Transgender
activists publicly urged Procter & Gamble to redesign its Always pad
wrapper without the gender symbol, a circle atop a cross. Their arguments were
that not all people who menstruate are women and that not all women menstruate.
Procter
& Gamble, Always' parent company, announced that Always sanitary products
will remove the Venus symbol, historically used to represent the female sex,
from its products to be inclusive of transgender and nonbinary customers.
"For
over 35 years Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do
so," Procter & Gamble said Tuesday in a statement. "We're also
committed to diversity & inclusion and are on a continual journey to
understand the needs of all of our consumers."
The change
is the latest in a series of actions companies and governments are taking to affirm the identities of
transgender people as transgender equality activism surges. Companies including
Lyft, Mastercard and Tinder are making similar moves.
Procter
& Gamble has not said when the design change will happen.
"We
routinely assess our products, packaging, & designs, taking into account
consumer feedback, to ensure we are meeting the needs of everyone who uses our
products," the company's statement said.
However, not everyone was happy with the change.
Feminist campaigner Julie
Bindel said: "Removing the female symbol from sanitary towel packaging is
basically denying the existence of women.
"We’re now moving
towards the total elimination of women’s biology. The women’s symbol has been
used by feminists for decades. This is pure cowardice and virtue signalling
from these big corporate brands who are capitulating to the trans agenda."
Lizzi Watson, added:
"Biological women should just boycott the brand, then they might realise
real women have feelings too, which they have somehow ignored."
From CNN (edited)
