Always to Ax Female Symbol From Sanitary Products Packages in Nod to Trans Users

The decision follows calls by transgender advocates who said the company was alienating trans and gender-nonconforming customers

Always announced it will remove the Venus symbol from its menstruation products packaging following calls by transgender advocates, who said its parent, 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!” 

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. 

“For over 35 years, Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do so. We’re also committed to diversity and inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all of our consumers,” Proctor & Gamble's media relations team told NBC News in an email Monday. “We routinely assess our products, packaging and designs, taking into account consumer feedback, 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.”

Contact Us