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Conservatives freak out over trans pamphlets handed out at children’s birthday party
May 05 2025, 08:15

A British cosmetics brand is facing backlash from conservatives over a pamphlet about transgender issues and rights that was mistakenly included in giftbags at a children’s birthday party.

As British outlet The Times reports, the 24-page leaflet was included in gift bags handed out to seven- and eight-year-old girls after a recent party at one of Lush Cosmetics’ retail locations.

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The booklet, titled “The Dream vs. Reality: Creating a World Where Trans People Are Safe,” was written by U.K. trans advocacy organization TransActual as part of a partnership with Lush and My Genderation aimed at combating anti-trans misinformation.

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According to The Times, the leaflet lists terms that trans and gender-diverse people use to describe themselves, like “gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman, and neutrois,” and explains “intersectionality.” It also alleges a “calculated media assault” against trans people designed to “distract from global crises” and “shift attention from those nicely off” amid economic inequality, while also “encouraging violence” against trans people.

In another section, the leaflet reportedly likens the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to dismantle trans rights and protections in the U.S. to Nazi Germany, where research on trans issues was destroyed and LGBTQ+ people were sent to concentration camps.

It also criticizes the Cass Review’s recommendations around puberty blockers for setting a standard of proof for trans healthcare that is not applied to other forms of care. The independent review of medical research on gender-affirming care for young people, commissioned by England’s National Health Service, has been widely criticized for excluding hundreds of studies affirming the benefits of gender-affirming care.

One mother whose child attended the recent party at Lush described the leaflet to The Times as “fully propaganda in tone,” suggesting it was inappropriate for young children.

Similarly, Fiona McAnena of anti-trans organization Sex Matters described the leaflets as “shocking propaganda.”

In a statement, Lush told The Times that the leaflet “was designed to be displayed in stores next to signage about the campaign and at till points, for people to take if they wished. It should not have been put directly into bags without being asked for and we have issued guidance to our staff to ensure that does not happen again.”

In its press release announcing its partnership with TransActual and MyGenderation, Lush said that 20,000 copies of the leaflet would be distributed to its 101 stores across the U.K. The brand told The Times that questions about the leaflet’s content should be directed to TransActual.

In its press release, Lush said its campaign is aimed at countering negative media representation of trans issues “by presenting a positive vision of the world we could and should be striving for, where the UK leads on trans rights, tackles transphobia, prioritises gender affirming care, provides safety and dignity for LGTBQI+ asylum seekers, and more.”

Somewhat bolstering the campaign’s claims of media bias against trans people, The Times, The Daily Mail, and other U.K. outlets have included the description of the leaflet as “propaganda” in their headlines about the incident.

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