News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A mum has been barred from her local pub after a complaint that her T-shirt discriminated against transgender people.

Rebekah Wershbale wore a simple black top which reads the dictionary definition of woman as a ‘human female’.

But a member of staff at the Five Clouds Tap and Bottle in Macclesfield, Cheshire told her that the T-shirt offended other customers.

And as a result, the barwoman informed her she was banned because of the clothing item, which was considered as 'transphobic and not inclusive'.

Ms Wershbale told the Mail on Sunday: "What she meant was that I was somehow offending men who say they are women because my T-shirt did not include them in the definition of a woman.

"There aren’t even any transgender staff or patrons at the pub. It’s crackers."

The 34-year-old backs the feminist group Fair Play For Women, which opposed a Government consultation to reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

(Image: Matthew Pover)

This would let people self-identify as the gender they believe they are without the need for medical diagnosis.

But transgender campaigners and feminists have been in battle, as there are fears that the reform will harm the safety and privacy of women.

Last week, the mum-of-one went to the pub where she has been a regular for three years with her girlfriend.

(Image: Mika Johnson / Facebook)

However she was shocked that a barwoman spoke to her regarding the complaint against her T-shirt.

Ms Weshbale claims that nothing unusual happened during her visit until she spoke to a fellow customer, a gay man called Mika Johnson.

She sat next to him and asked how he was but he made it clear that he did not wish to speak to him.

(Image: Matthew Pover)

Around half an hour later the member of staff spoke to Ms Weshbale and told her she could not stay at the pub as she had been upsetting other customers and Mr Johnson was crying.

She told the Mail on Sunday: "She mumbled a bit about [my T-shirt] being transphobic and that I had been transphobic previously.

"She then said I was barred and that she had been nominated by the other bar staff to come to tell me that."

That same day Mr Johnson took to Twitter to speak of his distress.

(Image: Matthew Pover)

He posted: "When you’re trying to relax in your fave pub and there is a TERF [trans exclusionary radical feminist] wearing an anti-trans T-shirt… it’s disgusting and I’m so upset by it."

Tom Lewis, the owner of Five Clouds Tap and Bottle Brewery confirmed Ms Wershbale was asked to leave following the complaint.

However he added that there had been a number of other incidents where she upset staff and customers by challenging them about their beliefs about men identifying as female.

The manager of Five Clouds Tom Lewis said that Ms Wershbale is not permanently barred.

Before she is allowed to return though, she must ‘have a discussion with staff so she understands the situation’.