UK health and beauty company Superdrug has faced backlash for releasing its first line of sanitary products that are gender neutral. The plant-based and vegan friendly Luna sanitary products are marketed for ‘people who menstruate’ so as to be inclusive of trans men and non-binary people, with the packaging saying the products are ‘made to suit you as an individual’. The products have sparked backlash with some saying the wording on the packaging is ‘erasing women’.
Some Twitter users have said they are boycotting Superdrug, with one saying the line should have been called ‘lunacy’. However the new launch has also received positive responses with one user saying they were ‘so impressed’ by Superdrug’s efforts. The backlash has been branded transphobic by some.
A Superdrug spokesperson told the Independent the line was designed to be ‘as inclusive as possible so all communities feel seen’. They continued trans and non-binary people may still menstruate, so product designers felt ‘people’ was more inclusive than ‘woman’. Jake Edwards of trans support network Mermaids said ‘as a trans person who still experiences periods’, products like this help them feel acknowledged.
