TRA slogan tshirts at work - WWYD?

[SecretSquirrelSect]

I work for a public sector organisation in a really large team. There is a lot of churn and change due to placements and secondments so I don't know everyone by a long stretch.

Last week we had a wider team event away from our usual site. There were lots of tasks to mix us up and get us working with people we don't know so well etc.

I found it really odd that someone in a senior position chose to turn up wearing a slogan tshirt that said, 'Gender Affirming Care Saves Lives' in large type with trans flag colours surrounding the words. I found it really distracting and confrontational but obviously had to pretend not to have seen it/read it and carry on participating in the day professionally. (Everyone else wore v standard office 'nice top and trouser' type things)

I completely disagree with the statement and have read Hannah Barnes' book etc so feel it is a very nuanced and delicate topic that requires careful discussion.

It felt to me like being baited or shouted at - with no mechanism or right to reply.

I want to feed back that I felt uncomfortable and that I feel it detracted from my engagement in the day. I also feel I would now be v wary of working for this person if the need arose. I doubt in such a large group I would be the only one feeling like this either. But it is hard to know, especially with them being in a senior position, whether I would be 'marking my card' to complain?

WWYD?

Provide feedback that political slogans of any kind on a t shirt are inappropriate whatever the slogan is and ask HR to reinforce that message.

I would also be wary when working with thaat person, not because of their views but because they bring their views to work.

I just don't know who to feed back to or via what route.

I agree as any political message in block caps on someone's front feels very forceful and likely divisive.

Is whoever organised the event sending out feedback forms for it? If so, that's the logical place. If not, I'd raise the concern as you have done here with HR, emphasising that it's not acceptable to push any ideology on others, perhaps citing the recent NHS decision about lanyards and pins. You can also say that contested views such as his are highly polarising and you would expect an organisation such as yours to be a welcoming place for everyone no matter what views they hold. Good luck. And well done to you for holding your tongue during the event. I think I would have found that very difficult tbh.

Thank you.

I have not been to one of these events before but I am expecting a feedback form from the event so I will wait for that.

I have looked to see if there is a written dress code policy and there doesn't seem to be anything specific.

It was in the news yesterday that there needs to be a stop to any political stance being made by NHS workers while at work/wearing work clothes.

You could bring this up.

By the way suicides are not prevented by being given transgender affirming drugs so it is misleading. Plus irresponsible use of suicide in public arguments is dangerous for young people.

Perhaps ither posters can give links.

Yes, the recent NHS review reported this week is very timely for you.

I would start with the event organiser, but it may involve a lot of round the houses emailing to find someone willing to admit responsibility for any kind of dress code.

My workplace (university, STEM department) has a high number of Chinese students and academics, so you would assume wearing a FREE TIBET t-shirt would be considered inappropriate and that is the example I would use.

I organised an away day at a posh central London venue recently, that had a proper old school "gentlemen's club" dress code that included no trainers or ripped jeans. I had to send repeat reminders to academics to smarten up a bit. It would totally have made my day if one of the annoying ones who never reads emails got escorted off the premises.

I would feed back something like 'I suggest that there is a dress code for future events (e.g. smart casual) as I felt some attendees used the event to push political messages on their clothing which others might find alienating or upsetting.'

This sounds perfect to me.

Agreed.

I will definitely use this, thank you

Have been reading up on the Mann report and can see he has been very careful not to include wider stuff in it. Has anyone got any links to the NHS taking this on board for wider political/ideological symbols?

I'd suggest "may make others feel unsafe" rather than alienating and upsetting. I think it will land harder and be harder to dismiss.

This Guardian article mentions ‘all forms of racism’ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/04/nhs-to-tackle-antisemitism-after-report-finds-jewish-staff-and-patients-routinely-ostracised

It ought to include the awful constant Pride stuff being pushed but there is no mention of it as one of the political slogans.

If a law said ‘political symbols’ rainbow lanyards etc could be included. If it says anti-semitism, Islamophobia, and racism then it seems more difficult.

It's a contentious and politicised statement in the work place. In an ideal world someone in a senior position would have pulled the person aside and told them to either change the top. Or go home. Unfortunately, as we're all acutely aware, we don't live in an ideal world. ☹️

I think the advice you've been given by @Lovelyview sounds stellar.

Unless you don't have another option, I'm not sure the event organisers would be the right people to feed back to. If you know the person's name and they work in your wider org, I would think the best thing would be to look up who manages them and drop them an email (you could ask to remain anonymous). As this was a work event (even if outside their day-to-day activities), they should be dressed in a work-appropriate and professional way, and not pushing political messages, especially as a senior person. If you have a code of conduct for your area (e.g. NHS Code of Conduct, Civil Service Code or similar) that mentions impartiality/objectivity or similar you could quote that, or failing that, the Seven Principles of Public Life (Nolan Principles), which cover everyone in the public sector.

Which dipshit thinks a t-shirt with a covert reference to suicide is appropriate attire to anything but a protest march?

'Oooh I've a work event coming up, where's my political agenda t-shirt. It's just the thing for a professional day out'

FFS he has no idea what the person sitting next to him has experienced.

I'd feel the same of someone came wearing a top with 'Rape is a weapon of war' on it. Totally inappropriate.

I posted this on another thread, but I heard someone from the NHS being interviewed about this and got really angry, because he was going on about if its political it isn't part of being "at work" ie a campaign slogan.

But was then asked by the interviewer what about Raibow symbols, and (this is why I became angry) he said that would be find because that is the work place letting someone know they are welcome whatever their identity. He also said this would include a Black Lives Matter slogan.

Not sure that this man is correct, but obviously someone needs to make a clear set of instructions.

The only comment I saw else where was it was okay to wear the symbol of a religion, eg a crucifix or Star of David.

@SecretSquirrelSect "It felt to me like being baited or shouted at - with no mechanism or right to reply"

that's usually the point of T-shirts with slogans or symbols on them

As such I think any organisation dress code should say they're not allowed. There is no need for me to wear a Taylor Swift T-shirt at work, surely.

honestly, everything was so much easier when organisations just expected staff to dress professionally. A T-shirt is fine. Any style or colour you like - but not with symbols or slogans on it.

I think a lot of the media coverage has wrongly implied that a report into the rise of antisemitism in the NHS has somehow address other forms of racism and discrimination.

A lot of it is about (sadly) an increase in antisemitism between staff.

And because of recent events some members of the Jewish community having concerns about using the NHS.

This is the Review https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lord-mann-review-on-antisemitism-and-other-forms-of-racism-in-the-nhs/lord-mann-review-of-antisemitism-and-other-forms-of-racism-in-the-nhs-and-healthcare-regulatory-system

And these the recommendations https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lord-manns-recommendations-to-tackle-antisemitism-accepted

So not sure that either of these cover wearing "political" slogans or campaigns.

But agree with someone up thread that whoever chose to do it was not behaving appropriately in a work situation.

What if someone turned up with some anti abortion slogan, or even a slogan saying abortion should be available up to the moment of birth.

It's just another example of how it seems just about everything has been transed.

And some people want to publicly make everyone aware that they are a full on trans ally.