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The chair of a Pride group has slammed a village post office for a homophobic Facebook post.
Steeple Claydon Post Office – near Bicester – shared an image of Royal Mail’s new set of Pride stamps on Facebook on Tuesday evening (June 28).
The post’s caption read: “Not sure what Royal Mail are thinking of here but a new set of stamps to be released on 1st July 2022. ‘Pride’, they will be available at Steeple Claydon Post Office if you want them.”
READ MORE: Pride Month: Oxford’s LGBTQ+ changemakers
The local community was quick to call out the post as promoting ‘casual homophobia’, with many questioning the use of the phrase “not sure what Royal Mail are thinking”.
Many in the community felt the post promoted ‘casual homophobia’
Some customers even went as far as to say they would not use Steeple Claydon Post Office again and reported the branch directly to Post Office headquarters.
Christina Riley, director of Bicester Pride, said the post left her feeling “upset” and “shocked”.
She explained that, as a trans person, attitudes like this make her worry she could be verbally or physically abused in a post office.
She said: “It is a sad representation of where were still are and why we still need Pride in Oxfordshire.
“This is why we need a visibility through what Royal Mail are doing.”
The set of eight new stamps being issued to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Pride rally. Picture: Royal Mail/PA
She explained: “This year is a particularly special year. It serves as an education and so to these people who are objecting: this is why they have done it
“These people need to read more about why these stamps have been issued and the history of Pride, Stonewall and Section 28.
“This is why it is really important that the stamps are on sale.”
The eight stamps have been released to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Pride rally, which marched from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park in London in July 1972.
The brightly colour stamps were illustrated by award-winning artist Sofie Birkin and show features phrases such as “lesbians unite”, “glad to be gay” and “love always wins”.
Following the negative response, the person behind the Facebook post turned the comments off and stated: “People are reacting to my comment as if it was a homophobic comment. All I was saying is I (not Steeple Claydon Post Office) don’t think sexuality is a suitable subject for a set of stamps.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are making contact with the Postmaster that operates Steeple Claydon Post Office to understand who posted the content on Facebook and to inform them that it’s our view the content should be amended or removed.
“The vast majority of Post Offices are run by independent Postmasters who manage their own social media pages for their branch and retail business.”
The post has since been deleted.
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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.
You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk
Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry
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