Mick Hartley

Et tu, John Lewis?

An internal John Lewis Partnership magazine promoted both chest binders for transgender children and an organisation currently under investigation by the Charity Commission.

A LGBT network at the British retail company, which operates John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, created Identity, which was published this month.

Identity featured testimony from the mother of a transgender boy in a story titled “Raising Trans and Non-Binary Children” and contained recommendations for “parents looking to educate themselves”. The mother had joined Mermaids’ forum, the article said, adding that it offered YouTube videos and tips “for both parents and trans children” on its website.

Mermaids became the subject of an continuing statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission in 2022 after concerns about its management were raised.

The article contains a quote from the mother of a trans man who said that “a binder is always safer than the alternatives”. She added: “When my trans son was younger, he wore multiple sports bras and crop tops before he came out. We spoke about the harm he could be doing.”

Dr Jacob Breslow, a Mermaids trustee, resigned from the charity in 2022 after The Times revealed he spoke at a conference hosted by a group that promoted services to paedophiles.

A Daily Telegraph investigation also claimed that Mermaids had offered to send breast binders to children against their parents’ wishes.

The John Lewis Partnership said that Mermaids was recommended as one resource, alongside other charities.

The article in question also discussed social media influencers who shared tips on how to “safely use clothing and equipment to achieve a person’s desired gender identity, for example, chest binders”….

Identity magazine also featured a piece for “cisgender” people — or those whose gender match their sex — which listed how to be a good “ally” to the LGBT community. It included a section on trans terms and highlighted “neopronouns”, which it said included “ze/zir”, which are preferred by some non-binary individuals. A wordsearch in the magazine featured “cisgender”, “transitioning” and “deadnaming” — a term used to describe calling a trans person by their former name — as answers."

Never knowingly undertransed.

Here's the original scoop, from James Esses – The Trans Takeover of John Lewis.