JK Rowling calls for boycott on Marks & Spencer over transgender bra fitting row
The Harry Potter author wrote: 'It's time for women to vote with their wallets.'
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It came after it emerged a trans member of Marks & Spencer staff — a 6ft 2in biological male — asked a girl of 14 in the lingerie section if she needed help with a bra fitting.
The girl's mum, who does not want to be named, called the approach 'completely inappropriate' and said her daughter recoiled in horror.
She added that the teen was visibly upset and 'freaked out'.
The incident happened, it is said, before the Supreme Court ruled the word 'sex' in the Equality Act referred to biological sex, not self-identified gender.
M&S apologised for the incident but has made no commitment that trans staff or customers would be told to stay out of female changing rooms.
Rowling wrote on X: 'If stores like M&S continue to flout the Supreme Court ruling on women-only spaces, prioritising the wishes of men who want to undress near, or help fit bras on, teenage girls, a boycott seems appropriate.'
In an email to the mum the day after the incident, Marks & Spencer wrote: 'We deeply regret the distress your daughter felt during her visit to our store.
'We understand how important this milestone is for her, and we are truly sorry that it did not go as you had hoped.'
It declined to comment on Rowling's remarks last night.
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