It's in the Telegraph tonight
John Lewis launches staff magazine advising parents how to find breast binders for trans children
Partnership faces calls for a boycott after critics brand guidance ‘dangerous’ and ‘irresponsible’
Hayley Dixon,
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT and
Isabel Oakeshott
15 February 2024 • 8:49pm
John Lewis is facing a backlash after launching the Identity magazine, produced by the LGTQIA+ network
John Lewis has launched a magazine for staff which advises parents on how to find breast binders for trans children.
The partnership, which also owns Waitrose, faced boycott calls on Wednesday after it issued a new publication to more than 70,000 staff members.
The Identity magazine, produced by the “LGTQIA+ network”, warned parents their support “can determine their child’s mental wellbeing” before quoting figures from controversial charity Stonewall, which suggested that the number of trans children attempting suicide is “double the national average”.
The magazine recommends support from the charity Mermaids, which is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission amid safeguarding concerns, and praises private clinic Gender GP for prescribing cross-sex hormones.
James Esses, co-ordinator of the Declaration for Biological Reality, who was sent the magazine by a concerned staff member, said “My main concern is that we have an employer pushing a divisive and dangerous ideology on to its staff members.
“It is particularly concerning that it suggests to potentially vulnerable parents in a difficult situation that the answer to their daughter’s distress with their bodies would be to get them a breast binder, that is the most alarming thing of all.”
Boycott
Calls for a boycott of the stores come as the company is already struggling financially, with multi-million pound losses prompting plans for a major turnaround.
Earlier this week, it emerged that staff, braced for sweeping job cuts, have been warned they face disciplinary action if they post abusive comments on its internal forum.
It is not the first time that John Lewis has sparked controversy over trans issues. In 2019 it caused a row over protection of single sex spaces after telling customers they can use “whichever fitting room makes them feel most comfortable”.
The Identity magazine starts with an introduction from the editor in which he suggests the debates over LGBTQ rights are “playing pointless politics with people’s lives”.
The magazine, seen by the Telegraph, features a piece on “Raising Trans and Non-Binary Children”, which focuses on a mother, Simone, who says she was not surprised her daughter wanted to transition to be a boy as “he hadn’t worn anything girly since he was eight”.
It says that children unable to express their gender identity experience a “dramatic decrease in their mental health” and says that parents should “take steps to learn, grow and support” their children.
The article also features the experiences of trans staff members. One says: “If you love your child enough. you’re not going to care about the judgment that you may face just because they’re happy.”
Parents and professionals have long warned about social transition and affirming a child’s trans identity, with the interim Cass report advising that changing a young person’s name and pronouns or the way that they dress, is not a “neutral act” that could have “significant effects” in terms of “psychological functioning”.
The magazine feature goes on to quote a parent, Anne, saying that social media influencers “helped” by sharing “tips on how to safely use clothing and equipment to achieve a person’s desired gender identity, for example, chest binders”.
Anne says that “a binder is always safer than the alternatives”.
Health risks
A study by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health has previously found that 97 per cent of adults who use breast binders experienced health impacts from binding, including pain, rib fractures, changes to the spine, headaches, respiratory and skin infections and muscle wasting.
According to the study, the most comprehensive to date: “Commercial binders were the binding method most consistently associated with negative health outcomes, possibly because such binders have the potential to provide more compression than other binding methods.”
Simone describes taking her child to Gender GP, a private online clinic marred by controversy over prescribing drugs to children, in order to get puberty blockers.
The piece concludes that getting a child “on the waiting list for gender-affirming care and therapy if they need it can be life-saving.”
The magazine also includes advice on using preferred pronouns “because it’s right to do so” and a glossary of trans terms and dates for events.
The magazine says some of the events which will be recognised in 2024 include International Trans Day of Visibility, Asexuality Day, Agender Pride Day, Pansexual and Panromantic Visibility Day, Non-binary Awareness Week and International Non-binary People’s Day.
Staff ‘too afraid to speak out’
Mr Esses said: “I have been contacted by employees who are worried about this but are now too afraid to speak out.
“This magazine is a signal that anybody who believes in biological reality, who believes that men should not be entering women’s spaces and that children should not be medicalised will be viewed with disdain by John Lewis.”
Stephanie Davies-Arai, founder of Transgender Trend which advocates for evidence-based healthcare, said: “It is totally wrong, irresponsible and indefensible that John Lewis would put this advice out there to employees, a lot of whom are parents.
“They do not have any expertise on the subject – they are not clinicians, therapists or medical professionals and it is not their place to advise parents, particularly when the advice they are giving is so dangerous. The medical scandal around the gender transition of children is so well documented that they cannot claim ignorance.”
A John Lewis Partnership spokesman said: “We want the Partnership to be a place where people can work or shop with confidence, irrespective of their backgrounds.
“Multiple studies – including those from the Government – show that trans people are at higher risk of hate crimes and discrimination, and this magazine was created by our LGBTQIA+ network to champion understanding and support. It has been positively received by the huge majority of our Partners.
“We’ve a number of networks across our business, which encourage open conversations. Partners can share their own questions and experiences – even on topics where people have different views.