Museum forced to rebrand event after outrage at use of ‘womxn’

The word was intended to signal inclusivity

(Getty Images)

A museum in London has apologised after it was criticised for using the word “womxn” in a marketing campaign for an upcoming workshop which was intended to champion inclusivity.

Promotional material for the four-day Daylighting programme, hosted by The Wellcome Collection in London, described aims to “challenge archives, change narratives and amplify new voices” and prompt a conversation surrounding “how womxn can challenge existing archives”.

After being inundated with criticisms on Twitter surrounding use of "womxn", which was labelled “demeaning and insulting to women” by one user, the museum revealed it had removed the term from its website and has said sorry for making “the wrong call”.

While it’s not entirely clear from where the word “womxn” originates, the museum explained its use derived from a desire to “create a space/venue that includes diverse perspectives.

“It was agreed during our conversations with collaborators as the programme developed,” reads a tweet posted by the museum last week.

In its original promotional material online, the museum linked the word to a definition on Urban Dictionary written in 2016 which explains it as shedding light on the “prejudice, discrimination and institutional barriers womxn have faced” adding that the term shows “that womxn are not the extension of men (as hinted by Adam and Eve)”.

The site also claimed that the term was “more intersectional than womyn” - a spelling adopted by feminists in the 1970s to avoid the inclusion of “men” - “ because it includes trans women and women of colour.”

Hundred of Twitter uses vehemently derided the museum’s use of the word, asking why they didn’t simply use “women” instead, arguing that this would've been the more inclusive choice.

“This is ridiculous,” wrote one person.

“And you are supporting it by linking to Urban Dictionary? Seriously? As far as I know, the word 'women' has always included women of colour. Correct me if I'm wrong.”

"Who exactly is this meant to include?" asked another.

"Trans women call themselves women, non-binary people don't call themselves women at all.

"The only thing that comes to mind is that this could be to include both 'woman' and 'women', which implies there are women who identify as plurals."

The Wellcome Collection’s intention was for “womxn” to also include transgender women, however, Jennie Kermode, chair of the campaign group Trans Media Watch said this is not a term they would ever use.

“We would generally just write women in the usual way because we feel it's important for people to recognise that trans women are women.

"Trans women aren't a special, separate category," Kermode told the BBC.

Her comments were echoed by Labour MP Jess Phillips, who tweeted: "I've never met a trans woman who was offended by the word woman being used, so I'm not sure why this keeps happening."

A spokesperson for The Wellcome Collection responded to the criticisms with an apologetic statement, saying “we should have put more thought into whether this was the right term to use when communicating about the event.

“We made a mistake, and we should not have used it. We’re sorry that we made the wrong call.”