Dear Editor,

Recently the sanitary napkins brand Always announced a decision to remove the Venus symbol from their packaging in an effort to be inclusive and affirming to the trans men and non-binary people who use their products.

As a trans masculine person I was delighted by the move to recognise the inherent dignity of a subset of folks who use their products.

Unsurprisingly, there was collective outrage by cisgender women who somehow felt that the move by the Proctor and Gamble brand was an attack on their very femininity and womanhood. What is so ironic is that many cisgender women were quite unaware of the Venus symbol on the packaging. The real issue at hand should be around period poverty and the trials of people who menstruate and who often do not have access to sanitary products. Additionally, the attention could be better placed on addressing the health risks of pads and tampons and their impact on vaginal health.

Cisgender women continue to contribute to the erasure of trans masculine and non-binary people and chose to use their privilege to centre themselves, instead of using the opportunity to educate themselves. Trans masculine people and non-binary people are often made invisible. In Jamaica, trans identities are not recognised in national policies, while gender identity is not a protected category. Trans men and non-binary people have periods too and oftentimes it can be an emotionally taxing experience. There are people outside the binary and inclusion is critical for their very survival.

I applaud Always and hope to see many more products remove the unnecessary ‘gendering’ of inanimate objects. I challenge cisgender people to reflect on why they are so invested in outdated ideas of sex and gender, and urge them to look beyond the binary ideals they hold so dearly. In letting go of some of these biases we can look beyond our own experiences and grow to be more compassionate and understanding of the issues that vulnerable and marginalised people are impacted by.

Neish McLean

Executive director

TransWave Jamaica

neish@transwaveja.org