Genderless (Gay) Marriage has led to Happy You Day (Mothers Day)
The UK food retailer Waitrose is selling gender-neutral Mother’s Day cards as retailers reduce their use of the M-word to make today’s celebration in Britain more “transgender inclusive”.
The supermarket chain is selling a “Happy You Day” card in which the word “mother” does not appear.
Waitrose said the move was aimed at “broadening out who the cards can go to, whether it’s grandmas or transgender mums”. Traditional cards are still sold.
Happy Mother’s Day. Picture: Thinkstock.
Waitrose has been joined by other retailers, including Scribbler, whose Mother’s Day offerings include a “Two mums are better than one” card for same-sex couples and a “Dad, thanks for being the most amazing mum” card for single fathers and transgender parents.
The changes come after calls by some transgender activists to rename Mother’s Day. Suggested alternatives include Special Person’s Day, Guardian’s Day and Carer’s Day.
Karen Pollock, a trans campaigner and therapist, said Mothering Sunday, the church’s traditional name for Mother’s Day, “feels more inclusive to me, since anyone can be ‘mothering’.”
For some the day signifies sadness, perhaps because their mother has died or they are unable to have a child. Liverpool Cathedral held a service last night), aimed at such “Mother’s Day runaways”, with poetry, music and prayers to “acknowledge the bittersweet emotions surrounding Mothering Sunday”.
