Innocent ‘stand against discrimination’ and apologise for following blogger who upset trans people

Innocent Drinks has apologised after following a blogger who upset transgender people by writing: ‘In life or in death, trans women are not women’. 

The London-based smoothie company unfollowed blogger Margaret Nelson after a Twitter user asked why it followed the woman they labelled a ‘clear transphobe’. 

In response, Innocent said it ‘stands against discrimination’ and unfollowed the account because her words about trans people ‘wasn’t in line with our values of inclusivity and respect’.

Innocent Drinks unfollowed blogger Margaret Nelson (pictured) after a Twitter user questioned why they followed the woman they described as a ‘clear transphobe’

After receiving the tweet, Innocent said thank you for the ‘heads up’ and assured the Twitter user it had been ‘sorted’

Innocent shared a public statement which explained they unfollowed Margaret’s account because the content on her feed about trans people ‘wasn’t in line with our values of inclusivity and respect’. Pictured: Innocent Drinks CEO Douglas Lamont

Twitter user Andrew messaged the drinks company, saying: ‘Innocent, may I ask why you follow @flashmaggie? You follow a clear transphobe, who runs the account?’

Innocent thanked Andrew for giving them the ‘heads up’ and reassured him they had ‘sorted that’, on Friday. 

Defending herself, Ms Nelson said: ‘Me? A transphobe? One of my trans followers has just tweeted that she loves me, so how does that work? 

‘Being critical of trans activist behaviour, defending women’s rights, and supporting organisations that are concerned about child protection doesn’t make anyone a transphobe.’ 

Since the interaction and Innocent’s decision to unfollow Ms Nelson’s page, some people have expressed their outrage on social media and others said they plan to boycott the company. 

It is not the first time Ms Nelson has come under fire for her views. She was woken up by a phone call from Suffolk Police in February 2019 to warn the then 74-year-old that her online posts about gender identity not extending beyond the grave had offended transgender people. 

In a January 19, 2019 blog post rebutting a tweet she received – which read ‘trans women ARE women fact’ – Ms Nelson wrote that if a transgender person’s body was dissected post-mortem, ‘his or her sex would be obvious to a student or pathologist’.

After unfollowing Margaret on Friday, the company has faced backlash for its decision. It released a public statement about the issue on Twitter this morning 

Margaret challenged the tweeters claims that she was ‘transphobe’ and said she is ‘critical of trans activist behaviour’

In a statement, Innocent said: ‘Over the years we’ve followed a lot of people on here, and time to time we’ve unfollowed some too. 

‘The other day we unfollowed a Twitter account because content on their feed about trans people wasn’t in line with our values of inclusivity and respect. This made some poeple on Twitter quite cross. 

‘We’ve still got work to do but we believe that everyone should be protected from discrimination. We will continue to make sure that our social media channels remain fair and inclusive.

‘It’s on all of us to make sure everyone can live happy, free lives and we will keep working towards a world where that’s a reality.’ 

Reaction to Innocent’s decision to unfollow Margaret has been mixed. 

Journalist and Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes tweeted: ‘Innocent has seen fit to apologise for following a pensioner. 

 

Opinons regarding Innocent’s decision to unfollow Margaret was mixed – with some people suggesting they would boycott the company

‘Denouncing her online because she believes ‘man’ and ‘woman’ to be defined by biology. They can keep their overpriced pulp. 

‘”Transphobia” used to mean the fear or loathing of trans people, it now means being pro-truth.’

Sharing Innocent’s statement, star of hit show Lewis Laurence Fox said: ‘That’s a shame. My kids liked your overly expensive smoothies.’ 

In contrast, others praised Innocent with one applauding that the company ‘held their nerve despite the pile on’.