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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Streaming platform Twitch received backlash after using "<keyword id="10870776" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womxn">womxn</keyword>" in a tweet for Women's History Month.</li><li>Critics say the term is transphobic because it suggests trans women are not real women.</li><li>It's OK if someone wants to self-identify as "womxn", but using it as a catchall term for trans people is harmful.</li></ul><p>On the first day of Women's History Month, online streaming platform <a href="https://www.insider.com/womxn-vs-women-define-womyn-twitch-spelling-history-month-2021-3">Twitch got a wave of backlash</a> for its use of the term "womxn" to kick off the month. </p><p>"Join us in celebrating and supporting all the Womxn creating their own worlds, building their communities, and leading the way on Twitch," <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56251452">the Twitch Twitter account said in a now-deleted tweet.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/style/womxn.html">Womxn became a popular term in the 2010s</a> as a term to break away from linguistic sexism. Feminist organizations started using womxn to cut out the word "men" from "women." It later evolved as a way to include trans women and non-binary people in discussions around women's equity.</p><p>The problem is that using "womxn" to refer specifically to trans women and non-binary people does more to exclude and single out trans people than it does to include them. Womxn implies trans women aren't real women and non-binary people are women, so it's best to avoid using it if you want to make a space safe for trans people.</p><h2>Why people started re-spelling 'women'</h2><p>Re-spellings of "women" became popular in the 1970s.</p><p>The thought behind respelling the word was to take "man" out of it; to weed out patriarchy from language. </p><p>"Womyn" emerged as an alternative after the first <a href="https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/04/24/op-ed-michfests-founder-chose-shut-down-rather-change-times">Michigan Womyn's Music Festival</a> in 1967, a festival intended for women.</p><p>Other, less popular spellings like "wimmin" and "womban" also appeared at the time. </p><p>These days, "womxn" is the favored alt-term, and for some people, it has been an empowering one. A number of <a href="https://twitter.com/bbwomxn">Black feminist</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BlackWomxnFor">organizations</a> - who have been historically left out of the women's rights movement - use the word. The idea is to signify the different experiences of Black women compared to white women.</p><p>However, it's become increasingly popular to use "womxn" specifically to be inclusive of trans people - people who have fought long and hard to be considered the gender they are: women. </p><h2>Trans women are women. There is no need to use 'womxn' to emphasize they are included.</h2><p>These re-spellings have also long been associated with <a href="https://www.insider.com/jk-rowling-what-is-a-terf-trans-exclusionary-radical-feminist-2020-6">trans-exclusionary radical feminists</a> (TERFs).</p><p>The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, for example, intentionally used the alternative spelling to refer to "womyn born womyn" and exclude trans women from the festival. </p><p><a href="https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/01/22/24817128/voices-from-the-historic-womxns-march-on-seattle">When "womxn" was adopted in the 2010s,</a> to emphasize the inclusion of trans women, there was the same fundamental flaw.</p><p>It implied there are spaces for women and "womxn," building on the same exclusionary logic that creates separate spaces for cisgender women - or women assigned female at birth because of their genitalia - and trans women. </p><p>If a space is intended for women, trans women are included. If an organization caters to the needs of women, trans women are inherently included. If a history month is meant to center women, it centers trans women by default. </p><p>Using "womxn" to refer to trans women implies they aren't actually women. Reducing them to an "other" to be tolerated isn't actually more inclusive.</p><h2>Non-binary people are not women, and using 'womxn' to include them in conversations about gender is invalidating </h2><p>Using "womxn" as a catch-all term to include non-binary people erases the fact that many non-binary people aren't impacted by women's issues, and are instead impacted by patriarchy and sexism in a unique way. </p><p>Many do not want to be included in the term "women" or "womxn" at all.</p><p>While some non-binary trans people do self-identify as womxn, saying "womxn" to refer to all non-binary people doesn't make sense.</p><p>A <a href="https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1404&amp;context=gj_etdsetds">non-binary transmasculine person</a> who was assigned female at birth is not going to experience the same kind of sexism or patriarchy as a <a href="https://everydayfeminism.com/2016/02/femmephobia-queer-community/">non-binary transfeminine person</a> who was assigned male at birth. </p><p>Using womxn to refer to everyone makes it difficult to talk about people's unique experiences of our gender-focused world. </p><h2>Say what you mean if you want to include trans people</h2><p>If you want an event to include non-binary people, say it's welcome to women and non-binary people. If an event is meant to center trans women, say that. If an event is meant for all women, there is no need to say "womxn." </p><p>With the <a href="https://www.insider.com/alabama-just-approved-bill-to-ban-treatment-for-transgender-youth-2021-2">ongoing erosion of trans rights in the US,</a> it is particularly important now to use language carefully and be intentional in our inclusion of trans people. If you're unsure about the best terminology to use, there are many trans professionals who specialize in making language for organizations as trans-inclusive as possible. </p><p>Even if you don't understand how the term "womxn" hurts trans people, if the goal is to be inclusive and trans-positive, just don't use it.</p>

Stop using the phrase 'womxn' to be trans-inclusive. It can be offensive to trans women and non-binary people.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Monday, <keyword id="1754577" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitch">Twitch</keyword> announced "<keyword id="10870776" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womxn">Womxn</keyword>'s History Month" on the platform and received waves of criticism.</li><li>Some gamers, trans allies, and conservative critics all railed on Twitch.</li><li>"Womxn" has a decades-long history of provoking controversy and conversation.</li></ul><p>On Monday, Twitch announced a "Womxn's History Month" initiative to feature female streamers on the front page of the website. The announcement was surely meant to be an uncontroversial PR win, but the use of the word "womxn" rather than "women" became the sole focus of online conversation.</p><p>After just a few hours, the post was taken down and <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitch/status/1366543370257002496">Twitch issued an apology.</a></p><p>The incident illustrates the tricky terrain of identity politics that companies like Twitch now navigate, where most are trying earnestly to be as inclusive as possible, but run the risk of becoming a focal point of the day's discourse around quickly evolving topics. </p><h2><strong>'Womxn's History Month' turned into a nightmare for Twitch</strong></h2><p>After Twitch's tweeted about their initiative, social media lit up with criticism targeting the Amazon-owned live streaming company. In just a few hours, "womxn" had hit the top of <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> trending and had been tweeted over 40,000 times. People from all different corners of the gaming and influencer space shared their opinion on the use of word. </p><p>Many people, including some trans women, felt the word was exclusionary and transphobic, claiming that it <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56251452">"implied that trans women were not women," according to the BBC.</a> Critics believed that using an alternate spelling of the word "women" implies that trans women couldn't be in the same category as "women" and needed a separate descriptor.</p><p>Some Twitch streamers, who make their living on the platform, were also vocal about the use of the word. </p><p>Alongside those that felt the word shouldn't be used because they felt it wasn't inclusive, were the crowd that typically campaigns against political correctness.</p><p>With numerous camps coming at them, Twitch quickly folded.  </p><p>In just a few short hours, the original tweet was deleted and the announcement <a href="https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2021/03/01/celebrate-womxns-history-month-on-twitch/#:~:text=So%20this%20month%2C%20join%20us,Twitch%20to%20the%20next%20level.&amp;text=Every%20day%20in%20March%20we,and%20their%20communities%20on%20Twitch.tch.">blog post</a> was rewritten to use the word "women" instead.  They also issued an apology on Twitter where they wrote "our good intentions don't always equate to positive impact, but we're committed to growing from these experiences, doing better, and ensuring we're inclusive to all."</p><h2><strong>The term 'Womxn' has a decades-long history</strong></h2><p>"Womxn" as a label evolved out of "womyn," which first gained popularity in the <a style="font-size: 15px;" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/womyn?s=t">1970s at the crux</a> of the second-wave feminist movement. Originally, "womxn" was designed as a counter to what some feminists viewed as exclusionary terminology. It was "meant to include trans and nonbinary women in intersectional feminism," according to <a style="font-size: 15px;" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/womyn?s=t">Dictionary.com</a>, which added the word in 2019.  </p><p>"It's a word that lets you pick the pronoun to be identified by, like letting 1,000 flowers bloom and letting people pick the gender quality of pronouns and of identification," Temma Kaplan, a retired professor of women's studies and history who previously taught at Rutgers University, told Insider. "It's moving gender out by substituting for an 'x.' The 'x' is sort of an inclusive thing." </p><p>Over the past decade, use of the term has grown in popularity, which has also attracted skepticism. </p><p>Some groups still proudly <a href="https://www.insider.com/using-the-phrase-womxn-doesnt-mean-youre-trans-inclusive-2021-3">use and celebrate the term.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SeattleWomxnMarchingForward/">Seattle,</a> <a href="https://womxnsmarchpdx.com/">Portland</a>, and<a href="http://www.womxnsmarchdenver.org/"> Denver</a> have their own annual "Womxn's March." When TedXLondon used "womxn" in a tweet announcement, they defended the use of the term that it is "more inclusive and progressive." </p><p>Others have distanced themselves from the word, claiming that it is exclusionary to trans and nonbinary people.</p><p>"It can be seen as transphobic because it isn't including people within the categories they want, not letting them refer to themselves as whatever they identify with," Kaplan said. "People should pick what they want to claim and shouldn't be assigned to a category."   </p><p>In 2018, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/laurasilver/wellcome-collection-womxn">the London museum Wellcome Collection</a> tweeted out the word and received a wave of internet backlash, prompting them to delete the tweet and remove the word from their website. </p><h2><strong>Those involved in the Twitch incident were surprised and upset</strong></h2><p>For those who were involved in the Twitch incident, the slip-up came as a surprise, partly because they say using the "womxn" spelling seemingly wasn't part of the original plan.</p><p>Ami, a 9,000 follower Twitch streamer featured in an introduction video for the initiative, told Insider she first received an email inviting her to take part one month ago that, according to her, did not include the term "womxn." All she thought was that she was going to be a part of a "unity video" for the platform. </p><p>"A majority of my community identifies very strongly in the LGBTQIA+ community so to know that this message hurt and marginalized so many is upsetting," Ami said. "There have been several scathing messages from people that I think aren't really looking past the initial words of the post itself and seeing the creators behind it." </p><p>Giana Kaplan, who goes by Bloody on Twitch, also received an email invitation to be a part of the initiative about a month ago. The 24-year-old with nearly 30,000 subscribers says that she was initially "confused about the spelling of 'womxn" but was told by Twitch staff that "in addition to women, they wanted to celebrate nonbinary folks who don't particularly identify under a gender binary." </p><p>The visceral community response was "unexpected," according to Kaplan, who says the ordeal was "a lot to handle." Being the only trans woman featured in the video, she says she felt "a lot of people made the conversation about me" and "were implying Twitch was being extremely transphobic" which "felt super uncomfortable and isolating." </p><p>Kaplan had originally shared a tweet with the term "womxn" in it, but deleted it after seeing the reaction. In a follow-up tweet, she wrote that the word "womxn has had very transphobic association in its use."</p><p>When asked for a comment, <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitch/status/1366543371351691268">Twitch pointed to their apology tweet</a>.</p>

Twitch used the term 'womxn' to try to be inclusive, but it sparked an explosive online controversy instead

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ben &amp; Jerry's announced Monday that it will stop selling <keyword id="85426" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="ice-cream">ice cream</keyword> in the Palestinian territories.</li><li>The statement said their ice cream will still be sold in <keyword id="6355882" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="israel">Israel</keyword> "through a different arrangement."</li><li>The announcement comes months after tensions flared in the region between Israel and Hamas.</li></ul><p>Ben &amp; Jerry's announced Monday that it will stop selling ice cream in the Palestinian territories.</p><p>The company didn't name specific issues as the reason for the move, but wrote in a <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/palestine-statement?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=demand&amp;utm_term=photo&amp;utm_content=palestine-statementestine-statement">statement on its website</a> that "We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben &amp; Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners."</p><p>The statement continued: "We have a longstanding partnership with our licensee, who manufactures Ben &amp; Jerry's ice cream in Israel and distributes it in the region. We have been working to change this, and so we have informed our licensee that we will not renew the license agreement when it expires at the end of next year."</p><p>Ben &amp; Jerry's also wrote that they would continue to sell ice cream in Israel "through a different arrangement," saying, "We will share an update on this as soon as we're ready."</p><p>Founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in 1978, the Vermont-based ice cream company is known for its vocal involvement in social justice causes, <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/dismantle-white-supremacy">adding a section to its website about dismantling white supremacy</a> following the murder of George Floyd and marking events such as the <a href="https://twitter.com/benandjerrys/status/1389958290830938112">National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn &amp; Relatives</a> on social media.</p><div type="image" title="Ben and Jerry's &quot;Resist&quot; flavor" height="2666" width="3556" msid="84563814" hostid="261"></div><p>Until now, <a href="https://www.jta.org/2021/06/16/israel/boycott-israel-no-ben-jerrys-is-boycotting-social-media">Ben &amp; Jerry's had refrained from commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict</a>, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The ice cream company has a <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/a-look-inside-ben-and-jerrys-israeli-factory-562287">factory in Be'er Tuvia, Israel</a>.</p><p>Their connection to Israel prompted the social justice group Decolonize Burlington to <a href="https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2021/06/12/decolonize-burlington-says-boycott-ben-and-jerrys-due-israel-ties/7652680002/">call for a boycott of the brand in May</a>, the Burlington Free Press reported. Last month, another group called Vermonters for Justice in <keyword id="48892" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Palestine">Palestine</keyword> also urged the company to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ben-and-jerrys-ice-cream-palestinian-territories-d8488b4c9c19dac11e2c253530d63014">"end complicity in Israel's occupation and abuses of Palestinian human rights,"</a> AP reported.</p><p>Before sharing its statement on Monday, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/15/metro/its-been-58-days-since-ben-jerrys-posted-social-media-heres-how-their-silence-may-be-tied-middle-east/">Ben &amp; Jerry's had been silent</a> on Twitter since May 18, when <a href="https://twitter.com/benandjerrys/status/1394714409558167553">it shared a message</a> about a new flavor of mint ice cream - in response users had criticized its connection to Israel and called for a boycott.</p><p>Israel has maintained military control over land known as the Palestinian territories or <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=27119&amp;LangID=EID=E">Occupied Palestinian Territory</a> - the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip - since the Six Day War in 1967. The UN views Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-israel-middle-east-israel-palestinian-conflict-business-1a50c091e2fa79256975eaaebadb8df6">violation of international law</a>, which Israel disputes.</p><p>In May, tensions flared in the region in the worst violence since 2014 until <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-hamas-agree-to-ceasefire-after-bloodiest-fighting-in-years-2021-5">Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire</a>. At least 232 Palestinians were killed, according to Reuters. Nearly 2,000 people in Gaza were injured, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/un-says-58000-palestinians-displaced-in-gaza-by-israels-bombing-2021-5">the UN said about 58,000 were displaced</a>. At least 12 people in Israel were also killed, including two children and a soldier. </p>

Ben & Jerry's will no longer sell ice cream in the Palestinian territories, saying it is 'inconsistent with our values'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><span>SexTech startups Dame Products and Unbound protested outside of Facebook's New York office.</span></li><li><span>The women's wellness companies say Facebook has not allowed them to run ads for their products on Facebook or Instagram.&#xa0;</span></li><li><strong>The protest aligns with the launch of Dame and Unbound's joint website, Approved-Not Approved,&#xa0;which shows ads that have been approved or denied by Facebook, Instagram, and metro systems in New York and Boston. </strong></li><li><span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></span></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">SexTech startups Dame Products and Unbound protested against ad censorship outside of Facebook's New York office on Monday morning.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The CEOs of both women's wellness companies, which sell products like vibrators, say that Facebook has not allowed them to run ads for their products on Facebook or Instagram.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The <a href="https://approvednotapproved.splashthat.com/">protest</a> aligns with the launch of Dame and Unbound's joint website, <a href="https://approvednotapproved.com/">Approved-Not Approved</a>, which shows ads that have been approved or denied by Facebook, Instagram, and metro systems in New York and Boston. The site currently showcases approved ads for breast augmentation and erectile dysfunction medication, while Dame and Unboud's advertisements for their vibrators were not approved by the New York Metropolitan Transportation (MTA) or Facebook.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dame CEO Alexandra Fine knows she's found an audience for Dame's products, but says that Facebook's gender bias has prevented her from running ads, which would aid the success of her business.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We've proven that people are interested in what we've created, yet this third variable, these advertising platforms ... have impacted the business. They have a bias towards sexuality in general, and then more specifically to female sexuality," Fine said about Facebook.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unbound CEO Polly Rodriguez said the goal of Monday's protest is to get Facebook to update its current advertising policies that leave Dame and Unbound unapproved.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"MeToo took place in a big way on their platform," Rodriguez said of Facebook. "They have a moral responsibility to take action on that movement and figure out how they can team with voices in these communities to allow users to engage in the counter narrative."&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Section eight of Facebook's advertising policy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads/prohibited_content/adult_products_or_services">states</a> that "<span>Ads must not promote the sale or use of adult products or services, except for ads for family planning and contraception." And even then, "Ads for contraceptives must focus on the contraceptive features of the product, and not on sexual pleasure or sexual enhancement, and must be targeted to people 18 years or older."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We have had open lines of communication with both companies and are always taking feedback," a Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider about Dame and Unbound. "We are working to further clarify our policies in this space in the near future."&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mira Mariah - an advocate for queer and disabled womxn who is known for her sparkly, womxn-centric tattoo designs (she's Ariana Grande's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ariana-grande-new-tattoo-anime-character-spirited-away-2018-8">go-to</a> tattoo artist) - planned to join the protest.</span></p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>"These are products I feel are normal and safe and healthy, and I want women to have access to them. I don't see why we should be suppressed about these kinds of things," Mariah said to Business Insider.</p><p>"As a really healthy reminder: not all people with vaginas are women, and these products are not only applicable to women, and can be pleasurable to tons of people," Mariah added. "It's reproductive health and sexual health for everybody."</p><div>    </div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-hq2-canceled-plans-new-york-city-headquarters-2019-2">Amazon is reportedly seeking a new space in New York City. Here's why the giant canceled its HQ2 plans 5 months ago.</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

SexTech startups are protesting outside of Facebook's offices, claiming the social network bars them from running ads

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Sex-tech startups Dame Products and Unbound recently launched a website to illuminate what they say is a gendered double standard in <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> after the MTA and Facebook rejected their ads featuring sex toys.</li><li>The MTA's current policies do not allow any advertisements featuring sex toys.</li><li><strong>Dame filed a lawsuit in June against the MTA, which did not approve the company's ads to run in New York City subways and stations.</strong></li><li><strong>"The MTA's advertising policy and its decision not to display the Dame Products ads is not gender-based or viewpoint discriminatory," a spokesperson for the MTA wrote in a statement to Business Insider. "Indeed, the MTA's <a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.mta.info%2Fmta%2Frealestate%2FPDF%2FMTA-Advertising-FAQs.pdf&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cpsistrom%40mtahq.org%7C2989ff4cdf7740be969708d710520621%7C79c07380cc9841bd806b0ae925588f66%7C0%7C1%7C636995816785491617&amp;sdata=wnth7agH%2BlhA8cmFg7ti2s4fQcJLQPllcGgVymJwdBA%3D&amp;reserved=0">FAQs</a> about its advertising policy clearly state that advertisements for sex toys or devices for any gender are not permitted."</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A phallic cactus advertising a men's wellness company that delivers erectile dysfunction medication? MTA approved. A hand holding a vibrator made by a women's wellness company? Not MTA approved.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is the premise and core critique of&#xa0;<a href="https://approvednotapproved.com/">Approved, Not Approved</a>, a website launched on July 31 by sex-tech startups Dame Products and Unbound, both of which sell sexual wellness products, like vibrators. Approved, Not Approved allows users to play a guessing game of advertisements: Click through ads that draw on sexual imagery or innuendo, click the "approved" or "not approved" button, and finally see what </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">the New York Metropolitan <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> (MTA), Facebook, or Instagram deemed appropriate.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"People don't see what's not approved. You don't see censorship, that's the whole idea. So, how can I creatively, playfully engage consumers so they can see the challenges that I, as well as a lot of other female-founded companies, are facing?" Dame CEO Alexandra Fine said to Business Insider about the inspiration for Approved, Not Approved and the challenge of having her company's ads not approved by Facebook and the MTA. "For Approved, Not Approved, I wanted to illuminate this challenge."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The launch of Approved, Not Approved follows a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dame-sex-toy-company-sued-new-york-mta-ad-rejection-2019-6">lawsuit</a> Dame filed in June against the MTA, which rejected the company's ads featuring vibrators in New York City subways and stations, despite running other companies' ads containing sexual imagery. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Dame's <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1027/2873/files/Complaint._Dame_Products_00380622x9CCC2.pdf?48973">complaint</a>, it writes that the MTA's decision to reject Dame's advertisements "reveals the MTA's sexism" as well as the MTA's "decision to privilege male interests in advertising choices." The complaint says that Dame is seeking damages, alleging the MTA violated the company's right to due process, equal protection, and free speech.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Sex and sexuality is used to sell everything," Unbound CEO Polly Rodriguez said to Business Insider, using the example of an MTA-approved ad for bedding startup Brooklinen that Rodriguez identified as racy. "But the one time it's not allowed to be used to sell products is when it's for women and non-binary people, when it's sex products for those populations."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The MTA has pushed back, saying it's a simple matter of policy: Ads featuring sex toys aren't allowed.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The MTA's advertising policy and its decision not to display the Dame Products ads is not gender-based or viewpoint discriminatory," a spokesperson for the MTA wrote in a statement to Business Insider. "Indeed, the MTA's <a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.mta.info%2Fmta%2Frealestate%2FPDF%2FMTA-Advertising-FAQs.pdf&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cpsistrom%40mtahq.org%7C2989ff4cdf7740be969708d710520621%7C79c07380cc9841bd806b0ae925588f66%7C0%7C1%7C636995816785491617&amp;sdata=wnth7agH%2BlhA8cmFg7ti2s4fQcJLQPllcGgVymJwdBA%3D&amp;reserved=0">FAQs</a> about its advertising policy clearly state that advertisements for sex toys or devices for any gender are not permitted."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the prohibited advertising section of the MTA's advertising <a href="https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/2018-12/MTA_Ad_Policy.pdf">policy</a>, Subsection 16 states that any ad that "promotes an escort service or sexually oriented business" is not allowed. Subsection 15 also prohibits any ad that "contains sexually explicit material that appeals to the prurient interest in sex or is so violent, frightening, or otherwise disturbing as to reasonably be deemed harmful to minors."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The MTA's addition of a clarification that sex toys fall under the banned category of "sexually oriented business" in Section 15 is relatively new: the clarification was added to the policy FAQ page on November 15, 2018, two months after Dame began working with the MTA ad agency Outfront on creating its ads, according to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3k9gx3/mta-bans-sex-toys-ads-dame-unbound">Vice</a>.&#xa0;</span></p><p>&#xa0;</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The MTA statement also explains that FDA-approved medications, including those for sexual dysfunction of any gender, are permitted. Hence, the cactus ad from Hims - which sells a generic version of Viagra - can run.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We believe all sexualities and genders deserve equal access to public forums," a Hims spokesperson said to Business Insider. "Our mission is to empower all people with important information and options for their health and happiness and o</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ur advertising is intended to begin that conversation with the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have faced barriers to care or treatment options because of embarrassment, affordability or access issues."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Approved, Not Approved launched the same day Dame and Unbound <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sextech-startups-dame-unbound-protest-facebook-ad-censorship-2019-7">protested</a> against ad censorship outside of Facebook's New York office. Mira Mariah - an advocate for queer and disabled womxn who is known for her sparkly, womxn-centric tattoo designs (she's Ariana Grande's&#xa0;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ariana-grande-new-tattoo-anime-character-spirited-away-2018-8">go-to</a> tattoo artist) - joined the Approved, Not Approved peaceful protest.</span></p><p>"I've seen so many ads on the subway that objectify women, and make me feel objectified, and shove a patriarchal norm down our throats," Mariah said to Business Insider. "To then see them not approve a message that is so clearly about female pleasure makes me feel like they're making a statement about women's disempowerment."</p><p>"I feel that once we're exploring anything that has to do with female pleasure - that doesn't incorporate men - it's no longer accepted, and suddenly it's censored and unacceptable and taboo," Mariah continued. "I don't know where that's coming from, and I don't think it's acceptable."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Approved, Not Approved also features ads that Facebook has declined to run. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Section eight of Facebook's advertising policy </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads/prohibited_content/adult_products_or_services"><span style="font-weight: 400;">states</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that "Ads must not promote the sale or use of adult products or services, except for ads for family planning and contraception." And even then, "Ads for contraceptives must focus on the contraceptive features of the product, and not on sexual pleasure or sexual enhancement, and must be targeted to people 18 years or older."</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Facebook spokesperson told Business Insider that section eight is "the policy that has typically inhibited these advertisers from running," referring to Dame and Unbound.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unbound shared an email with Business Insider from another Facebook spokesperson, who also cited section nine, which</span> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads/prohibited_content/adult_content"><span style="font-weight: 400;">states</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that "ads must not contain adult content. This includes nudity, depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative." The spokesperson said neither section eight nor nine were up for reconsideration at the time.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: </em></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sextech-startups-dame-unbound-protest-facebook-ad-censorship-2019-7"><em>SexTech startups are protesting outside of Facebook's offices, claiming the social network bars them from running ads</em></a></p><div>    </div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bidets-better-than-using-just-toilet-paper-2019-9">Why bidets haven't caught on in the US</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Facebook and the MTA don't allow ads featuring sex toys. These two sex-tech startups are pushing it to change that.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Elle Wang is the <keyword id="36740" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="founder">founder</keyword> and creative director of New York-based clothing brand <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emiliageorgeofficial/">Emilia George</a>.</li><li>She was working full-time from home, caring for her toddler, and running her clothing business at night in early 2020.</li><li>After a miscarriage in June, Wang says she made changes to her strained schedule to prioritize her health.</li></ul><p>I first had the urge to create high-end maternity workwear when I was seven months pregnant in February 2019. I was working full-time, and felt simply pushed over the edge by the uncomfortable clothing I wore to work everyday - the first thing I did when I got home was get naked. </p><p><strong><div type="image" title="Elle Wang" height="796" width="1061" msid="81213547" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>I'd always enjoyed <keyword id="6" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fashion">fashion</keyword> and would go to fashion week shows when I had a chance, but I had zero background, contacts, or training in clothing and design. Since I had no idea how to draw, I worked with several independent designers to create maternity collections.</p><p>After giving birth and spending months turning my idea into a reality, we officially launched <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emiliageorgeofficial/">Emilia George</a> on December 10, 2019. </p><h2>A few months later, COVID-19 hit.</h2><p>I had barely introduced my business to potential customers across Manhattan. My husband and I had to quickly pull our child out of daycare and began working from home for our full-time jobs.</p><p>Soon, I began receiving emails from production partners and fabrics suppliers saying they'd be closed for the unforeseen future. Promising retailer partners told me that all new brand onboarding had to stop. </p><p>At the same time, I was taking care of our 1-year-old son in a city filled with sirens and horrific numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths. It took a toll on me, and I wanted to quit many times. </p><h2><strong>When nothing seemed to be going my way, I learned to pivot.</strong></h2><p>As I bootstrapped my business, production partners closed and major retailers barely stayed afloat. I had enough reasons to shut down Emilia George over and over again once the pandemic began, but I didn't. </p><p>Instead, I cut down costs by completely halting digital marketing spend on Facebook and Instagram. The only partner I kept was my PR team, who proved instrumental in driving brand awareness during such a strange time. </p><p>When we entered April 2020, we decided to make face masks to help alleviate the shortening supply. The launch was covered by sites like Vogue and Elle, and soon we were flooded with orders. We sold over $40,000 worth of masks alone in May. </p><p>In June, the National Institutes of Health asked us to make customized masks for their employees - one of which Dr. Anthony Fauci wore at a Senate hearing in September. </p><div type="image" title="fauci nih" height="1467" width="1956" msid="81213551" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>While it helps to be a lean startup, being a one-woman show came with hardships.</strong></h2><p>After we began working from home, my husband and I had planned to conceive again. But we weren't prepared to do our jobs while taking care of our toddler full-time from home. Being the founder and CEO of a new one-woman startup was exhausting on top of childcare, and my day job being a partnerships and <keyword id="6363690" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Strategy">strategy</keyword> advisor at the United Nations.</p><p>Most days, it was only after 7 p.m. that I finally had big chunks of time to work on Emilia George, from fulfilling orders to talking to my production partners and suppliers in Asia. At the height of the pandemic, I often had to fill orders until 1 or 2 a.m. before I could even think about going to bed. </p><p>My production partners overseas in Italy and China often asked me if I ever slept. I did - just not that much. For a good few months, I was only sleeping for around four hours a night. </p><p>I had a miscarriage in June.</p><p>I always wondered if my crazy work hours and stress had caused it. When I got pregnant again a couple of months later, my husband and I were determined to make changes to better safeguard our health needs as a family.</p><div type="image" title="Elle Wang" height="1065" width="1420" msid="81213553" hostid="261"></div><p>We found a live-in nanny to help with childcare and hired additional team members to help with Emilia George's operations. Now, we have a team of six awesome women, and are continuing to grow.</p><p>As my accountant was about to close the books for 2020 - Emilia George's very first year - I noticed our gross revenue: over $490,000. To make sure my being 29 weeks pregnant hadn't resulted in some numerical error, I double checked with her. It was true: I'd made nearly half a million dollars from launching a pregnancy clothing line during COVID-19, all with a toddler at home and a baby on the way, not to mention while managing a full-time job.</p><p>While I was surprised and happy by this success, I knew it came as a result of countless hours of behind-the-scenes work and dedication that was far from easy.</p><h2><strong>I've learned the best thing I can do to support other entrepreneurial women is to share my story.</strong></h2><p><strong><div type="image" title="Elle Wang" height="902" width="1200" msid="81213555" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p>I understand the work and perseverance it takes to grow a startup as a <keyword id="642718" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="working-mom">working mom</keyword>. So many people have fantastic ideas, but finding that initial investment can be incredibly daunting. When it comes down to it, the better connected we are, the more we can do. I can't wait to see what the future holds.</p><p><em>Elle Wang is the founder and creative director of New York-based clothing brand <a href="https://www.instagram.com/emiliageorgeofficial/">Emilia George</a>. She is also a member of <a href="http://www.dreamersdoers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dreamers &amp; Doers</a>, a private collective that amplifies the entrepreneurial pursuits of extraordinary womxn through thought leadership opportunities, authentic connection, and access. <a href="http://www.dreamersdoers.com/membership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more</a> about Dreamers &amp; Doers and subscribe to their monthly <a href="https://www.dreamersdoers.com/digest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Digest</a> for top entrepreneurial and career resources.</em></p>

I made $490,000 launching a maternity clothing brand during the pandemic. I also experienced a personal loss. Here's what it taught me.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="17580" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Reese-Witherspoon">Reese Witherspoon</keyword> shared a sentimental tribute to celebrate her daughter <keyword id="171199" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ava-Phillippe">Ava Phillippe</keyword>'s 21st birthday on Wednesday. </li><li>The 44-year-old actress and producer posted a current photo of herself and Phillippe along with an old black-and-white photo of her daughter as a baby. </li><li>"Wow! How is it possible that this little girl is now 21 years old?" Witherspoon wrote. "Happy Birthday to my sweet girl who has become the most incredible young woman."</li></ul><p>Reese Witherspoon wrote a heartfelt tribute to celebrate her daughter Ava Phillippe's 21st birthday on Wednesday. </p><p>The 44-year-old actress and producer posted a recent photo of herself and Ava, whom she shares with her ex-husband and "Cruel Intentions" costar Ryan Phillippe, along with a black-and-white throwback picture of her daughter as a baby. </p><p>"Wow! How is it possible that this little girl is now 21 years old? Happy Birthday to my sweet girl who has become the most incredible young woman," Witherspoon wrote.</p><p>She continued, "Her kindness, her compassion, and her huge heart never cease to amaze me. Ava, there aren't enough words to describe how proud I am of everything you've already accomplished. I cannot wait to see ALL the Good you will put into this world. I love you so much."</p><p>Ava wrote back, "love you the most, mama!"</p><p>Viola Davis, Zoe Kravitz, Kerry Washington, and more stars also left comments wishing her a happy birthday.</p><p>Witherspoon had Ava, her eldest child, six months before she began filming "Legally Blonde" at 23 years old. </p><p>"To be totally honest, it was scary. I was scared. I didn't know what it was going to do to my job or my career," she said during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UspF1UOh_XY&amp;feature=emb_titleitle">Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine YouTube video.</a></p><p>Becoming a mother at a young age caused her "entire life" to change. </p><p>"Everything you believe, every piece of food you eat, every piece of independence you have," she said, adding, "You can't go out without thinking of another person. You can't look at your groceries without thinking of another person. You don't think about whether you're cold or hot, you think about your kid and whether they're cold or hot. You don't sleep anymore."</p><p>In retrospect, however, Witherspoon said she's grateful to have had two of her kids, Ava and Deacon Phillippe, in her 20s.  </p><p>"I find having little kids is more physical and it's just really hard on your body. So I am glad that I had kids kind of young," she said, admitting that having her third child, Tennessee Toth, with now-husband Jim Toth at 37 years old was "so much harder."</p><p>"This is just me being real. Everybody's life experience, you have to do when it's right for you."</p>

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