High-end supermarket chain Waitrose has rebranded its "feminine care" product section following an internal complaint regarding transgender inclusivity, sparking criticism from gender-critical campaigners.
The decision to drop the term came after an internal complaint stated that the classification failed to represent all individuals who utilize the items, noting that transgender men and non-binary people also experience menstruation.
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The anonymous complainant raised concerns over the supermarket's category naming convention in a leaked internal document.
"Not all people who have periods are women," said the complainant in a document published by James Esses, a gender-critical campaigner and Conservative councillor.
The complainant noted that the category includes incontinence items used by various demographics.
"Trans men and some non-binary people have periods. The category also includes products used for incontinence.
Yet the language we use still suggests that these products are exclusively for women and femininity," said the complainant.
According to the document, the individual emphasized that inclusive language should be put into practice consistently.
"To some people, that might seem like a small detail. To me, it isn't.
Words matter because people matter. This matters to me because inclusion should never be conditional or performative.
If we say everyone is welcome, then our language should reflect everyone," said the complainant.
An internal manager at Waitrose responded to the complaint by agreeing that the current terminology was inaccurate and required updating.
"I believe that the internal naming comes from the title given to the layout group so I will ask that our range and space manager and buyer work to get this name updated as soon as possible," the manager said.
