Boycott JL and Waitrose? : James Esses' latest Substack on John Lewis LGBTQIA++ 'Identity' mag

There must be so many John Lewis employees who are saying 'not in my name' about this situation. I hope they are able to organise from within the company.

John Lewis head office has been stickered

Fucking hell @Boiledbeetle 😳😳😳

did no one in JL stop to check people’s social media first?? What were they thinking!

Boiledbeetle · Today 17:57

Click on the tweet if you dare

I did and was rude to you in Twatter.

Pretty outrageous they removed the thread. All that's being discussed is public. Perhaps if you don't want to be the subject of scrutiny, you might be well advised not to post pictures online that advertise how keen you are on your chosen fetish? Just a thought.

I'm prepared to believe that staff who naively brought their "whole self to work" now feel alarmed at the feedback that bondage gear, fetish photos, abuse of women comments in the workplace are unacceptable. It shows a massive naivety on the part of management in assuming that their customers and co workers find all this socially acceptable. It may be fine in the corridors or boardroom at JL but most people are busy safeguarding their children, ensuring women's personal safety from online and in person abuse, ensuring age appropriate boundaries and so on.
The fact that JL sees themselves as fit to lecture parents about breast binders and the desirability of transitioning children demonstrates a real lack of awareness at the global direction that transitioning children to a lifetime of infertility etc is heading.

Platforming male fetishes also isn't a positive advert for why JL has introduced mixed sex changing rooms either - in fact it suggests a very different agenda. 😑

The photos of Ruby just Appeared on my Twitter feed.

I AM NOT POSTING THEM

Click on the tweet if you dare

https://twitter.com/BigBillMoon/status/1758855870849388805?s=19

Runningwildish · Yesterday 17:18

I've deleted the JL and Waitrose app, I'll have to cancel my card later, and unsubscribe from emails. will this show up in their stats?

It will if you do as BigBurrata did and explain why.

BoycottJohnLewis is trending on twitter

Some incredibly sad images.

The public opinion is NOT in JL's favour

Bringing it all out in the open and showing it for what it is-wonderful

They seem to be doubling down internally according to James Esses' latest post.

I just can't believe that it's normal to think that signposting to Mermaids and featuring a person holding a whip is ok given the controversy. Do most people really think this is ok? It feels insane. I've shopped in JL for 30+ years.

I've had a post in AIBU deleted for being "somewhat inflammatory in tone."

I do think JL deserve scrutiny and public awareness for this.

FYI John Lewis and waitrose won't know if you've deleted their apps, unsubscribe and tell them why.

The other thing is just trying to pick least worst. Having been unfortunately treated to the official staff picture of the JL staff member in what appears to be fetish gear, as well as worse images on twitter, at least Ikea haven't taken it quite that far.

@RebelliousCow I'm still a grand up, happily.

@Runningwildish I order from an organic farm, I appreciate that isn't quite as convenient for everyone though. I tend to buy a lot of mince/stewing cuts that don't mind being frozen for a while.

The really annoying thing is how late to the party they are. Lots of organisations had made the same sort of statements several years ago ( okay, not whip and dummy lady) , and many have been toning it down when they saw that the majority of their customers were not on the same page, to the point of losing business.

Even The NHS and some government departments are having second thoughts, but JLP decide that this is the moment to unsettle their already fearful staff with this positioning statement. Sort of ‘no bonus, more redundancies looming….but some of your colleagues are into wearing harnesses and exciting outfits, so rejoice’.

It doesn’t give much confidence in their strategic planning.

Oh well, no more Billy bookshelves then. I'm going to have to learn how to build my own when I move house which will be no bad thing.

What on earth is their dedicated phone line for?

https://twitter.com/JamesEsses/status/1758880561488167412?s=19

"Breaking: Internal staff memo from Executive Director @JohnLewisRetail.
Far from acknowledging significant failures, they accuse us of “misrepresenting” them.
They state their “wellbeing team…are on hand to support Partners who have been affected by the coverage”.
Disgrace."

The management's and participants' comments seem to have gone as well. I didn't save the exact quote before but I hope that, while JL et al are reconsidering their project, they think very carefully about not rushing into Prof Susan Sanders'(?) - apologies if I'm remembering the name incorrectly - suggestion about it being a good idea for the photo exhibition to be shown in schools. I would have quoted correctly had I been able to find the exact words.

I'm sure that some of the photos and text are fine but some.... er...

Ikea are also fully on board with the whole LGBTQ+/Transphobia/Pride thing. They serve rainbow cakes in their restaurants and have their own dedicated LGBTQ+ phone help line. They are partnered with Stonewall and 'Global Butterflies'.

Good luck finding any major buisness which is also not in at least knee deep

I have deleted the JL and Waitrose apps, but I'm having second thoughts about shopping in store, their animal welfare is the best there is with onsite abattoirs etc. and I'm sure that their pig farmers know what sex a hog and a sow are. So I think I'll still get my meat there .

I am confused. Grey has three different gender identities and wearing dungarees with dinosaurs pattern. Maybe Grey has an inner terf struggling to break free.
I agree with pp that it is discomforting that JL considers it wise and appropriate to platform their partners in this way. It feels grubbily exploitative and I really hope none of those profiled experience anything negative professionally or personally as a result.

Just come back from not doing my weekly Waitrose shop - treated myself to a wholefood takeaway from a more expensive but local small business for tonight's supper. Will sort out a temporary Ocado order this evening while I have a rethink about altering my shopping/cooking/meal plans for the future.

It feels to me like we are treading a very fine line between challenging what JL has done that is so inappropriate... misleading... unprofessional... irresponsible... alongside commenting on individuals who've had their portraits taken and biographic info published thinking, no doubt, that they were doing something good and positive about themselves and for other people. I'm worried about them even if their behaviour or views don't tally with mine. I'm sure these comments will be being read and discussed.

I've just gone in search of the photos that are part of the London JL exhibition to check something before writing more and I can't find them. I think they are being taken down. Is JL having a re-think?

I fear Grey probably got swept along with the online crowd (notice her hobbies) where you can be anyone you want (apart from a boring ‘cis’ woman). I don’t think Grey has any idea how silly her comments sound to those based in reality, because she has been mixing with people who will say exactly the same and organisations like JL have validated it. If Grey had said she believes the earth is flat, or that we are living with aliens would JL have endorsed it I think not. For some reason being in the queer community somehow lets a person off.