A TRANSGENDER teenager from Blackwood has spoken out about the abuse and intimidation she says she was subjected to during a recent shopping trip.

Ethan Chamberlain, 18, was in Primark’s Cwmbran store with a female friend when she claims she was sworn at loudly and humiliated by two women.

“I’ve never felt so alienated or unwelcome,” Ms Chamberlain said as she recalled the women shouting homophobic slurs across the busy shop.

Ms Chamberlain, who was born male but identifies as a woman, added she wants to use her experience to raise awareness about the wider issue of transphobic abuse.

“Something needs to be done – I’m 18 and I felt intimidated, so I can’t imagine how someone more vulnerable would react,” she said.

Ms Chamberlain was browsing in a different section of the shop on the day the incident occured.

But she heard her friend remonstrating with the women, who appeared to have taken offence over Ms Chamberlain's handbag.

The two women, who Ms Chamberlain believed were a mother and daughter aged roughly 70 and 40, then directed their anger at Ms Chamberlain as she joined her friend, she added.

In front of shocked shoppers, who had stopped to witness the commotion, the older woman was said to have repeatedly asked if Ms Chamberlain was gay, using a homophobic slur.

“It was appalling,” added Ms Chamberlain.

“What’s going through her mind to say that?

“The whole of Primark was looking. I just stood there.”

She added: “It made me feel alienated, I’ve normally got thicker skin, but this was public shaming. There were kids and their mums there – they don’t their kids to hear that.”

Ms Chamberlain said she called over a security guard and the women walked away, but claimed she later heard them shouting again as she continued shopping.

The Argus contacted Primark about the incident.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said: “We are sorry to hear of this customer’s recent experience at our Cwmbran store.

“We want all of our customers to have an enjoyable in-store experience and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”

Ms Chamberlain previously spoke about her experiences with transphobic abuse when she appeared on a Channel 4 show, called Indian Summer School, in 2018.

On that show, she said she had often avoiding going to school because of name-calling and bullying.

“School wasn’t very good,” Ms Chamberlain said on the show.

“I never really went – but when I did go it was horrible, I hated it.”