A Missouri university faced ridicule and mockery after referring to Women’s History Month as “Womynx History Month,” Fox News reported Tuesday.
Women’s History Month began on March 1.
What are the details?
In a since-deleted tweet, Northwest Missouri State University wrote, “To commemorate Womynx History Month, Northwest will host a variety of activities throughout the month of March. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.'”
The post, according to the outlet, linked to a website that explained how the school has decided to use the term “womynx” instead of “women” in a bid to “encourage inclusivity.”
‘Vital’ to celebrate
In a statement, Dr. Giselle Greenidge, assistant professor of sociology as well as member of the school’s Womynx History Month Committee, said, “It is vital that we celebrate Women’s History Month at Northwest to recognize the many achievements of influential women that usually go unnoticed, and to acknowledge the role Northwest’s women have played in delivering care and spreading the spirit of hope. Women worldwide are the predominant providers of informal care, and Northwest is no exception.”
According to Fox, a spokesperson for the school said that the the term “was intended to promote inclusivity among students but did not elaborate on who, besides biological women, were being included.”
Reactions
In a now-viral tweet, Twitter account Libs of TikTok wrote, “Wtf is Womynx?? This is what people go into debt to learn?”
Another user mocked the term and added, “They can’t say ‘women’ because that would be transphobic.”
“Itx isx thex nywx trendx,” another user joked.
Another added, “Northwest Missouri State is facing backlash for their tweet referring to Women’s History Month as ‘Womynx History Month.’ They linked a website explaining their attempt to create a word that is more inclusive to ‘non-biological women.'”
“People at Northwest Missouri State really woke up this morning and decided they needed to start casually using womynx as if it wasn’t completely insane,” a user mused.