Fact check: Sign on gendered language is from Australian cafe, not Whole Foods Market

McKenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Sign shows Whole Foods Market asking customers to avoid using gendered language

Some users on social media are sharing a viral image of a sign on banning gendered language in stores, suggesting it came from Amazon-owned grocery chain Whole Foods Market.

"Wholefoods asks that you don't use gendered language when talking to customers and servers," the sign reads in pink and blue letters. "'Thanks Brother 'Hello Ladies' 'Hello sir' are examples of gendered language and that is harmful to trans and non-binary folk. Use non-gendered language instead. Them/they people/ person folks."

A user who shared the image in a Feb. 21 Facebook post with over 300 shares wrote, "Another reason not to shop at Whole Foods."

"So no one can call me ma'am anymore if I go to whole foods? Sweet! That hurts and is harmful," another user captioned the image of the sign. The posts do not specify a location for the sign.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users for comment.

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Sign is from cafe in Australia

A Google reverse search image reveals that the photo of the black sign comes from a cafe in Melbourne, Australia, called Monash Wholefoods, not the American Whole Foods grocery chain.

Monash Wholefoods is a vegetarian, vegan, student-run, not-for-profit cafe and restaurant at Monash University in Clayton, Australia, according to its Facebook page.

On Sept. 5, 2016, Monash Wholefoods shared a Facebook post of the sign and wrote, "It's really important that you know someone's pronouns before using them, and if you're unsure of their pronouns you can ask them politely, or use non-gendered language until you know."

"Opt for non-gendered language when you are unaware of someone's pronouns and gender. You can say 'thanks friend', or even just 'thank-you'," the post continues. "Please be aware of this in hospitality environments, as this occurs often. It's really important that we make trans people feel welcome and safe in our lives "

USA TODAY reached out to Monash Wholefoods for additional comment.

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Whole Foods Market responds to sign

Snopes first debunked the claim in 2016 and discovered that a Facebook user commented on a video shared by Whole Foods Market and shared a link of the black sign writing, "Is this true, or is someone making this up?"

In response, the company wrote, "We looked into this further and this appears to be a photo from a restaurant with a similar name. We are not affiliated."

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There is no mention on Whole Foods' website of employees or customers being required to use gendered language at its locations. USA TODAY reached out to Whole Foods Market for comment.

Our rating: Missing context

The claim that an image of a sign asks Whole Foods customers to avoid using gendered language when talking to people in stores is MISSING CONTEXT. The posts fail to mention that the sign is from a student-run cafe called Monash Wholefoods in Melbourne, Australia, leading some users to believe that the sign is from U.S. organic grocery retailer Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market confirmed in 2016 that it is unaffiliated with the sign.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Sign on gendered language ban isn't from Whole Foods in US