TEDxLondon replaces 'women' with 'womxn'

TEDxLondon has announced it will now be using the spelling of 'womxn' to refer to 'women' because it is supposedly more "inclusive".

The popular speaking platform made the announcement on Twitter in a post titled "Why we're using 'womxn'".

"No, that's not a typo: 'womxn' is a spelling of 'women' that's more inclusive and progressive," TEDxLondon wrote.

"The term sheds light on the prejudice, discrimination, and institutional barriers womxn have faced, and explicitly includes non-cisgender women."

The post was greeted with angry comments from Twitter users.

Maya Forstater, who lost her job after saying that there were only two biological sexes, wrote: "Women is fine. Womxn sheds no light. It is neither inclusive nor progressive to use unpronounceable buzzwords and suggest that female people don't have a name already." 

The For Women Scotland campaign group wrote: "You deliberately exclude and belittle women, while elevating shiny 'new' non female types."

Terminology to speak of women has become a flashpoint in the debate over transgenderism.

JK Rowling, who defended Forstater after her dismissal, earlier this year criticised an article that spoke of "people who menstruate". 

"I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" she said. 

She denied that her comments were transphobic, saying that "it isn't hate to speak the truth". 

Superdrug has also been criticised for introducing a new line of environmentally-friendly sanitary products "for people who menstruate". 

It was accused of "female erasure" over the Luna range which omits the word 'women' on the packaging.