Always to remove female symbol from sanitary pads for transgender and nonbinary inclusivity

The company Always said this week that it will remove the female symbol from the wrappers of its menstruation and sanitary products as a statement of inclusion.

“For over 35 years, Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do so. We’re also committed to diversity & inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all of our consumers,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. "We routinely assess our products, packaging, & designs, taking into account a variety of inputs including in-depth consumer research, to ensure we are meeting the needs of everyone who uses our products. The change to our pad wrapper design is consistent with that practice."

Members of the transgender and non-binary communities, as well as LGBTQ allies, have taken to Twitter to push Always to consider redesigning its labeling. They emphasized that the female symbol on pad wrappers was excluding the women who don't menstruate and the people who menstruate who do not identify as women.

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The company spokesperson added that the change involves the wrappers around the Individual pads, where the design is updated regularly. The change will not impact the outer packaging or the brand’s current visual identity.

This decision comes after a series of companies enacted changes in the name of greater inclusivity.

Last summer, Lyft started allowing customers to specify their preferred pronouns, and in June, Mastercard announced that the company would let non-binary and transgender individuals use their chosen names on credit, debit, and prepaid cards rather than their given names.