Mums boycotting Flora for ending partnership with Mumsnet over ‘transphobia’
Flora advertised its partnership with Mumsnet on its packaging (Twitter/@Mimmymum)
The makers of Flora decided to pull their advertising from Mumsnet last week over anti-trans posts and now, to the surprise of no one, Mumsnet mums are boycotting Flora in response.
Examples of strong anti-trans sentiment from some Mumsnetters include anger over the NHS’s rainbow badges and a boycott of the Co-op after an advert for strawberries featured a trans woman.
Flora advertised its partnership with the site by adding a ‘Mumsnet Rated’ symbol to the tubs, but this has now ended after trans advocates, led by the pro-trans feminist @mimmymum, called for Flora to “stop funding transphobia”.
Upfield, which owns Flora as well as other brands like Proactiv and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, said it had “made the decision to no longer work with Mumsnet” on Friday, October 11.
In response, one Mumsnet user started a thread on the board “Women’s Rights” and said: “They’ve made the decision to ‘no longer work with Mumsnet’ because they want to ‘treat everyone equally’ because of their ‘values’.
“By this I’m sure they mean any woman who uses this site should definitely NOT buy their products.”
The thread currently has 758 messages, and supporters of the boycott have also taken to social media to express their outrage at the butter substitute manufacturer’s decision.
One wrote: “I’m boycotting Flora because they believe women shouldn’t have opinions.”
Journalist Helen Joyce tweeted: “What an incredibly stupid decision. Mothers use your products – and mothers organise politically to defend women’s rights.
“The sorts of things that you’re calling hate are women simply lobbying for British law to stay as it is. Bye-bye. That’s your products gone from my house.”
What an incredibly stupid decision. Mothers use your products – and mothers organise politically to defend women’s rights. The sorts of things that you’re calling hate are women simply lobbying for British law to stay as it is. Bye-bye. That’s your products gone from my house
— Helen Joyce (@HJJoyceEcon) October 11, 2019
Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said in a statement to PinkNews: “It’s disappointing that Flora have bowed to pressure from a handful of activists on Twitter – particularly as they didn’t raise any objections to any actual content on the Mumsnet site.
“We can see why an advertiser might want to avoid controversy but it’s crystal clear from the sheer volume of discussions about this topic that parents need a place online to discuss these complex issues around gender self-id and the rapidly growing number of children presenting as gender dysmorphic.
“We feel it’s the right thing to do to facilitate that debate (whilst ensuring it remains respectful) even though some would wish to censor it. Mumsnet has turned down hundreds of thousands of pounds of advertising over the years from companies which we feel don’t make parents’ lives easier, so we’re well-used to putting purpose before profit.
“I do think in the end consumers will value companies which show a bit of backbone, as shown by the reaction of Mumsnet users to Flora’s decision.”
Flora is not the first brand to distance itself from Mumsnet. The frozen food giant Birds Eye severed ties with the site in April, and children’s charity NSPCC was forced to end a Facebook Live chat after Mumsnetters flooded it with a slew of ‘transphobic’ comments.
