Glasgow M&S Changing room debacle

[Lordfrontpaw]

Now I can't quite get my head around this. I must be missing something. Please note this was two men, no claims of them being anything other than two men.

So - 2 men wanted to use the changing room in the ladies clothes section because (just the) one was trying on trousers.

A member of the M&S team then told him: “I can’t stop you from using it,”

One was told by a member of the public that it was for women only to “try on bras”

While in the changing room, they heard the member of the public say, “I wouldn’t want to get my t**s out in front of other men.

It is then claimed the M&S staff member laugh and agreed before saying, “we have to allow it because of all this new stuff."

The couple complained to a manager instore who told them that she would reiterate to staff that fitting rooms were unisex. They also complained in writing to the store and are now looking to escalate their complaint further. (of course they are)

The men said that while they don't identify as women, if they had, then the negative comments they heard from women could have driven them to suicide

One said “I could have been a non-binary or trans person, they don’t know that.”

M&S apologise

www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18302422.amp/

At one time I would have seen M& S as an ethical business who would admit they they failed to consult any women about this and reverse the decision. At on time I would have put money on the fact that M & S would want to protect teenagers and women from all the fetishists and upskirters and peeping toms and secret filmers. At one time.
Now I just watch in dismay as M & S management do the very things that make women and girls lives a bit less safe - invite those very predatory men in to their changing rooms where women and girls used to have bra fittings. And of course disguise this by failing to label their changing rooms mixed sex so women can make informed choices.

It's a vile company.

I really don’t want to be in a changing room with men - especially young (I assume) melodramatic attention seekers, making a meal of a fuss, and I can imagine getting into a barney with the women in the Changing room (hey I’m Glaswegian so can imagine how this went down).

It's always the poor staff who these dreary people target. Low paid, often female, then facing disciplinary advice from some misogynistic manager.

He added: “I am saddened to know that big retail company are employing people with those views.

Wanker

If you let men with special identities into the women's changing rooms then it's surely discriminatory to the men who don't have special identities not to let them in as well - these bawbags have a point and it's what you end up with under stupid genderist "logic"

Now the men have their own changing room, plus the women's if they want it - for whatever reason - and the women have nothing of their own.

As mentioned upthread it's about time all these shops and services were made to be honest and take the male and female signs down and put mixed sex ones up instead, but they're snide and dishonest into the bargain.

This is why any and all males no matter how they identify should gtfo of women's spaces, no exceptions.

It's a power grab and this pair are only taking advantage of a situation that's been handed to them on a plate.

Shame there wasn’t a photo. I always love the sad horse faces, usually with the person mournfully holding up the offending item...

Coming from Glasgow and having many gay friends, for some reason there seems to be an unwritten rule that gay men can get away with things like this just because theyre gay. It used to be the same whenever I went to clubs with my friends men would use the bathroom and say but in gay so it doesnt count. Doesn't make any sense to me tbh

It is misogyny pure and simple. Gay men can be vile misogynists too.

I used to frequent gay clubs in Glasgow in my teens - no men in the ladies, even the transvestites didn’t try.

Nyaffs is absolutely right.

It’s such a wonderful word that rolls off the tongue. DS (London lad) says it beautifully (also ‘ach-away’)

The only suicide that's happening is the actual M&S company! They must be told they have to do this, but by who? Who wants these stores to all fail? And why?

..there's not much more of a brilliant way to ruin a clothing company than let males into female only changing rooms.

Same goes for anywhere that you'd need a toilet or changing room.

Is it not just bumbling by M&S? Seems amateurish.

Part of me feels sorry for the companies but there's no way in Hell I'm going into a space to undress or be partially undressed where males might be lurking.

It's totally illogical, no intelligent business owner would do this. So it makes me wonder.

This is not just 'bumbling' - this is M&S bumbling.

This person also not allowed to use the changing room of their choice.

metro.co.uk/2020/02/20/trans-shopper-banned-using-mens-changing-room-ms-12272268/

I’ve spent just under a fiver in M&S since October (on three packs of their mini sub rolls) Prior to that it’d be £30 pw min (not counting Christmas) as I’m a five minute walk from an M&S Food.

No regrets either.

It does show how powerful certain groups are when big companies with a huge female customer base knowingly piss so many of them off in favour of a few tawdry rainbow coloured awards.

Lol.

I have a friend who works at John Lewis and I chatted to her about this stuff. They're afraid of getting sued by these people and don't want to risk all the negative press and Twitter "cancellations". From what she was saying it sounds as though they have vague "inclusive" guidelines to appease everyone which the shopfloor staff then have to try and enact. When someone complains they can then just blame it on the poor Saturday girl for getting the guidelines wrong.

I'm sure that's right definitelygc. And a very very tiny part of me feels slightly sorry for their dilemma. And then I remember that the whole lot of them refuse to stand up for their women customers, pander to Stonewall etc, fail to acknowledge the clear evidence of harm that is done to women and girls in mixed sex changing rooms. They happily accept the publicity and bribes from Stonewall and don't have the guts to even try to implement mixed sex facilities alongside single sex.
And I no longer feel sorry for them.

That's a shame as I have seen clothing and underwear in there for the first time in years that I would buy.

However, our local m&s has a very clear sign in the women's changing rooms pointing out where the men's is, so I feel pretty safe in there 👍.

I’m quite content to continue not shopping at M&S. It really wasn’t that hard to find underwear elsewhere.