

While the staff member may have indeed been trans, this has not been confirmed – nor does it need to be.

Fact: No one has claimed the M&S employee asked to perform a bra fitting

Several posts on social media have claimed that a ‘trans’ employee performing a bra fitting is wholly inappropriate. However, no claim has been made that the staff member asked to perform a fitting. The Telegraph merely reports that the shop assistant simply approached the customers in the lingerie area of the shop.

M&S bra fittings are available by appointment only. It is possible to book a same-day appointment at an M&S branch, but fittings are typically done by specific employees with tailoring and measuring experience.

Nowhere in the complaint does it suggest that the mother or her daughter was asked whether the employee could perform the fitting. Instead, the complainant took issue that the employee was in this section of the shop in the first place.

It’s worth noting that lingerie sections of shops are not designated single-sex spaces, and also that trans women and, frankly, anyone else have a right to shop for lingerie.

Many trans women and those on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have breasts and require a bra. You’ve likely been to a bra fitting while a trans woman has been present in the same shop or venue.

Even if the employee was involved in the bra fitting, the retailer’s bra fitting policy emphasises customer comfort over everything else. The customers would have been able to ask for a different staff member to do the fitting.

Yes, trans women can be bra fitters, and there’s nothing wrong with that

Regardless of whether or not the supposedly ‘trans’ employee had asked to do the bra fitting, trans women and, indeed, anyone can become a bra fitter.

Bra fitters are, essentially, specialised tailors who take a person’s measurements to find the best fitting bra or cup size.

No law or policy restricts the employment of bra fitters based on sex or gender identity. Bra fitters can be men, women, non-binary, transgender, cisgender, or any gender under the sun.

While customers may feel more comfortable being measured by a person of a particular gender identity, this would be arranged on a case-by-case basis. For instance, some trans people might be more comfortable with a bra fitting by a fellow trans person.

The claim that trans bra fitters pose an inherent danger to women has no basis in reality.

Trans people don’t pose a threat to cis women and girls

Much of the backlash M&S has received over the story comes from those who believe the misinformed idea that the trans community, particularly trans women, pose an inherent risk to cisgender women and girls – this is simply not the case.

There is no evidence that trans people are inherently more likely to commit crimes against cis women and girls than any other group, nor is there evidence that trans people’s rights to use female spaces increases the likelihood of an attack.

Several anti-trans pundits use cases such as sex offender Isla Bryson to suggest that all trans women are inherently dangerous. This stems from a deeply bigoted view that the trans community are an ‘ideology’ rather than a demographic of people whose only connection is their gender identity.

Trans people are not dangerous by virtue of being trans, and you are not in danger by being in the vicinity of a trans person. You likely pass trans people on the street regularly without even knowing it.

And yes, trans women are allowed to enter the lingerie sections of retailers as either employees or customers, regardless of your feelings on them. Cisgender men, who are statistically more likely to abuse women and girls, are also allowed to enter lingerie sections and regularly do so with no issue – shock horror, they may even purchase something!

A spokesperson for Marks & Spencer told PinkNews: “We want our stores to be inclusive and welcoming places for our colleagues and customers. We have written to this customer and explained that our colleagues typically work across all departments in our stores and customers can always ask to speak to the colleague they feel most comfortable with.”

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