Pink News Trans Summit & Wickes

Omg

i hasn’t heard that

someone better tell Alice Cooper to rewrite “only women bleed”

(and yes, I am old, but it’s a damn fine song. And yes again, I do know it isn’t about periods but it’s still pertinent)

During lockdown our local B&Q did this

dont know if they still do

That's another retailer off our family's list then.
DH and our home owning adult DC do a lot of DIY shopping and support me in opposing this nonsense.

I had a great conversation with a shop assistant in Boots this week explaining why I was looking for No7 products to replace my Benefit ones as they run out (after Benefit and their 'it's not just women who have periods' campaign). The Boots assistant was gobsmacked and agreed with me.

Beforehand, maybe

now - no way in hell

You have evidently never been in a wickes.

Heres a clue, it's a lot like b and q.

Luckily for wickes I used them in the past & found them to be shite so I took my business elsewhere

I’m sure they’re now delighted I no longer spend my money with them

utter bellends

Nice try. 😁

Last time we needed something I checked the stock in wickes. Had 3 in stock apparently, except they didn't. Complete waste of our time.

Beowulfa
Has anyone told RS their catalogue is transphobic? A search for "female" gives 33, 392 results for various items, designed to use with their male counterparts
😆

*Longden [Wickes] shockingly called anyone who disagrees with him on this topic “bigots” before saying that they are “not welcome in our stores anymore^”

OK, Wickes.

Why do Wickes think that the trans market is what they ought to aim for?

This is what I don't get. How big is the trans market?

I suppose home improvements for the trans community could be a growth area since the baseline appears to be zero.

I've seen them argue that their doses of lady hormones mean they can no longer open jars or drive in a straight line (just like accident of birth ladies) so I don't know if that's necessarily a growth area. Unless they have a scented candle and cushion business that they're looking to focus on.

Wickes' Click & Collect allows you to check stock at local branches.

IME almost everything I look at in B&Q has a terrible rating - obviously you can't be sure whether reviews are real but being able to search reviews for particular terms (eg I've been doing a lot of looking a different adhesives recently, trying to find one that I can use to safely repair a broken milk jug as well as for the larger job that's prompting the purpose) has been really useful to me. Plus some of the photos in Wickes reviews have been useful.

Anyway, good luck with your project/s.

Why do Wickes think that the trans market is what they ought to aim for? Almost every time you see a selfie of a transwoman in their own home (that they have posted themselves, so presumably are happy with) the background is an absolute tip. I suppose home improvements for the trans community could be a growth area since the baseline appears to be zero.

Do we have to fill in a questionnaire at the door to prove our moral unreprehensibility and that we subscribe to whatever purity spiral the COO is getting his knickers in a twist about?

It reminds me of Yorkshire Tea and 'we don't want bigots buying our product.' What were they going to do about it? (made a point of buying it on the admittedly daft premise that they'd be really pissed off if they knew, which was nearly as silly).

I’m seeing construction companies and AEC software suppliers merrily flying the pride+ flag for some reason.

According to the Equality Act 2010 - they are!

Aren't they just? It's a tiny bit subtler than Ratner, I suppose, which makes it interesting.

Everytime we try to find something in Wickes they don't have it in cos their range is shocking.

So we waste our time looking when we should have just gone to bloody B & Q in the first fucking place.

Now I have a bloody good reason not to bother.

I have lost count of the number of posts on relationships telling women that if they feel uncomfortable in a situation then that's their intuition telling them something and they need to listen to it; and I've found that very useful a few times. Now, apparently, I'm supposed to ignore that when someone wants to trample over boundaries.

Ironically we call Wickes the home of the Big Jobbie as just going in there is an instant laxative for DH. He claims it's the lighting but perhaps it's his inner bigot making him feel uncomfortable.

Either way I think we'll be going to Homebase from now on. They have nicer toilets anyway.

Well, they aren't obliged to accept money from anyone who they find morally reprehensible

That's an interesting business strategy. Turn it around and of course customers aren't obliged to give money to any business they find morally reprehensible. Let's see how that works out for them.

“you know you’re being an ally when you’re doing things that make you feel uncomfortable”.

Having spent years working out that feeling uncomfortable was often a sign that someone was overstepping boundaries and I should pluck up the courage to stop whatever was happening before it escalated into abuse, this sounds like a recipe for abusers to get exactly what they want. No wonder I’m permanently uncomfortable with transactivism.

IME, builders use trade suppliers where they get trade discounts, not local DIY chain stores.

Don't be so daft. Wickes make their money from people like MrsDanvers and Mr and Mrs knittingaddict.

I'd be very surprised if major builders popped down to Wickes for all their supplies.

Even if they did, it's the general public I see in there on a day to day basis.

“you know you’re being an ally when you’re doing things that make you feel uncomfortable”.

It really is in plain sight isn't it. They say the quiet parts out loud.

No. If you feel uncomfortable about doing something that is supposed to make you an ally, you are ignoring your compass that guides your decisions about which ones are right for you. If your intuition is telling you something isn't right in your eyes, then fucking go and find out more, and work out if there is something about what you are doing that you know is poor safeguarding, or leads people to harm.

You should never just tamp it down because some consultant tells you that this is way to be being a 'good' person.
^^