Issues

Always accused of censoring the word ‘female’ in an article on periods

Feminine hygiene brand Always has been accused of censorship after an article about periods was edited to remove the words “women” and “female”.

In ‘How can I help with my daughter’s first period?’, journalist Milli Hill stated that menstruation is “a normal part of the experience of being female”. But after the article was published on Good To Know’s website, she claimed the word “female” had been removed and a reference to “all women” was replaced with “all bodies”.

When she complained to Good to Know, she says an editor told her that Always, one of its sponsors, had asked the website to use “inclusive language” because “not everyone who has periods identifies with the label girl/woman”.

Denial

Hill told The Mail on Sunday: “I was absolutely outraged when I saw the final article, as it was obvious that I had been censored. My words had been changed to fit an ideological agenda, which is a rather terrifying thought experiment that I don’t think the people at Always – in their quest for ‘inclusivity’ – have given much thought to.”

Editor Sophie Bird claimed that Always was not responsible for the changes, stating: “Good To Know takes full responsibility for this error and has taken corrective action to prevent this from happening again.”

But Hill said: “The whole reason the articles on periods were made ‘gender neutral’ was because of Always – as I was directly informed by one of the editors at Good To Know.”

The Christian Institute’s Ciarán Kelly commented: “If the reports are true, Good to Know should not have given in so easily. Erasing women from articles that are directly relevant to them plays right into the hands of the trans activist cancel crowd.”