This week, a period and fertility tracking app announced that its product is for “everyone with periods,” including biological men who identify as women.
Flo is an ovulation-tracking app to help “[build] a better future for female health.” This isn’t reserved to just biological females. This week, the company responded to a Twitter user who pointed out that men are claiming to be women using the app’s “secret chats” feature, where women discuss what’s going on with their bodies.
Flo responded to the user and said it supports biological males who identify as women using the app.
“Hi there. We aim to support everyone with periods – regardless of gender,” the company wrote, along with transgender and gay pride flags.
Hi there.
— Flo App (@flotracker) January 16, 2023
We aim to support everyone with periods - regardless of gender 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ https://t.co/tKOos2rdcJ
Conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey called Flo out on their stance.
“‘Trans women’ don’t have periods, Flo,” she wrote. The company blocked her as a result.
Flo period tracker defended allowing men who identify as women on their apps, taking part in chats with women sharing intimate details about their bodies. pic.twitter.com/oxn99TvngS
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) January 17, 2023
Stuckey shared an image of the Flo forums on the app where biological men claim to be “trans women.” Some claim to use women’s restrooms and use female pronouns.
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) January 17, 2023
Flo’s Diversity and Inclusion webpage said that the company “ is on a mission to build a better future for female health, an area of healthcare that has been underlooked and underserved. But we also want to build a better and more inclusive future for all people who menstruate.”
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The statement continues, claiming that “not all people who menstruate are women” (via Flo):
Flo has millions of users all over the world and we always aim to celebrate our diverse community. Every body is unique and what’s “normal” for one person may not be for the next. We strive to recognize the ways in which a person’s lived experience, identity, and lifestyle influences their health, and at Flo we work to treat all experiences with care and compassion.
We know that not all people who menstruate are women, and not all women menstruate. At Flo, we’re proud to help everyone navigate through this part of life more easily and with confidence. Where space allows, we will say 'people who menstruate' to acknowledge the reality and experiences of people with a diverse range of gender identities, and ‘women’ where research is only based on those who identify as female.
The company’s “health library” includes an entire section dedicated to LGBTQ+. Several of the company’s “Health 360” articles surround abortion.
“Periods can be triggering because they are often considered solely a “women’s issue,” leaving trans or non-binary people who menstruate feeling excluded and othered. The hyper-feminine language and bright colors used on period products also don’t help, often making feelings of unease, upset, and isolation much worse,” an article called Trans Period: How To Navigate Your Period When You’re Trans Or Non-Binary reads.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flo defended its policy, reiterating its Diversity and Inclusion policy.
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