Waitrose has chosen to replace the long-established term “Feminine Hygiene” with the gender-neutral label “Period Care”.

For many people, this is not a trivial branding decision. It is part of a wider trend in which clear, sex-based language is being removed from public life to satisfy a vocal ideological movement, despite little evidence that the wider public supports such changes.

Women are not a marketing category. Women are a biological reality. Products designed for women should be described accordingly.

We are calling on all major UK political parties to state publicly whether they support or oppose the replacement of sex-specific language with gender-neutral terminology in retail, public services and official communications.

This is about accountability. Voters deserve to know where politicians stand on the growing practice of removing references to women from language that has been understood for generations.

If political parties support these changes, they should say so. If they oppose them, they should say so.

The public has a right to know before casting its vote.

Sign this petition if you believe that women should remain visible in the language used to describe products created for women.