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Original poster

Brighton TRAs bullying female small business owner

999 replies

SapphosRock · 15/10/2020 15:02

Urgh. This is happening in my home town and it’s shit.

Happy Maki is a small, vegan cafe and takeaway. It’s a very ethical business. All about sustainability and green energy. They plant a tree and feed a child for each wrap made. It’s a gift economy and the food is free with a suggested donation. All very hippy. You get the idea.

A FTM trans person approached the female owner of Happy Maki and asked for support in fundraising for their top surgery. I believe they wanted a poster in the window asking for money. The owner refused. When pressed the owner said it was against her religious beliefs - she is a follower of the Divine Truth which admittedly sounds a bit ‘out there’ but not entirely unexpected given the nature of her business.

Anyway the TRAs have really gone to town and are posting in every Brighton based Facebook group, Instagram and Twitter accusing the owner of Transphobia and calling for her to apologise:

twitter.com/makiunhappy/status/1314261939833446400?s=21

They seem to be getting a lot of support and gaining a lot of traction too with many saying they are now going to boycott the business.

I’m upset about this for a lot of reasons. Obviously the female owner being bullied and harassed in this way and them encouraging people to email her. The lovely takeaway losing business. It’s also pretty tone deaf to attack the hospitality sector in the midst of a global pandemic for not supporting one individual’s elective, life changing surgery.

Anyway, the reason I’m posting here is in solidarity with the owner Anna. And if any of you lovely lot are nearby then consider getting a Happy Maki takeaway. The food is delicious and I’m sure they could do with some support right now.

www.happymaki.co.uk

OP posts:
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jj1968 · 15/10/2020 22:50

@Butterer

Or the morning star (the last physical newspaper I bought)
In this dispute, despite their opinion on the trans issue, I have little doubt the Morning Star would be standing with the workers because that's what pro-working class politics means. If ten workers are prepared to walk out, there is clearly a serious problem.
Quaagars · 15/10/2020 22:50

@RufustheSniggeringReindeer

It markets itself as an LGBT friendly cage

😳

Fuck me quaggers

Grin Grin Argh, stupid bloody phone lol Cafe! Not cage, bit extreme haha
Winesalot · 15/10/2020 22:51

because jj. What are the changes that this group of people actually have other motives? If their employer was actually doing something illegal, they have group power to take her to tribunal.

The fact that the focus of this action by them is about a poster for their friend’s surgery (not a charity at all!!!) and the employment issues are then secondary leaves the impression they are more likely to not have a case for action (and they also have not specically said what their exact complaints are.) And if they are owed money, why would you put that in jeopardy by ruining the business.

They seem to be all about shaming a woman. Not unusual.

MrsNathanDrake · 15/10/2020 22:52

That's appalling. I'm local and love Happy Maki. They will definitely be getting some business from us in the next few days. I'm so so sick of woman hating cult of bullies.

OldCrone · 15/10/2020 22:52

If ten workers are prepared to walk out, there is clearly a serious problem.

Anna says it was 7 employees, not 10. Do you have evidence that she's lying?

jj1968 · 15/10/2020 22:52

@OldCrone

Do you know any of the people involved jj?
No, do you? Probably best none of us make assumptions and treat them as they are, cafe workers on zero hour contracts,.
OldCrone · 15/10/2020 22:53

The OP knows the cafe and possibly knows the owner.

jj1968 · 15/10/2020 22:53

@OldCrone

If ten workers are prepared to walk out, there is clearly a serious problem.

Anna says it was 7 employees, not 10. Do you have evidence that she's lying?

I believe a statement made collectively by the workers over the words of one boss. But 7 or 10, little difference really.
RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 15/10/2020 22:54

littl

Oh no 😩

I’m now having a short just for you

Kantastic · 15/10/2020 22:55

If their other issues were real they wouldn't have made the non-issue of the poster the front and centre grievance of their harassment campaign.

They would have gone into detail about the actual problems with their employment contracts instead of being vague and mysterious. She refused to put up a poster oh and also she had us on zero hour contracts oh and by the way she's biphobic too.

I mean if that passes the sniff test for you, perhaps it's because your head's up your arse.

And incidentally you are a useful demonstration of exactly how this shit works. You started off joining in the poster-based witch hunt. When no one was buying it you started latching on to other possible reasons for this woman to be a bad woman, because you've already targeted her in your mind. When your other reasons didn't hold water or were rejected you m oved on to outright making shit up and attributing it to her. I see no reason at all to think that the little shits behind this particular witch hunt operate any differently than you do. There is clearly a similar psychology.

Anyway. I'm not talking to you any further on this, you are governed neither by rationality nor compassion and while I think it's interesting to witness your rationalisations in real time I'm sickened with it now.

jj1968 · 15/10/2020 22:55

because jj. What are the changes that this group of people actually have other motives? If their employer was actually doing something illegal, they have group power to take her to tribunal.

They may well do so.

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 15/10/2020 22:56

quaagars

😀...autocorrects a bugger

PotholeParadies · 15/10/2020 22:56

Quaagars, I'm a still a leetle bit hung up on people having their beliefs suppressed and being forced to promote stuff they don't agree with. We are not at the 'thin end of the wedge' here. This is coming right up on the thick end.

We all have conflicting beliefs and part of living alongside each other is respecting each other's right to hold them. I avoid voicing my more controversial beliefs unless asked Wink as part of the general give and take. However, I certainly don't endorse beliefs I disagree with and no-one has a right to demand that of me.

Where would it stop?

Vegans tend to be very blinking anti-fox hunting. Is it going to be inverse snobbery if she refuses such a poster? Or will it be magically transphobia if a trans person wants it put up?

jj1968 · 15/10/2020 23:00

And incidentally you are a useful demonstration of exactly how this shit works. You started off joining in the poster-based witch hunt. When no one was buying it you started latching on to other possible reasons for this woman to be a bad woman, because you've already targeted her in your mind. When your other reasons didn't hold water or were rejected you m oved on to outright making shit up and attributing it to her. I see no reason at all to think that the little shits behind this particular witch hunt operate any differently than you do. There is clearly a similar psychology.

I mentioned her biphobia in my very first post on this thread and pretty much every subsequent one, mostly because I was astonished it was being swept under the carpet. 200 posts and not one person even commented on it, almost as if biphobia is considered acceptable.

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 15/10/2020 23:02

What are mnhq like if you report lies?

Does anyone know?

EvenSupposing · 15/10/2020 23:05

Workers' rights, unions, tribunals. The little man against the big bad capitalist... That's exactly what is going on here. It's like Aberfan all over again this is Hmm

Bevin is spinning in his fucking grave right now I tell you.

littlbrowndog · 15/10/2020 23:05

Maybe it’s cos we are called being phobic all the time that being called phobic about anything has lost its power

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 15/10/2020 23:09

@littlbrowndog

Maybe it’s cos we are called being phobic all the time that being called phobic about anything has lost its power
It still has power over me

But I’m working on it...

OldCrone · 15/10/2020 23:10

I believe a statement made collectively by the workers over the words of one boss.

Why? This isn't a big corporation, this is a small business with 14 (now 7) employees. What convinces you that the boss must be wrong? That sounds a bit (for want of a better word) bigoted. Not everyone who starts and runs a business is necessarily evil. And having at times worked with some difficult colleagues, I know it can't always be easy being the boss. (I've also had to work for some difficult bosses, of course).

Reading both statements it looks to me like a clash of beliefs. Anna's beliefs clash with the genderist beliefs of some of her staff. They accuse her of transphobia, but don't say what she actually did or said which was transphobic, and they don't say what 'facts and statements' they presented to her. But genderism is pretty light on facts so I can see why they haven't elaborated on that.

PotholeParadies · 15/10/2020 23:12

@jj1968

And incidentally you are a useful demonstration of exactly how this shit works. You started off joining in the poster-based witch hunt. When no one was buying it you started latching on to other possible reasons for this woman to be a bad woman, because you've already targeted her in your mind. When your other reasons didn't hold water or were rejected you m oved on to outright making shit up and attributing it to her. I see no reason at all to think that the little shits behind this particular witch hunt operate any differently than you do. There is clearly a similar psychology.

I mentioned her biphobia in my very first post on this thread and pretty much every subsequent one, mostly because I was astonished it was being swept under the carpet. 200 posts and not one person even commented on it, almost as if biphobia is considered acceptable.

Would you like an honest answer or will you get upset?

The OP has helpfully supplied the "FULL STATEMENT from the staff on twitter which I read.

The statement has 'Biphobia' listed at the top in their list of content warnings, but in four full screenshots of their statement from beginning to end, they make no mention of biphobia further or what it was. Bit odd.

And nor did you in your first post. You just said it, as if it's a magic word.

I wouldn't expect anyone to take me seriously either if I alleged sexual discrimination or disability discrimination against an employer by just placing it in the heading of a statement and then never ever mentioned it or specified what it was in the main body.

Needmoresleep · 15/10/2020 23:13

If I were to go into a vegan cafe in Brighton, it would be absolutely normal for there to be at least one same sex couple. One might be bi, or one of a het couple might be bi. Who cares. Does the owner care. No.

More of a sin would be to try to order roast chicken.

notyourhandmaid · 15/10/2020 23:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Quaagars · 15/10/2020 23:15

200 posts and not one person even commented on it, almost as if biphobia is considered acceptable

I did!
Not sure if I'm counted after 200 posts or not as I haven't counted lol

PotholeParadies · 15/10/2020 23:16

Aha. Found the paragraph that is supposed to be the biphobia.

No context given. At all. Having beliefs is not the same thing as discrimination. It matters greatly on the context.

RufustheSniggeringReindeer · 15/10/2020 23:18

@Quaagars

200 posts and not one person even commented on it, almost as if biphobia is considered acceptable

I did!
Not sure if I'm counted after 200 posts or not as I haven't counted lol

I think a fair few people mentioned it and asked questions including your good self

That poster just seems to be ignoring it

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