Cancer Group Replaces 'Women' With 'Everyone With a Cervix' so Trans People Feel Included
A campaign to educate women about getting screened for cancer removed the word “women” from its advertisements to make sure that transgenders feel included.
“Cervical screening (or the smear test) is relevant for everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix. Watch our animation to find out what to expect when you go for screening,” a campaign tweet reads. The campaign previously indicated that screening is “relevant for women aged 25-64,” The U.K. Telegraph reports.
Cervical screening (or the smear test) is relevant for everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix. Watch our animation to find out what to expect when you go for screening #CervicalScreeningAwarenessWeek pic.twitter.com/1RwvwVOCfx
— Cancer Research UK (@CR_UK) June 13, 2018
“Cervical cancer develops in anyone who has a cervix. This includes women as well as people with other gender identities such as trans men,” Cancer Research UK Health Information Manager Fiona Osgun said.
The word replacement was also intended to encourage women who identify as men to make sure to get tested for cervical cancer.
Maybe that was the intent, but it came across very differently in the social media world. While the idea had many supporters, there was a lot of scorn, too.
Medical staff are trained to say "wee" and "poo", but you can't say women or females? You are not communicating to anyone but snowflakes as many people will be scratching their heads wondering what a cervix is. And by people, I mean the very women you should be serving.
— Julian Vigo (@lubelluledotcom) June 15, 2018
.No. @CR_UK – not "anyone with a cervix". You mean WOMEN. Men do not have cervixes. Stop trying to 'down with the kids' and stick to facts, biology & science. Which you're -allegedly- meant to be good at.
— NewGardener (@Budget_Gardener) June 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/PatriciaVella/status/1007166834876014592
Everyone with a cervix?????? Are you people kidding? What's wrong with saying women?
— lee wheatley (@lee_wheatley) June 14, 2018
And this one shows the real danger for politically correct charities face — being so loose with language that they actually alienate donors.
‘Anybody with a cervix?’ I am actually considering pulling my monthly support for you and transferring it to a more sensible charity.
— Christian I'Anson (@cia262) June 16, 2018
It’s not just cancer research, of course. A number of universities have also taken out male and female language from their programs and renamed building to make them more inclusive of all gender identities.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison recently renamed its LGBT Center to the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center in an effort to better serve its students who identify with a gender not described by the LGBT label.
Duke University and the University of Illinois at Chicago have also changed the names of their LGBT centers. Duke’s LGBT center became the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, while the Chicago university renamed its center to the Gender and Sexuality Center.
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