A former employee of cosmetics retailer Lush has alleged that staff at the company labeled a customer as “bigoted” after she expressed the view that only women can become pregnant. The ex-sales assistant, who requested anonymity, described an incident from earlier this year in which a shopper seeking a gift for a “pregnant woman” was directed by Lush employees to products designated for “pregnant people.” When the customer reiterated her belief that only women can get pregnant, her colleagues reportedly dismissed her perspective and branded her as holding transphobic views.

The former staff member said that workers were encouraged to wear badges displaying their preferred pronouns and were described by management as “trans allies.” According to her, employees were empowered to ask customers to leave if their comments were perceived as transphobic. She recounted that some colleagues appeared eager to confront individuals they considered to express discriminatory opinions. Expressing discomfort with the prevailing workplace culture, the former employee said she refrained from sharing her own views to avoid becoming a target and questioned why conformity to certain beliefs was expected, drawing a parallel to religious expression in professional environments.

This account emerged following public criticism of a Lush window display in Chelmsford, Essex, which featured a tiger bearing pink, blue, and white stripes along with the phrase “proud of my stripes.” The tiger included markings suggestive of post-operative scarring from top surgery, intended to represent and support transgender individuals who have undergone the procedure. Some breast cancer survivors protested the display, accusing Lush of “glorifying the removal of healthy breasts.” The mural’s artist, Bucky Ringsell, stated on social media that the artwork was created to affirm and represent people who have had top surgery, including herself.

Since April 2025, Lush has run a campaign across its 101 UK stores promoting trans lives and experiences, featuring window displays, free educational booklets, and QR codes linking to supportive films. The initiative was developed in partnership with transgender-led organizations TransActual and My Genderation and introduced a gender-affirming care policy for transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse employees. At the time, the company described the campaign as emanating from the “heart of the business” and indicated it had been requested by staff.

The former employee expressed strong disapproval of the campaign’s messaging, which included slogans such as “trans youth living their truth matter” and “GPs on board with gender-affirming care.” She noted that staff were encouraged to distribute campaign materials to customers, including parents and children, despite her concerns that some content was “too adult” for younger audiences. One such resource, a 24-page booklet titled The Dream vs Reality: Creating a World Where Trans People are Safe, produced by Lush and TransActual, asserts that being transgender is not a mental illness, calls for a ban on puberty blockers to be lifted, and supports legal gender self-identification.

Lush was contacted for comment but has not responded to requests.