A gynecological health charity has taken the step to remove ‘women’ from its brand name in a bid to be more inclusive of transgender men and non-binary people and ‘create an awareness of barriers for others’.
Cysters in Birmingham has chosen to ‘cultivate a community that is supportive’ by changing its registered name from ‘Cysters – Women’s Support and Awareness Group’ to ‘Cysters’.
The non-profit organisation, which was created by its founder Neelam Heera in 2015 to help tackle issues around reproductive help, hopes the move will allow people with different gender identities feel more included.
The charity has also decided to reflect its commitment to inclusivity by updating the tag line of its logo to read: ‘Taking up space, together.’
The gynecological health charity Cysters in Birmingham, which was founded by Neelam Heera (pictured) in 2015, has removed ‘women’ from its registered name
Founder Neelam Heera explained that the charity aimed to strip away the barriers that trans and non-binary people were left facing when in came to being able to access support for chronic reproductive illnesses.
She said: ‘We understand everyone has different barriers to health care or support, we want everyone to acknowledge that this is a safe space for everyone.
‘Often marginalised communities are left out of conversations that concern them, they are not reflected in research, and they are never invited to the table to help make changes that will filter down to grassroots communities.
Ms Heera, who is also a Non Executive Director for Healthwatch Birmingham, first worked in the legal sector before deciding to set up her own charity that helped tackle issues around reproductive and mental health.
She first started sharing her frustrations on a social media page before going on to run the volunteer-led organisation.
She added: ‘Recognising privilege is the first step to supporting others with their journey, using our own privilege to create this space makes us proud to taking these steps amongst our Cysters. We are taking up space, together. We will no longer be silenced, our voices matter too.’
The volunteer-run charity also updated the tag line of its logo to read: ‘Taking up space, together’
Ms Heera took to Twitter to tell social media users that her charity had ‘rebranded’ and that ‘equality matters’
Following the announcement, Ms Heera took to her Twitter page to state: ‘We’ve rebranded.
‘It’s always a scary thought to rebrand but after much consideration, conversations with other trans and non binary individuals we decided to take out the word ‘women’ working towards creating an equal safe space for all.’
She added: ‘Good night everyone but not the transphobes that keep messaging me cause of the @cystersgroup name change. Go to sleep and get over it. It’s happening. We’re inclusive. People matter. Equality matters.’
An anonymous non-binary person welcomes the change after they have struggled with a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis since they were 23.
The 25-year-old said: ‘Ever since I got diagnosed with PCOS and Endo, I have searched for a space that is not branded with the colour pink, solely about fertility, and labelled both diseases as a ‘womans issue’.
‘Trans men and non-binary people already struggle in silence with so many issues, our reproductive health should not be another door shut to us.
‘Cysters was the first place that I saw a post that used the words ‘anyone who gets a period’. It meant the world to me to have the same information presented in a more gender neutral way.
‘It was so welcoming, and I finally felt included in a conversation about my own health and my own pain, without feeling dysphoric, or like I was reading information for someone else.
‘Non-binary people, trans men, intersex people, and women must support each other when we all struggle with the same pain; if we talk together we can only learn from each other! I am proud to stand with Cysters as they continue to strive to be inclusive and intersectional.’
However not everyone was supportive of the move and BBC journalist Cath Leng tweeted: ‘You’ve erased women here.’
Studies analysing transgender men and female-to-male transgender individuals (FTM) have found that the community can suffer with gynaecological health conditions due to their birth sex being female.
As trans men undergo their transitioning process, some will take testosterone and usually experience changes to their menstrual cycle.
According to the ftmguide.org, some doctors will recommend their patients undergo a hysterectomy as they begin testosterone therapy to try to prevent any long-term symptoms the treatment may have on their ovaries.
However BBC journalist Cath Leng questioned the move and tweeted: ‘You’ve erased women here’
The FTM also states that some trans men may have had PCOS before they began testosterone treatment and this can sometimes lead to trans men experiencing embarrassment over their ongoing gynecological care.
Transgender men who still have a cervix are also recommended to receive regular cervical screenings to help prevent cervical cancer.