Brighton TRAs bullying female small business owner

[SapphosRock]

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

What actually is biphobia?

@OldCrone

As with any dispute there are obviously two sides to the story and I'm not going to pretend that it would be in my instincts to side with the workers. But in this case, the blogpost seems to confirm some of what the workers say and reveal an employer with a complete lack of understanding of how to manage workplace grievances professionally. There are between 7 and 10 people all claiming the same thing against one employer, and unlike the business owner, those people have been prepared to sacrifice their jobs they were so unhappy. I think by any objective standpoint it's reasonable to consider that perhaps these workers are telling the truth about why they felt unable to continue in their jobs.

So we don't actually need to look at what the cafe owner said?
How convenient.

I find jj’s view of females not being discriminated against very telling that jj might not know much about women in the workplace. And particularly if they believe that educated and well paid go hand in hand for women (or even employed at the moment, let’s ignore the number of female’s caught between the employment/childcare issue too). Let alone how many educated women may actually be fully employed but wholly responsible for their children’s needs and have no money for posh phones.

There seems to be a great deal that is ignored about women’s plights (current and historical) here. Like the entire need for a feminist board is hand waved away....

Lots of small business owners don't know how to manage workplace grievances professionally. If they feel they genuinely have a discrimination/harassment case they should seek legal advice like everyone else, rather than start a harassment campaign.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

That's not what the workers say, they are very clear that biphobia and other issues played a major part in this

I'm not prepared to take their word for it. Let's have the quote about biphobia jj. Or I am forced to conclude that you don't know what she said. How can we determine whether it's biphobia or baseless slander if we don't have the actual words?

Here is the quote: "The owner has also theorized that bisexuality only exists as a result of unresolved trauma, which is invalidating towards peoples’ experiences and identities and is a belief she has openly expressed to staff in the workplace; this belief is another teaching of The Divine Truth."

I'm very surprised you would be arguing the case for this employer without actually reading the statement from the workers but for your convenience it can be found here: tinyurl.com/yy6pkwmu

@petherbridge

So we don't actually need to look at what the cafe owner said? How convenient.

I have looked at what she said. I think it damns her and if this does get to tribunal then she may well come to regret that blogpost.

@Escapeplanning

What actually is biphobia?

You only hate a person half of the time?

Whatever it is one thing is for sure, just like the big three (sexism, racism and homophobia) none of it will make any fucking sense at all.

That's not the quote. Thats an interpretation of her words by people with an agenda. That's not what I was asking for, as I've made clear enough that other people understand. I want to know what she said, not what these people think about it. And I'm not clicking a link I can't see properly. Post the actual words, if it's not just a link to their "statement".

Lots of small business owners don't know how to manage workplace grievances professionally.

Indeed they don't, but they should if they are profiting from the labour of their workers, it's their job and legal duty to know. And the fact there are lots of shit bosses out there is no excuse for this boss.

I didn't say it was. There are legal channels for their grievance. Just like everyone else.

JJ's nonsense twisting must be giving them whiplash.

They were adamant that YouTube would very likely be investigated by Sky News for hosting the clip of Posey Parker taking down of Harrop. Watching harrop squirm was apparently going to be denied to us all forever, due to copyright infringement.

Likewise the violent flasher who terrorised women in a homeless shelter, was really a victim of sexual humiliation, by the women pointing out his bad behaviour and warning others. Massive crime, apparently, to show the naked and predatory photos he had uploaded onto social media whilst boasting of his exploits. Tut.

And now a woman who has refused to be bullied, and is facing harassment and intimidation as a result, isn't a victim, at all, but a capitalist boss hellbent on exploiting her workers who should be branded, er phobic something, because she believes in soulmates.

It's not even gaslighting. It's just risible jibber jabber on a Mickey Mouse phone.

@jj1968

Lots of small business owners don't know how to manage workplace grievances professionally.

Indeed they don't, but they should if they are profiting from the labour of their workers, it's their job and legal duty to know. And the fact there are lots of shit bosses out there is no excuse for this boss.

Shit Boss = Bullied, intimidated woman, targeted for not capitulating to an ideology she disagrees with.

Here is the quote: "The owner has also theorized that bisexuality only exists as a result of unresolved trauma, which is invalidating towards peoples’ experiences and identities and is a belief she has openly expressed to staff in the workplace; this belief is another teaching of The Divine Truth."

That is hearsay.

I think she's a great boss. It's a fantastic business. Managing lots of part time staff who expect completely flexible hours and have little loyalty is extremely difficult. Having to do this in a culture of extreme demands for "safe space" must be soul destroying (haha) and sap anyone's entrepreneurialnspirit (hahaha).

She's definitely got unresolved trauma now.

Shit Boss = Ramming offensive beliefs down workers throats and then telling them to suck it up, leave or be fired when they complain.

The owner could well have just said ‘no, we don’t put posters in the window/support other charities’ instead, she waffled about how the ‘spirits’ made this person trans.

Replace trans with ‘gay’ and maybe you’ll see why the owners response was out of order. I agreed this was bat shit crazy When I read the OP, until I read what had actually happening.

@jj1968

Shit Boss = Ramming offensive beliefs down workers throats and then telling them to suck it up, leave or be fired when they complain.

Like those enforcing transideology you mean? And insisting women are sacked if they don't suck it up’?

@Jugglingalloftheballs

The owner could well have just said ‘no, we don’t put posters in the window/support other charities’ instead, she waffled about how the ‘spirits’ made this person trans.

Replace trans with ‘gay’ and maybe you’ll see why the owners response was out of order. I agreed this was bat shit crazy When I read the OP, until I read what had actually happening.

Honestly, if you have to make an issue about something else entirely to try to prove your point, you really have no arguments at all.

the blogpost seems to confirm some of what the workers say and reveal an employer with a complete lack of understanding of how to manage workplace grievances professionally.

Organizing a meeting with an assistant manager to discuss grievances and finding that person inviting half the staff for a pile on session is not professional and would be looked at negatively at a tribunal I feel. As would the spreading of rumours via dedicated social media accounts created to ruin the reputation of a business that employs around 20 staff. Also, it seems that some of those who attended the meeting (uninvited) who were due to work after chose not to. Again, very unprofessional.

Also, Anna also had witnesses at this meeting too that would be called in as witnesses at a tribunal.

She says (and assuming there are witnesses this would be hard to refute) she a) gave them the option to stay and b) gave them 24 hours to make their decisions.

I am not sure what you expect from grievance procedure for a small business, it seems that Anna has tried to deal with this situation professionally.

There are witnesses, why do you assume that she is lying?

The point is, posters here will obviously take the side of those whom refuse to believe trans ideology. It can be hard to think constructively about a situation when you believe you should be ‘all or nothing’ as is evidenced repeatedly here. When you step back and view the situation as a whole, away from your own beliefs, it can be easier to see the bigger picture and why there is uproar, as opposed to taking the very easy route of ‘she doesn’t have to like trans people’ blah blah

Plus It's a bit daft accusing a woman of biphobia, when you can't even define it.

It's a little tricky finding the language to describe sexual orientation when a woman is defined as 'going around being a woman'.

@Cocothefirst

IMO no religion is as batshit as the cult of gender.

^ This, absolutely. The religion seems to be a Christian sect. I'm OK with that. She has not tried to force anyone else into her religion, unlike the TRAs.

Edgeofacoin:
Do you think that vegetarian shop owners should have to display ads for leather products if they don't want to? Should a person who is against the decriminalization of cannabis be forced to put up a poster calling for the law to be changed?

I agree with your argument in principle, but vegetarians (which I am!) do not object to leather. You're thinking of vegans! :) (Just so you get the argument straight next time.)

This is what you get people when you accept everything and don’t allow people an opinion.

The owner could well have just said ‘no, we don’t put posters in the window/support other charities’ instead, she waffled about how the ‘spirits’ made this person trans.

What does make this person trans then? We are told it is not a mental health condition, not a sexuality, there is no physical cause, not to do with societal stereotype for each sex; it seems to be based purely around beliefs and feelings. If your are ‘born in the wrong body’ then what has been born in the wrong body? Your spirit?