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Shirine Khoury-Haq on “protecting trans people to the end”

80 replies

PopstarPoppy · 04/05/2025 12:01

According to this morning’s news:

Shirine Khoury-Haq said the trans community brought a “massive business benefit” to the Co-op. She told The Telegraph: “These are highly talented people who, if they feel loved, if they feel valued, if they feel like they can bring their whole selves to work, their contribution is immense.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/04/ill-protect-trans-people-to-the-end-vows-co-op-boss/

What about the contribution of WOMEN, Shirine? Don’t they count??

And why does ‘protecting trans people’ have to come at the expense of protecting women?

These useful idiots for the TRA brigade don’t seem to register that it doesn’t have to be either/or, it’s quite possible to work to protect both groups. Trans women do not need to have access to women’s spaces to be protected, they simply need spaces that are separate from those provided for men. The reason that has been repeatedly rejected by the TRA mob says more about the motivations of trans women (requiring the rest of us to validate their identity) than anything else, and is a big part of why we are where we are. If there hadn’t been such a push to be ‘inclusive’ of transwomen in every possible situation – eg forcing through things like describing smear tests as necessary for ‘people with a cervix’ rather than women – there wouldn’t have been the pushback there has been. Nor would we be in this situation had women’s feelings been met with empathy, rather than repeated threats, which ironically undermine the argument that transwomen are no threat to them!

OP posts:
LadyBracknellsHandbagg · 04/05/2025 22:09

EmeraldRoulette · 04/05/2025 18:56

@LadyBracknellsHandbagg unfortunately, "bring your whole self to work" is very common in workplaces now.

Thank goodness I work for myself then! I don’t actually remember leaving any of myself behind at any point previously.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/05/2025 21:19

Apologies again 😂

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2025 21:18

Nebraska, I think.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/05/2025 21:16

Apologies it was Canada.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/05/2025 21:15

Oh perfect, thanks for linking it @ArabellaScott

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2025 21:11

Yes. I think about her sometimes. Bewildering.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 04/05/2025 21:10

Do you remember there was a deranged councillor woman or local politician filibustering/disrupting a meeting in the US by repeatedly screeching “We love trans people” at the top of her voice? That’s what these people remind me of. It’s unhinged.

NotNowFGS · 04/05/2025 20:49

For F's sake, you can see why Doc
Stock and JKR have gone postal and the rest of us are outing ourselves like our lives depend on it...the backlash is truly mental

KnottyAuty · 04/05/2025 20:49

Based on what’s in the NHS policies I’d say that employers are expected to allow a lot of time off for transition medical and counselling care. Bringing your whole self to work in that case might be expensive.

MoltenLasagne · 04/05/2025 20:45

Please stop bringing your whole selves to work - please bring your professional self who understands personal boundaries to work instead. No, Tim, you do not get to act like an asshole all day Monday and expect people to understand because Liverpool lost this weekend. No, Patricia, it is not OK to tell someone their new haircut makes them look awful because you "tell it like it is". And no, fishnets and knee high boots are not an acceptable form of self expression in the office, no matter your sex, gender identity, age, or sexual orientation.

ArabellaScott · 04/05/2025 20:45

OuterSpaceCadet · 04/05/2025 12:13

Whaaaat. That's not even a normal way to talk about another human. That's how one might talk about a particular breed of dog. "Labradors are highly intelligent creatures and can make loyal and loving pets if you'll only agree to prevent them eating objects that will kill them".

Exactly my first response. I'd cringe myself fucking inside out talking about anybody like that! How unbelievably patronising.

Stepfordian · 04/05/2025 20:38

A) she knew what a woman was when she needed a surrogate to carry her children
B) Trans people, like gay men, are probably less likely to take maternity/paternity leave, which I imagine would be a big financial win for a large firm like Co-op

DuesToTheDirt · 04/05/2025 20:35

And as for the concept of people ‘bringing their whole selves to work’, I don’t think there are many, if any, jobs where that is appropriate, whatever your sex or gender identity.

Absolutely. There's plenty of things I think are better not shared with the whole office, in the interests of getting along professionally with colleagues who might have different values and opinions.

Gagagardener · 04/05/2025 20:21

@Joolsin
Had a quick look. Most of those commenting very unimpressed..Several suggested Haq should have focused on data protection rather than trans protection. Many feel Coop is a business with little sense of direction. My personal favourite idea was for a branch entirely staffed and run by trans people..

BackToLurk · 04/05/2025 19:29

LonginesPrime · 04/05/2025 14:28

It’s Stonewall language.

When LGBT staff networks would complain to Stonewall that their management wasn’t willing to shell out for Stonewall’s expensive trainings, memberships, tables at events, etc, Stonewall would tell them to push the business case for letting people to bring their whole selves to work and how a happy employee is a productive employee, and how a diverse workforce brings different perspectives (leading to the kind of clunky statements made here) to justify the eye-watering amounts Stonewall charges these companies.

Also, this huge amount that these companies have already invested in LGBT initiatives over the past 10 years mean the sunk costs fallacy is probably playing a part for many of these business leaders.

So it’s no surprise that the bosses who’ve been sold this snake oil are still going around now saying ‘but look at my snake oil’.

The co-op makes more sense in sticking to this line than many orgs, as they don’t have shareholders to worry about, so I’d imagine that they are slightly more free to prioritise what they see as the loudest customer voice, which sounds like it was the non-binary one, over an expensive legal risk which likely wouldn’t be acceptable to the shareholders of most PLCs.

They still aren’t entitled to break the law, though, and I do wonder whether some of these orgs are deliberately putting their heads above the parapet in defiance to look like they’re prioritising trans rights and so the EHRC will publicly slap them down and they can say “well, we tried, but you have to get out of the ladies loos now, Geoff”.

Show quote history

They don’t have shareholders, but they do have members with votes at the AGM. Most don’t use it. The AGM is later this month so unless they can table an emergency motion they won’t do anything this year. It’s probably worth anyone who is a member keeping an eye on. My experience is that so few people get actively involved you just need to be organised to get heard. There’s also the members council.

https://www.co-operative.coop/get-involved/your-council-your-voice

Pardon Our Interruption

https://www.co-operative.coop/get-involved/your-council-your-voice

ahjeez · 04/05/2025 19:27

I wonder how trans people feel about constantly being infantalised in this way. "They just need love and they'll be really good at work!" seems really quite insulting, as it suggests if they're not constantly affirmed and validated they'll...not work?

Joolsin · 04/05/2025 19:16

I can't access them, but can anyone see and give a flavour of what the 3000 or so comments on the article are saying?

I hate the "bring your whole self to work" shite. I only bring my work self to work, I'd be fired if I brought the rest of me, and rightly so!!! 😂

SaltPorridge · 04/05/2025 19:04

chilling19 · 04/05/2025 17:42

Yes, I am just looking up alternatives

Show quote history

The Cooperative Bank is owned by Coventry Building Society and not by the Cooperative Group if I understand correctly- please correct me if I am wrong.

EmeraldRoulette · 04/05/2025 18:56

@LadyBracknellsHandbagg unfortunately, "bring your whole self to work" is very common in workplaces now.

LadyBracknellsHandbagg · 04/05/2025 18:49

PopstarPoppy · 04/05/2025 12:01

According to this morning’s news:

Shirine Khoury-Haq said the trans community brought a “massive business benefit” to the Co-op. She told The Telegraph: “These are highly talented people who, if they feel loved, if they feel valued, if they feel like they can bring their whole selves to work, their contribution is immense.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/04/ill-protect-trans-people-to-the-end-vows-co-op-boss/

What about the contribution of WOMEN, Shirine? Don’t they count??

And why does ‘protecting trans people’ have to come at the expense of protecting women?

These useful idiots for the TRA brigade don’t seem to register that it doesn’t have to be either/or, it’s quite possible to work to protect both groups. Trans women do not need to have access to women’s spaces to be protected, they simply need spaces that are separate from those provided for men. The reason that has been repeatedly rejected by the TRA mob says more about the motivations of trans women (requiring the rest of us to validate their identity) than anything else, and is a big part of why we are where we are. If there hadn’t been such a push to be ‘inclusive’ of transwomen in every possible situation – eg forcing through things like describing smear tests as necessary for ‘people with a cervix’ rather than women – there wouldn’t have been the pushback there has been. Nor would we be in this situation had women’s feelings been met with empathy, rather than repeated threats, which ironically undermine the argument that transwomen are no threat to them!

‘If they feel like they can bring their whole selves to work, their contribution is immense.”

Their whole selves? This sounds like the sort of thing a 12 year old would come out with, how do these people function in their heads real world?

PrettyDamnCosmic · 04/05/2025 17:48

chilling19 · 04/05/2025 17:42

Yes, I am just looking up alternatives

Show quote history

The Co-operative Bank is now owned by Coventry Building Society. Coventry Building Society acquired the Co-operative Bank in early 2025, returning the bank to a mutual structure where it is owned by its members, rather than shareholders

chilling19 · 04/05/2025 17:42

TheDevilWearPrimarni · 04/05/2025 15:17

Maybe time to move my bank account from the Co-op.

Yes, I am just looking up alternatives

RedToothBrush · 04/05/2025 17:13

2024onwardsandup · 04/05/2025 13:13

There will be a child who’s been transed somewhere close in her family or work colleagues

'Child to be transed'

That makes it sound like when the cybermen come along and are 'upgraded' or when the Borg come along and they 'assimilate'.

RedToothBrush · 04/05/2025 17:11

What about the contribution of WOMEN, Shirine? Don’t they count??

Imagine if just a quarter of their female staff, went on strike to make a point about this shite.

Women are taken for granted that they will put up and shut up - because financially they are so dependent.

That's exploitative.