London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Pronoun badges for staff at major UK retail chain trigger calls for boycott

Pronoun badges for staff at major UK retail chain trigger calls for boycott

Marks & Spencer, a British high street favourite, has started offering staff the opportunity to wear a badge featuring their preferred pronoun, alongside their first name and the firm’s logo.
While the badges had been launched a few months ago, they have only recently come to the attention of the British media.

David Parke, UK food public relations manager at Marks & Spencer, shared a photo on his new badge on LinkedIn in October, marking International Pronouns Day.

“I’m so grateful that Marks & Spencer actively encourages us to share our pronouns at work, whether on our name badges or in our email signatures,” he wrote.

Parke added that the badges had already helped start some “necessary conversations around gender identity and non-binary experiences.”

The badges, which are optional, feature pronouns such as ‘He/Him/His’, ‘She/Her/Hers’, and ‘They/Them/Their’, along with the worker’s first name and the M&S logo.

Sasha Misra, associate director of communications and campaigns at the LGBT rights charity Stonewall, told The Sun that having pronouns on badges was the right way to create an inclusive workplace.

M&S are by no means the first high street store to make the move; Tesco had already made the pledge after an employee suggested rolling out pronoun badges in 2020.

While it may be popular with some employees, news of M&S’ move has provoked somewhat of a backlash on social media. Some people said they would look out for the staff members wearing the badges and make sure they wouldn’t ask them for help. “I can’t be doing with someone’s narcissism when I just need to find where the toilet rolls are,” one person wrote

Others noted that they couldn’t care less what gender, sexuality, colour, or religion any of the staff are, and questioned why anyone would want them to know, especially when they were just popping in for a pint of milk.

Another person said they would be boycotting M&S as a result. “Putting pressure on people to specify pronouns is compelled speech; political indoctrination; & constitutes belief discrimination,” they wrote. Some people did point out, however, that wearing the badge was optional.

One Twitter user questioned how many of these ‘oddballs’ there were in the UK. “Millions? Or about 5?”

While many clearly seemed opposed to the idea, a few people registered their support. “Excellent. Good to see employers being inclusive,” one person wrote.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×