Workplace cake sale to raise money for Mermaids

[Cucumbersalad]

To celebrate International Women's Day a charity bake sale is being held at my workplace to raise money for Mermaids UK, "to show our support for the transgender community".

Has anybody come across a similar situation in the workplace, and if so, did you raise any concerns? I'm cowardly about speaking out, but I feel I should say something! How to do this delicately/ sensitively?.I don't want to rock the boat though, as it's work! And ultra-woke...

It seems @Kantastic had it spot-on here:

"I was wondering if they are deliberately taking the piss, but it probably works more like:people raise entirely legitimate concerns about Mermaids -> wokeoids interpret that as "zomg the trans community is under attack"-> wokeoids raise more money for Mermaidsso any attempts to discuss the incredible dodginess of the organisation are going to backfire".

as apparently the feedback they've received has reaffirmed to the LGBTQ group how important it is to educate us.

Basically I have been sent links to two PinkNews stories, one about how Mermaids condemns the "orchestrated onslaught" of anti-trans press coverage; and another about the Keira Bell/GIDS case, with a defence from mermaids, how they don't advocate any particular route from young trans people, and puberty blockers only used after extensive psychological evaluation etc.

As to the choice of charity, it was deliberate, as they feel trans women are excluded from these types of events.

So, how to respond, if I even should...?

Well my first response would be to tell them to stick their re-education and links up their arses.

But I’m sure someone will be along shortly with a more diplomatic response.

Where are trans women excluded from exactly? They crowbar themselves into everything possible, shoving women out of the way.

I would just say they have misconstrued your messages, Mermaids is a charity for children, not adults, and most trans children are trans boys, not trans girls.

Is there any way you or the other employees who posted can name the company?

I’m sure they will be tweeting about it.

Also dying to know what this company that starts with W is, which so many FWRers work for. Waterstones? Warburtons? Webuyanycar.com?
I’m guessing W formerly C. I used to work for an affiliated C company and it sounds like the sort of woke BS they might come out with. Not going to say anything else in case I’m right and put anyone.

*out anyone

@Cucumbersalad

Have you asked them why they plan to raise money for women? Let's all drink the kool-aid for a minute and say that trans women are women, they still make up a tiny tiny percentage of women. They have a while LGBTQ month for raising awareness and the company can raide money for those causes during that time. It's a great opportunity to do it. But this is international women's day, and they are still choosing to raise money for an LGBTQ charity, which doesn't do anything to help the thousands of women who arent I included in that. What about charities which support the education of women? Domestics abuse charities? Anything else. Its international womens day so they should be supporting women as a whole not a tiny percentage of "women" who have a whole month dedicated to them.

Its nothing to do with being woke or rejecting transgender ideology. Its about women. They need to choose a charity which supports women.

*when they plan to

After ten pages of reading about this, all I can add is:

A wokeplace wokecake.

If any of you are brave enough to face the possibly onslaught, you should send your emails plus their response out to the whole company and highlight your disappointment that women are being sidelined on international women's day because the company would rather support the trans movement, instead of a charity with supports all women.

Really sorry OP. It’s awful when you work somewhere that won’t recognise women. Are they a sexist employer in other ways? It all goes hand in hand in my experience.

If any of you are brave enough to face the possibly onslaught, you should send your emails plus their response out to the whole company

That is a terrible idea, regardless of what the topic being discussed was. OP and others- do not do that.

Yes, let's keep it all hush hush and dont tell anyone. That's how things change!

Maybe do a park run for a local refuge? Advertise it like hell at work and if anyone asks... well IWD fundraiser wasn’t actually for women, you did try to convince them to raise money for a women’s charity but you were insulted and the suggestion rejected out of hand. They raised it for some disreputable children’s charity..

What about the women?

Who was that to?

The world in general. Sorry.

Yes, let's keep it all hush hush and dont tell anyone. That's how things change!

What you are suggesting will lead to disciplinary action at work.

I am an employer. If an employee chose to publicise a chain of e-mails between herself and me to the entire 400 or so workforce I would take action.

If she considered whatever we were discussing breached her employment rights there is a mechanism for dealing with that; if need be she can take me to an employment tribunal.

If she simply objects to the way I run my business she can resign and is then, commercial sensitivities and actual defamation aside, free to say whatever she wants.

I would be tempted to say that this is creating a hostile work environment for female employees, who are being unequivocally informed that their protected characteristic of sex is - in the eyes of this company - trumped by the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

Sex is a protected characteristic under the EqA 2010, and if you raise your objections by stating the above - that this attitude of denying any focus on female people is perceived by you as hostile to women and that how they have handled this by running your complaints past an interest group advocating for two entirely separate protected characteristics is creating a hostile environment for you as female employees - then it is unlawful for any employer to penalise you for this. (This is separate protection in the EqA, that if you raise an issue, whether the issue is upheld or not, it is unlawful to penalise you for this).

However, the usual caveats apply - only do this if you feel you can. If you can't, maybe you could instead explore the option of setting up a group or committee entirely focused on women's issues. Make it female-only (perfectly legal under the EqA and it is unlawful for them to stop you) and next year, if the LGBT committee once again calls the shots on IWD, you could be in a much stronger position to challenge this.

Whatever you do, I would not accept any of the reasons given, even if you just vocalise this to each other for now. If you can't raise this, I would write a statement about this but keep it amongst yourselves for now. Then make it the basis for founding a women's committee/group.

They are actively opposed to centering female people on IWD because of an external debate about women's rights, which the LGBT group perceive as an attack on their community. Which is completely unjustified as that has nothing whatsoever to do with the company's female employees and their right to focus on women for IWD.

At least next time we're talking about female erasure and they call us hysterical, we have all of the attempts to make IWD 2020 all about the men to point at.

Penalizing you because males who identify as trans feminine excluded is completely unacceptable.

^feel excluded, not feminine excluded

Yes, and I agree with DidoLamenting, don't publicise this company wide by publishing your correspondence with them. That is not only - as Dido points out - a good way to get fired, it will most likely be perceived as bullying a committee trying to stand up for a vulnerable group.

Many people do not understand enough about this issue and may well jump to the wrong conclusions.

I would just say they have misconstrued your messages, Mermaids is a charity for children, not adults, and most trans children are trans boys, not trans girls.

Yes!

I would just say they have misconstrued your messages, Mermaids is a charity for children, not adults, and most trans children are trans boys, not trans girls.

I agree with DuLANG ^.

As to the choice of charity, it was deliberate, as they feel trans women are excluded from these types of events.

Of course it was deliberate, but as pp point out, it's all about the men whichever way you look at it. "Transwomen are being excluded, so let's fund a charity that helps kids, mostly 'boys''"

Does this company get all its news from Pink News, I wonder? It's not the most reliable source, to put it mildly.

This is grown men using vulnerable kids as a prop. It's depressing that your employer can't see it, but well done everyone for trying
(I would still take Barbie & GI Joe cakes)