John Lewis tips on breast binders for children
Partnership faces calls for a boycott after advice in new trans-friendly staff magazine branded divisive
JOHN LEWIS has launched a magazine for staff which advises parents on how to find breast binders for trans children.
The partnership 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 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.”
Calls for a boycott of the stores come as the company is already struggling financially, 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.
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 Tele
graph, features a piece on “Raising
Trans and Non-binary Children”, which focuses on 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 article 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”.
A study by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health has previously found that 97 per cent of adults who use breast binders experienced problems, including pain, rib fractures, changes to the spine, headaches and skin infections.
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”.
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.”
A spokesman for John Lewis said: “Multiple studies 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.”