Comment Editor Phoebe Snedker praises Endometriosis UK’s move to gender-neutral language and branding, as inclusivity is essential for creating a welcoming community
Alongside announcing its new fundraising and awareness campaign ‘1.5 Million Voices,’ leading endometriosis charity Endometriosis UK has had a huge rebrand, revealing a new logo and identity. The organisation has scrapped its former pink colour scheme, and has opted for a powerful red and yellow combination across its social media platforms and website. While this may appear to be a meaningless change at first, the change of colour is a massive win for sufferers of the disease that are gender non-conforming or trans.
The change of colour is a massive win for sufferers of the disease that are gender non-conforming or trans
For a long time, the endometriosis campaign and online community have been incredibly exclusionary. From its pink aesthetic to the general nicknames including but not limited to ‘endosis,’ or ‘hystersister,’ the community has been welcoming to cis women, and cis women only. As suggested in an article by Lisa Skylis, ‘endometriosis is unaware of the gender of its host and it impacts patients of all identities.’ In tailoring only to the needs and support of cis-women, irresepctive of intentions, the community has been sending a largely invalidating message that to have endometriosis, you must be female.
On their Instagram, Endometriosis UK posted a collection of slides for #TransgenderAwarenessWeek, highlighting that transgender and non-binary people make up roughly 1% of the population, which is around 600,000 people. Endometriosis is believed to affect 1 in 10 people assigned female at birth, which would mean thousands of trans and non-binary people suffer from the disease – not just cis women. While it has certainly been a long time coming, giving trans and gender non-conforming people recognition and validation for their struggles with endometriosis is a change I could not be more welcoming of. All people with endometriosis deserve to be supported irrespective of their gender identity, and this rebrand will hopefully be the beginning of a more inclusive and supportive community.
Giving trans and gender non-conforming people recognision and validation for their struggles with endometriosis is a change I could not be more welcoming of
For the leading charity to ditch its gendered colour scheme and language, then, this is a huge step towards the general understanding of endometriosis becoming less gender orientated. More publicity and content that is not cis-orientated will educate others on how to use more gender inclusive language, and will hopefully have a ripple effect throughout the community so that all genders can access these support groups as a safe space. Periods and menstruation can be dysphoric enough for trans and gender non-conforming people, which is why the choice to ditch the pinks and the girly-nicknames is so incredibly important when it comes to showing support for ALL sufferers.
The new colour choices are not without their own meanings, either. Yellow is the international colour of awareness for endometriosis, and the red signifies frustration at the inexcusable waiting times for treatments and diagnosis, the danger the disease poses for the sufferers organs and the potentially irreversible damage it can cause, and blood itself. The combination of these colours, then, is suggestive of a new and strengthened drive to spread awareness of the condition. The brand does not want to sit ‘pretty in pink’ and be dismissed, it wants to be taken seriously.
The colour scheme and genderless language is not the only change the organisation has made. The new logo ‘ending it starts by saying it’ is effective for trans, non-binary and cis people alike. Placing the emphasis on ‘end’ in the word endometriosis sends a clear message that acceptance and support are not enough. The website suggests that this entails an ‘end to the taboos, the ignorance, the isolation, the pain it can cause. And, one day, to find an end to endometriosis.’ Previous fundraisers such as ‘Walk for Endo’ and the ‘1 in 10 challenge’, which I have written an article about in the past, have aided the organisation in rebranding their identity and funding the rebrand.
The emphasis on ‘end’ in the word endometriosis sends a clear message that acceptance and support are not enough
The knowledge that previous acts and donations from the community are having such a significant impact on spreading awareness and funding genuine change is incredibly heartwarming and further enforces the importance of acceptance and support within the organisation and community. Endometriosis support and change needs to be inclusive of all sufferers, not just a specific few.
As someone who suffers with endometriosis myself, I feel truly empowered by the rebranding of the campaign. Endometriosis is a very real, intense and often overwhelming condition to have, and the pinks and pretty things did not do us justice – it just played in with the stereotypes that periods are girly ‘secrets’ that we should not make a fuss of. The bold new identity of Endometriosis UK demands to be seen and heard, and so do we.
Read More From Comment:
Body Shaming is Never Okay, and The Consequences Can Be Life Altering
Comments