Free beer for men at Bills' restaurant

[Tania64]

Bills are offering free beer to men for Father's day. I asked them on their live chat if Transmen are included in the offer. The reply was 'it shouldn't be a problem'. So I replied 'ok so as Transmen are bio women are all bio women included in the offer in line with equality?' The answer 'I'm not sure but we do consider all of our customers to be equal'. As this appears as a politicians reply & does not answer my question I have sent them an e mail with my question. I await the reply.Any thoughts?

I don't mind dads getting free beer on fathers day.

BUT. If they allow transmen and men to get the free beer, they're on dodgy territory I'd have thought, should someone want to challenge it, as gender is not a protected characteristic (ie. they could do it by sex, or by gender re-assignment, but there is no protected characteristic to cover some of a sex plus some of gender re-assignment).

Although thinking again, I thought that nightclubs had been sued for letting women in without a covercharge, whilst making men pay?

So whilst I doubt anyone's going to go after it (because it's men benefiting, lets face it, and women just tend not to be that self-centred around these things), I don't actually think it's an allowed exception under the equality act

My thoughts are that this sort of thing is going to make people think that women who raise genuine concerns about gender ideology are all batshit and shouldn't be listened to.

I feel sorry for the poor person on the live chat. Proably on minmum wage, and really not deserving of a random engaging with them to try and get a Gotcha out of it.

You're being ridiculous.

Actually while I agree with pp this it's not a top priority, now often have businesses had to deal with the concept of something for men also being for women?

I'm not sure it's too bad a thing to raise it. Maybe the person on the other end of the chat isn't the one to be caught up in it, but the whole self-ID thing involves zero inclusion of women, unlike the other way around. Even on this thread someone has assumed that a trans man has had surgery. No. A trans man is any woman who says she is. Which is the whole point. The stakes aren't as high generally if women is as men, however, if it could hit the coffers of business then it might get some more people to think about what self-ID actually means re trans and that the idea of someone with dysphoria plus horrific surgery is no longer what it means.

I'm not sure what hassling the customer service staff of Bill's restaurant is meant to achieve. What is your desired outcome here?

My first thoughts are that this sort of thing is best left to the usual suspects ie TRAs otherwise we risk looking as batshit as them. I take the point that transmen rarely make this sort of fuss but not sure we should be encouraging it. Happy to be persuaded otherwise though.

I think whoever handled that live chat was brilliant. Well done them. Such a hoopla over a nice, marketing offer.

I used to work for a big company's social media on live chat and honestly this is just another day at the office- I doubt they've given it much thought. I used to get paid more for sitting on my arse than those sweating away and running around in the restaurants as well so meh.

I get the point you're trying to make OP but personally for me I wouldn't be arsed about this, just seems petty.

My thoughts are that this sort of thing is going to make people think that women who raise genuine concerns about gender ideology are all batshit and shouldn't be listened to.

I couldn't agree more. This sort of reaction is embarrassing, frankly.

Also agree. It makes you look quite hard work OP

Why would somebody who presents as a woman and believes themselves to be a woman be upset about a restaurant offering free drinks to women? That makes no sense. They'd just happily accept their free drink.

This thread is so stupid.

Hallyup89 · Today 08:15
I don't see the issue as long as all women and transwomen get a free drink on Mother's Day. You're stirring unnecessarily (and probably talking to some young person who didn't know how the hell to respond to you).“

this ^

This.

IMVFHO, the difference is that women don't really care if men get a free beer on Fathers Day or have men only swim sessions, we actually care about being treated unequally yet again.
Whereas if women are offered those things a man will sue to put a stop to it.

And imo that's one of the biggest flaws with the current equality legislation. It just shouldn't be left to individuals who are impacted to get the law upheld. It leaves 'justice' available to people who can afford it.

No, that comment makes no sense at all in the context here. Bills restaurant is offering free drinks to men- they're not going to refuse a free drink to say the trans men in the photo on the period thread.

This is the gender critical version of trans activists declaring any and every random thing is transphobic.

It says something about the state of affairs when a restaurant can't do something nice that most people would just take at face value, without the good people of mumsnet jumping all over it in this way.

A few thoughts.

They're trying to do a usual kind of offer without being brought under fire, fair enough.

Looks like they will give free beer to anyone who says they are a man. No proof you're a father either I suppose?

If I lived nearby I would 100% be there getting free beer.

What can they do? Doesn't seem they've done anything "wrong".

To whom?

People who think that anyway because they choose to?

People like me who ARE one of those women?

Me too. I don't like sweet stuff much and never have desert, and love beer and snap! Another pint for me please.

It's a bit annoying that beer = for blokes and pudding = for the laydeez.

I would far rather have a beer - in fact if I am out with family I often order another pint while they are having puddings!

(I realise that's not the point of the thread)

What gender are you if you like both? Is it bigender? Have I finally found an answer to "what gender am I?"?

This thread may have been life-changing...

(I have no issues with the same company doing free stuff for mothers and fathers on their respective "days", no matter how you define them tbh)

Oh. Looking back, I'm not sure I can be bi-gender, because it looks like big-ender if you don't hyphenate. And I don't want to draw attention to the size of my end.

I'd be interested to know if TWAW alligns with the values of Bill's Restaurant.

If enough of us contact them they'll probably put out a statement.

bills-website.co.uk/contact/

Oh FFS. This is the stuff that makes me embarrassed to be GC.

It's a restaurant chain. Why should every single random business have to tread this ridiculous tight rope to try to satisfy everyone? This sort of thing must be a nightmare for them, and it devalues the cause to create a ruckus over a free beer offer.

They don't need to make a statement about trans. It's a fucking restaurant.