Rail Firm Accuses Passenger Who Asked About £58,000 Pride Train Repainting of ‘Being Transphobic’
LNER Accuses Passenger of Bias Against Transgender Individuals
LNER has accused a passenger of having a ‘bias against transgender individuals’ after their Freedom of Information request revealed the operator had spent £58k on repainting a gay pride train.
The ‘Together’ Pride Train
The ‘Together’ Pride train was the subject of an information request by Carol Fossick, who was labelled ‘transphobic’ by a senior LNER manager who looked through her social media posts.
Ms Fossick’s Request
Ms Fossick had asked the operator for information about LNER’s diversity initiatives, including the demographics of their staff and the selection process for future train designs, however LNER refused to answer and branded her ‘vexatious’.
LNER’s Response
They said: ‘Since you submitted your internal review, your subsequent social media posts have demonstrated views that indicate a bias against transgender individuals.’
‘Given the content of your recent tweets, we believe continuing to engage with your request could lead to harmful discourse and cause distress to our transgender employees and the people that the Pride Train represents.’
“The repeated focus on these specific topics, coupled with the use of transphobic language and alignment with anti-trans figures, suggests a potential motive beyond simply seeking information.”
Ms Fossick’s Response
After half of her questions were left unanswered in LNER’s frosty response, Ms Fossick wrote back: ‘It just seems to be so removed from what I’m asking you to do, which is ‘help me understand how you do your livery [and] help me understand why there’s no papers to justify the £58,000 cost of the Pride livery’.
LNER has accused a passenger of having a ‘bias against transgender individuals’
An FOI request revealed the operator had spent £58k on repainting a gay pride train
Maya Forstater’s Comments
‘It’s nowhere near a vexatious sort of request, just to ask once and to use your right to ask to follow up on that.’
Speaking to the Telegraph, Maya Forstater, the chief executive of the charity Sex Matters, said: ‘LNER’s refusal to respond to an FoI request on the basis that the requester had expressed views that challenge gender ideology was disgraceful and discriminatory.’
“It’s appalling to see one of the UK’s largest transport companies losing touch with reality to the extent that it sees a focus on ‘binary sex divisions’ and criticism of its expensively clad Pride train as ‘vexatious’ and appropriate grounds for refusal.
“This attempt at thought-policing passengers for blaspheming against the rainbow suggests a corporate culture that is more akin to a medieval church than a modern business.
“The fact that LNER even felt entitled to refuse to respond to an FoI on that basis suggests that staff and managers within the business must have accepted a stultifying culture of fear and obedience.’
Conclusion
LNER’s decision to accuse a passenger of having a ‘bias against transgender individuals’ for asking about the cost of repainting a Pride train is a concerning example of the company’s lack of commitment to transparency and accountability.
FAQs
Q: Why did LNER accuse the passenger of having a ‘bias against transgender individuals’?
A: LNER claimed that the passenger’s social media posts demonstrated views that indicate a bias against transgender individuals.
Q: What was the passenger’s request?
A: The passenger, Carol Fossick, asked LNER for information about their diversity initiatives, including the demographics of their staff and the selection process for future train designs.
Q: Why did LNER refuse to answer the passenger’s request?
A: LNER refused to answer the passenger’s request and branded her ‘vexatious’ after a senior manager reviewed her social media posts.
Q: What did Maya Forstater, the chief executive of Sex Matters, say about LNER’s decision?
A: Maya Forstater said that LNER’s decision was ‘disgraceful and discriminatory’ and that it suggests a corporate culture that is more akin to a medieval church than a modern business.
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