A question that has been circulating the internet for a few days now could help many people feel much more at home in their bodies, if they are already uncomfortable that is. Or, it could not really affect much at all. Many people believe that changing the spelling of the term ¨women¨ to ¨womxn¨ would help many transgender, non-binary and other women feel more accepted and comfortable.

The question arose when a museum sent out a tweet using the word ¨womxn¨ to promote an event they were putting on. This tweet received quite a bit of backlash due to their use of the word.

Dr. Clara Bradbury-Rance states that a reason behind this spelling could be kind of like a protest, opposing the traditional spelling where it “stems from a longstanding objection to the word woman as it comes from man, and the linguistic roots of the word mean that it really does come from the word man”.

Some think that this change could be a good thing, that it could help separate more. Others think that by using this term, it demeans women and that it is forcing some people into something that they do not want to be.

Others are saying that the term does not really do anything.

For example, Sam Baxter on Twitter tweeted that trans women call themselves women. Not some special word. And non-binary people don not really use the word “women” either, considering that they do not identify with either gender. The term really would not do much in that sense.

But through other eyes, it is seen as an all-inclusive word: a word that anyone can use without making anyone upset or mislabeling.

Many people are also saying that the term could possibly demean trans women by saying that they are different than normal women when they are obviously not. They are also saying the normal spelling of “women” would most likely make them feel more at home than making a special word to “include” them.

What are your thoughts on the argument? Do you think that the spelling of the word women should be changed to womxn? Email us at rhsarrowstaff@gmail.com