Oh look... a spoilt bastard.
Quote:London North East Railway apologises and promises to deal with conductor who wished passengersArchived Daily Mail Article:
a cheery 'good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls' after 'non-binary' LGBT rail union rep
said it didn't 'apply to them'
'A train operator has come under fire after it apologised over a complaint from a non-binary passenger
because the conductor greeted customers by saying 'good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.'
London North Eastern Railway said in response to the complaint on Twitter that 'train managers should not
be using language like this' before promising to take action.
The non-binary passenger, who goes by the Twitter name Laurence and uses the pronouns they and them,
also states they represent the Rail, Maritime and Transport trade union.
Laurence, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union's LGBT rep and professional ass-hole.
In their complaint, Laurence stated: '"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..." so as a non
binary person this announcement doesn't actually apply to me so I won't listen @LNER.'
In response, the train company said: 'I'm really sorry to see this, Laurence, our Train Managers should not be
using language like this, and I thank you for bringing it to my attention.
'Please could you let me know which service you are on and I will ensure they remain as inclusive as we strive
to be at LNER.'
The exchange sparked a fierce debate over whether 'language like this' should be banned by companies.
A colleague who was with Laurence at the time and is also believed to be a rail worker defended the complaint.
Jarley wrote: 'Both Laurence and I were customers of the railway - being rail staff does not absolve an operator
from the duty of care or responsibility to be inclusive. 'I was sat with Laurence when this tweet was sent.
Both of us are non-binary and we were both alarmed and uncomfortable by the lack of inclusion.'
But Twitter users criticised LNER for their apology and said they felt there was nothing wrong with the friendly
greeting. Mark Jenkinson, the Conservative MP for Workington, said: 'You’d be forgiven for thinking this Train
Manager had unleashed a tirade of abuse.
'“Should not be using language like this”
'He’d actually said “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls”.
'Identify however you like, but can we stop this nonsense?'
Columnist Paul Embery added: 'Utterly ridiculous. Do you have any idea how this kind of thing comes across to
ordinary people?' Another Twitter user added: 'Both WORK for the rail system... but they “won’t” listen to train
announcements that don’t “apply” to them?
'This isn’t a ‘customer complaint’ from a member of the general public — it’s two transport EMPLOYEES pushing
their own agenda.' Others questioned what the alternative would be if train managers wished to remain welcoming
and courteous when greeting passengers.
One asked: 'I am concerned that you say train managers should not be using language "like this".
'Can you clarify please? Why are you asking the service this person was on?
'Do you intend telling the train manager that they are not to use normal language that everybody understands?'
Another added: 'Well done LNER for sticking up for the Equalities act of 2010, can I just ask what conductors are
supposed to say though? 'Sounds like this one wasn't following company guidelines, so what SHOULD they have
said?'
Hitting back at critics LNER confirmed that the member of staff was not going to get 'in trouble' and added:
'We're not bending over backward to accommodate any one person, we're doing our best to accommodate
every person. There's the difference.'
A spokesman confirmed to MailOnline that no action was taken against the member of staff who used the greeting.
In a statement, they added: 'We are committed to diversity and inclusion in all that we do for our customers, colleagues
and communities, and encourage our onboard teams to welcome all customers onboard.
'Our policies and procedures are reviewed regularly and we will review if any further changes need to be made.'
The RMT Union was contacted for comment...'
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.