Marks & Spencer apologises to transgender shopper after refusing to let them enter the menswear changing rooms

Retailer says it 'respects how customers identify themselves'

Marks & Spencer has issued a formal apology to a transgender shopper after a member of staff refused to let them try on clothes in the menswear changing rooms.

Myla Corvidae, 30, was born female and now identifies as non-binary using they/them pronouns.

During a shopping trip in Aberdeen, Corvidae found a number of items from the menswear section of Marks & Spencer and looked for the nearest changing room to try them on.

After finding there was no attendant at the changing rooms Corvidae entered and began trying on the items.

However, when they went to look for a different size, Corvidae was told by a member of staff that they could not try the clothes in the changing rooms located in the menswear section.

Corvidae said the reason they were given for not being allowed to use the facilities was because they were “only for men”.

“She told me I couldn’t use the changing rooms there as they were ‘only for men’ and said that I had to use the changing rooms downstairs which are for women,” Corvidae explained.

“I was utterly shocked and the only thing I could think of to say was ‘I’m not female’ to which she looked me up and down, apologised and walked off.

“I felt sick, like I was being accused of some kind of crime just for trying on clothes. Afterwards, I went home and cried – I have never been accosted like that in a store before.

“I had to go back in and speak to someone in store because no one took it seriously the first time and I started crying even trying to talk about it again with them.”

(Myla Corvidae /SWNS.COM (Myla Corvidae /SWNS.COM)

After Corvidae made a complaint, a spokesperson for Marks & Spencer admitted the member of staff had made "a mistake” with the retailer expressing a formal apology to them both in person and via letter.

Despite the apology from the company, Corvidae has said they feel unable to return to the shop due to the distress caused on that day.

“I don’t think the apology was enough to be honest, it shouldn’t have ever happened to start with and I have lost confidence in Marks and Spencer as a company for standing up for trans folk like myself,” Corvidae said.

“I still feel scared to shop at Marks & Spencer in case it happens again elsewhere or if I have to deal with that same person again.”

They continued: “I am still very much upset by what happened and if I were to go back I wouldn’t go on my own and I would not be shopping for clothes there again.”

(Myla Corvidae /SWNS.COM (Myla Corvidae /SWNS.COM)

A spokesperson for Marks & Spencer said that the store offers fitting rooms with individual lockable cubicles “to ensure every customer feels comfortable and has the privacy they need”.

‘’The fitting rooms are located within our womenswear and menswear departments and therefore are mainly used by customers of that gender, however, as an inclusive retailer and in line with most other retailers, we allow customers the choice of fitting room in respect of how they identify themselves,” they explained.

‘’Clearly on this occasion a mistake was made, we have apologised to our customer for this incident, additionally our store manager wrote a personal apology assuring the customer they have spoken to the team.”

Last year, Marks & Spencer polarised shoppers over its gender inclusive fitting rooms after feminist campaigner Jean Hatchet claimed a friend took her 15-year-old daughter for a bra fitting at the retailer and saw a man in the changing rooms trying on women’s underwear.

“Made my blood boil but I can’t say anything or I’ll be a hater,” Hatchet tweeted. “No one would even dream of putting a female child’s right to a safe space above a man’s to get kinky with women’s underwear.”

However, in a subsequent tweet, Hatchet clarified the anecdote, explaining that her friend and her daughter “had to queue up with a man clutching a load of bras”.

Hatchet’s tweets garnered hundreds of responses, with some agreeing while others praised M&S for its inclusive policies.

The retailer replied on Twitter and in a statement sent to The Independent by explaining that all of its fitting rooms have lockable cubicles designed to protect its customer’s privacy.

“As a business, we strive to be inclusive and therefore, we allow customers the choice of which fitting room they feel comfortable to use, in respect of how they identify themselves,” the statement continued.

“This is an approach other retailers and leisure facilities have also adopted. We understand your concerns and I want to make it clear that if any customer was to act inappropriately or cause intentional offence, the necessary action would be taken.”