Always agrees to remove female symbol to be trans-inclusive

US sanitary pad brand Always is officially removing the Venus female symbol from the packing of its menstruation products. 

The company announced it would be removing the female signs from its packaging, starting in December, and aims to have a new design distributed worldwide by February 2020.

The announcement was made after a call by transgender advocates who said its parent company, Procter & Gamble, was alienating trans and gender-nonconforming customers by not acknowledging that they, too, can experience menstruation.

“Could someone from Always tell me why it is imperative to have the female symbol on their sanitary products?” Twitter user Melly Bloom, one of those advocates, tweeted over the summer. “There are non-binary and trans folks who still need to use your products too you know!”

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/Always?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Alwaysi understand that you guys love girl positivity but please understand that there are trans men that get periods, and if you could please do something about the ♀️symbol on your pad packaging, i’d be happy. i’d hate to have any trans males feel dysphoric.

— jocelyn ✰ (@phiddies)

The Always announcement triggered some mixed reactions online from those accusing Always of “erasing women,” while others welcomed the changes. 

Ok I supported the lgbtq movement but clearly I didn’t think this through. Women are now being sidelined in...everything made just for them... I don’t support this. Now we have to be less female so males won’t feel offended....the heck with that!

— Tolu Osinowo (@TolusTaxNBooks) October 22, 2019

That symbol is there due to the fact that a FEMALE reproductive organ is shedding its lining and this is a product for that. Again, the uterus. Is. A. FEMALE. Organ.

— A Luna (@LunaLens21) October 22, 2019

a few months ago i opened a package and i genuinely felt sick when i saw the girl-power shit on it. i love female empowerment but the signs and symbols made me feel uncomfortable. always is such a big brand and they def should be more neutral.

— ًbill cipher's wife (@MORTALCIPHER) October 13, 2019

So basically, you're offended and feeling a bit entitled, so much so that this company had to remove a symbol from its packaging to suit you. I'm curious how many Participation Trophies you've racked up.

— Bird Walla (@birdwalla) October 22, 2019