Op is as has already been pointed out somewhat late to the party as this and other issues around self ID have been discussed at length for some time on the FWR boards but I am still glad more women (and men) are becoming aware of the issues.
M&S are out of my price range and have been for many years plus the last time I could afford to shop there I noticed the quality seriously declining anyway! You charge those prices you better be providing better quality than primark!
But to those of you who are/were until recently customers I would say it would be great if instead of merely withdrawing your custom you contacted them and told them WHY you are withdrawing your custom.
Otherwise they can fool themselves it’s other reasons. If enough people contact them to say they disagree with this policy and informing them they ARE losing custom as a result it may lead to them reversing the policy - well we can but hope!
To those claiming “I don’t get what the problem is doesn’t bother ME” it isn’t just about you.
It’s about all women and girls who feel for whatever reason more vulnerable with such policies, it’s about the FACT that men as a class DO pose a threat to women and girls in certain situations and places. There have been incidents of girls and women being photographed, videoed and assaulted in unisex changing rooms.
Are you really saying you don’t care about girls/women who have previously been victims of harassment/assault?
That you don’t care about disabled girls/women who may need more assistance and be more vulnerable due to their disability?
That you don’t care about girls/women who have beliefs that prohibit sharing such spaces with men?
It’s about ALL girls and women not just those fortunate enough to feel confident and not vulnerable in such a situation.
There are very good reasons why such things have been sex segregated for many years and those reasons have NOT gone away just because we’re more aware of the trans community now.
Re “boycotts don’t last long” it depends on the reasons for them.
There was a thread recently asking which shops posters had stopped shopping in and why and iirc quite a few of those had not returned to shopping in the shops they were boycotting. As a vegetarian I’ve not used body shop for decades due to them selling out their principles, I haven’t shopped in WHSmith for 8 years after I witnessed their staff treat another elderly customer appallingly and I spoke up for her at the time and the staff member was rude to me too! I complained to the manager who was pathetic in dealing with that staff member. Another shop is one I used to work in, and from working there I know they treat their staff dreadfully, particularly on maternity rights, so I won’t shop there now - that’s been over 20 years!
“I’m guessing your teenagers wouldn’t have an issue either” then you guess wrongly! My dd (18) and her women friends strongly object to policies like this, they get enough harassment and “low level” assaults the rest of the time without yet another women’s only space being removed from them.
And our local pool has 3 sections - men, women and unisex and they’re clearly divided.
I think they have definitely shut themselves in the foot here considering that their main demographic is middle aged and older women.
Women who have the life experience to know that while it may not be the case that most men are predators (personally I’m not sure it’s exactly a minority either!) that men are far more likely to be predators than women. Who’s life experience may well also include a serious assault, dv or serious and sustained harassment.
And who are more confident in deciding to vote with their purses!