Waitrose in the Sunday Times, mother's day name change announced

[Mouthtrousersafrocknowandthen]

Waitrose is selling gender-neutral Mother’s Day cards as retailers reduce their use of the M-word to make today’s celebration more “transgender inclusive”, write Andrew Gilligan and Vincent Wood.

The supermarket chain is selling a “Happy You Day” card in its Mother’s Day range in which the word “mother” does not appear.

Waitrose said the move was aimed at “broadening out who the cards can go to, whether it’s grandmas or transgender mums”. Traditional cards are still sold.

Waitrose has been joined by other retailers, including Scribbler, whose Mother’s Day offerings include a “Two mums are better than one” card for same-sex couples and a “Dad, thanks for being the most amazing mum” card.

The changes come after calls by some trans activists to rename Mother’s Day. Suggestions include Guardian’s Day and Carer’s Day.

Karen Pollock, a trans campaigner and therapist, said Mothering Sunday, the church’s traditional name for Mother’s Day, “feels more inclusive to me, since anyone can be ‘mothering’”.

Some schools — including Consett Junior School in Co Durham and High Bank School in Liversedge, West Yorkshire — have advertised the festival on their websites as Special Person’s Day or Mother’s and Special Person’s Day.

For some the day signifies sadness, perhaps because their mother has died. Liverpool Cathedral held a service last night for such “Mother’s Day runaways”.

What a bizarre PR stunt. Can't remember any shop rushing to be sensitive to my feelings when I joined the 1 in 4 women who experienced a miscarriage and couldn't deal with Mother's Day. In fact, some people said I couldn't expect people to hide their celebration for my sake (not that I did) because mother's are everywhere

It's not enough to change gender when you have kids, but you need to muscle in on Mothers Day too? My teenagers don't regard their Dad who transitioned as a 'mother', but a rather delusional and self-indulgent father ( who gets a turn on Fathers Day).

Lonelystarbuckslover I'm so sorry and, well, exactly!

Shops put products on their shelves because they think people will buy them.

Waitrose aren’t suddenly prioritising trans men (who probably make up a limited proportion of their customer base). They are just selling a card that they think will have a wide appeal, and given the number of people who don’t call their mothers ‘mother’ or ‘mum’ and the number of people who aren’t brought up by their mothers, they are probably right.

The Times is often good on trans issues, but I think this a case of a headline in search of a story.

@merrymouse

Yes, exactly. Gilligan has form on exposure of extremism. This is what he is doing. We are are responding calmly and rationally cos we are naturally inclusive. We are proving we are capable of a rounded, considerate conversation.

The online world. It's the collective consciousness (sorry Jungian reference) Mumsnet is the countries conscience and we are consciousness raising (sorry, second wave feminism reference).

Happy mothering Sunday to all humans that have mothered or
been mothered or experienced the choice of not mothering or the emotion of not mothering and the loss of a mother.

Well be reasonable now, you cannot expect a bunch of cis women drawing attention to their cis privilege on one day a year. That is really unfair on Women with penises who have never experienced a traumatic birth on the nhs crappy maternity services or experienced being the most discriminated people at work which are women returning from maternity leave.
Where saying the word ‘mother’ become taboo what sort of brave new world are we entering into.

@bellasuewow
I think the mothers day wine may be kicking in there, good for you. Me too hashtag haha.

Cis women, I don't think there are many of them about. Tiny group of people.

It's Mothers' Day anyway

Mouth I think you have misunderstood my post😕 sorry if I was unclear.

I was enjoying your irony, I only really let my irony go full flight when I have had wine, so just assumed you where also the same, apologies. Love your comment - ironic, or just fucking hacked off. Yes, a brave new world where men's trauma at not being women trumps everything.

And to be clear, when I read or hear the women that use cis unironically, I just realise what a deluded and tiny group of women they are.

It was me that was unclear.

I don't really see the issue myself.
Getting upset about this seems like getting upset by a few "seasons greetings" cards at Christmas time.
They still sell mothers day cards as well as the "you day" cards, so it's not like they're trying to ignore mothers day or anything!

I can see many reasons why someone might want to buy an alternative mothers day card, including as a gesture/thank you to a grandmother/aunt/sister/brothet etc who's gone above and beyond. Or for a father/other relative/carer who is raising a child in the absence of a mother.

On missed Hairy's update. So it's a joke?
Can't see what the big deal is anyway. I don't want to become one of those people who wails "they've cancelled Christmas!" Because they caught sight of "Season's Greetings". Not do I want to be someone who interprets the words "chocolate egg" as evidence that "they" have banned Easter.
You'll be straying into the Winterval fallacy soon if you're not careful!

Oh not on and nor instead of not
Blimmin typos!!

Agree squishy