Is John Lewis right to make children’s clothes gender neutral?

JOHN LEWIS has sparked controversy with its gender-neutral labelling of children’s clothes (Mail). But it still recognises the two genders by calling the range Boys & Girls without assigning specific clothing to either sex. It’s the perfect compromise. Transgenderism is rare and most children gravitate towards clothing associated with their gender. If they don’t, they won’t feel abnormal or self-conscious about it in John Lewis. DIANE SILvA, Lytham St Annes, Lancs. HOW long before adult clothing is also genderneutral, with women’s wear and menswear merged into one muddled department? Will buttons be banned because men have them on the right and women on the left? They could be seen as offensively stereotypical. MARTIN BURGESS,

Beckenham, Kent.

I DON’T know why the gender lobby is making such a fuss about the labelling of children’s clothes. If a boy wants a pair of pink trainers, he can have them. When my son was two, he adored his toy carpet sweeper. My daughter was a tomboy, played football with the boys and wore jeans and a Spider-Man T-shirt. The whole issue is political rubbish and should not be foisted on the rest of us. SANDRA FREEDMAN, Edgware, Middx. STOP this daft carry on over clothing! I prefer trousers to a skirt or dress, and my daughters are nearly always in jeans. If a man or boy wants to wear a dress, why not? But for comfort and ease you can bet they will soon be back in trousers. David Beckham once famously wore a sarong, but that didn’t last long. It’s great that women have got out of the corset and crinoline, so please don’t put men back in time with this silly promotion of PC propaganda. MARY HESLAM, Wigton, Cumbria. WILL John Lewis apply its gender neutral policy to its staff uniform, lingerie and underwear departments and public toilets? Emerson Bainbridge, who founded what he claimed was the world’s first department store in Newcastle (it was taken over by John Lewis in 1952), must be looking down and thinking: ‘Where did I go wrong?’ P. BENNISON, Whitley Bay, Tyne & Wear. SURELY the right-on department store should change its name to Janet & John Lewis. VINCENT HEFTER, Richmond, Surrey. ARE the campaigners asking for us to boycott or girlcott the store? LAURANCE P. SCOTT, Bearsden, Dunbartonshire.