The London North Eastern Railway issued an apology after a non-binary passenger publically said they felt excluded from the announcement of a conductor while driving on one of their trains.
Lawrence was travelling when they overheard the conductor saying ‘good morning, ladies and gentlemen’.
Lawrence explained they felt excluded from this announcement since they’re non-binary. And, they took it to Twitter to complain.
Train Company Issues an Apology after Non-Binary Passenger’s Complaint
Lawrence wrote on his Twitter “‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls’ so as a non-binary person, this announcement doesn’t apply to me, so I won’t listen @LNER.”
The company responded to their tweet and offered immediate apology and a declaration that they hope this doesn’t happen in the future.
Their reply said “I’m really sorry to see this Lawrence, our train managers shouldn’t be using language like this and I thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
They also added “please, could you let me know which service you are on and I will ensure they remain as inclusive as we strive to be at LNER”.
Lawrence, a Rail, Maritime, and Transport Union’s LGBT representative was supported by a colleague next to them. Jarley wrote that “both Lawrence and I were customers of the railway-being rail staff doesn’t absolve an operator from the duty of care or responsibility to be inclusive.”
They also added that “both of us are non-binary and we were both alarmed and uncomfortable by the lack of inclusion.”
LNER is a company that’s very enthusiastic about teaching people the importance of inclusion and the reason why gender-specific pronouns aren’t appropriate.
Not Everyone Agreed with the Apology of the Company
Not all passengers welcomed the apology.
One Jay Beecher wrote that he’s sure that “if someone non-binary tried to kick him out with a Tannoy announcement calling the passengers ladies and gentlemen, he identified them as cars and correctly told them to go home on their own.”
However, according to spokesperson for LNER James Dreyfus, the company’s policies and procedures are reviewed on a regular basis to check if changes are necessary.
The TfL ordered their staff to refrain from using “ladies and gentlemen” back in 2017 to ensure transgender passengers don’t feel offended.
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