Why do you use the term “women and gender-expansive people”?

For over 50 years, Our Bodies Ourselves has been “by and for women,” addressing the pervasive sexism that deeply affects the health, sexuality, and human rights of women.  We have always been, and will remain, powerfully woman-centered. At the same time, it’s critical to our mission to include gender-expansive people, especially in this time of concerted attacks against the LGBTQIA+ community.

The language people use to convey identities can be very personal and may be sensitive. Gender-related terminology often changes rapidly; it varies by context and by individual. We chose the phrase “women and gender-expansive people” to include as wide a range of people as possible.

Our Bodies Ourselves embraces people of all gender identities and expressions. We have gender-expansive content experts and leadership council members, and we have resources specifically geared toward gender-expansive people. For example, many trans men and nonbinary people will find meaningful resources on menstruation, reproduction, and heart health.

Our inclusivity doesn’t in any way marginalize cisgender women, who are still the majority of our staff, volunteers, and users. Rather, we aim to enlarge the collective “we” in “ourselves.”