If you avoid the feminist section then at least read this article

I’d say that poster brought their daughter into the argument, which was probably a mistake if they were so quick to misinterpret a post in response.

Pumper. I get it. You don't think it's a problem.

The House of Lords reinserting the word mother, at the last minute, in a bill about maternity rights, (for MPs!!), Freddie McConnell being backed by one of most expensive lawfirms in the country, who is on their third court case, to get the word father enshrined in law as someone who gives birth, the examples on here of people with autism, the cervical cancer charity, the smear test researchers, the Welsh whatever it was, the fact that J. K. Rowling was vilified to the point of insanity for objecting to women being called menstruaters, personal experience of workplace policy on this very thread.

And you continue to say it's not enough. Whilst women are standing there with their arms outstretched holding back the tide, you're complaining - not that it's happening, but it's not happening enough. Enough to warrant concern.

When a very normal person, whose job is journalism, is backed by the most expensive lawyers this country can buy, to the tune of being on their third court case, to get the word father enshrined in law to mean someone who gives birth, you shouldn't just be concerned, you should be petrified.

If you can't see that the concept of woman is being erased, linguistically and politically, then it's because you refuse to look.

I don't have a link, but either here or on Twitter I recently saw a thread from a woman who asked to see her NHS records (using Freedom of Information?) and found that her gender was recorded as female but her sex was left blank. This was in spite of the fact that she had given birth several times, and had NHS records of her obstetric care. This is not supposed to happen, as the NHS has a protocol that says sex should always be recorded, but clearly that's got muddled in practice.

The result is that many transwomen will be registered as female with their GP and many transmen will be registered as male, leading to all sorts of issues with getting invitations to the right kind of screening.

So that's another problem with language, to go with all the obvious ones for people who don't have English as a first language and people with learning difficulties.

I’m really shocked at how you’ve gone on and on at the mother of an autistic child, trying to trip her up and wear her down when it’s clear that this is a personal and emotional issue for her, whereas for you it’s just a constant dismissive refrain of “not a widespread problem - nothing to see here”.

I wonder how many disenfranchised women it will take before you consider it worthy of your concern.

I find your attitude to those with disabilities or those who do not have English as their first language appalling.

I’ve already said that tweet is poorly worded. Female is a word for woman, I don’t think it means anything less than ‘woman’, I don’t think anyone will be basing their entire medical history on the back of one tweet by one charity linked to another one charity and be, at that point, confused by the word ‘female’. And I don’t think you do either - remember, the NHS uses women, mother, maternity and all the others. Which leads me back to ‘this is not a widespread problem’.

Sorry should say those with learning and language disabilities.

The word women and girls is not mentioned in the leaflet. Some women and girls may not have the comprehension or language ability to know that they are a 'female registered with the GP'.

You obviously don't think this is an issue and that's your prerogative. I am telling you that it is an issue and a very worrying one for women and girls with language difficulties.

If you think my behaviour is horrible for pointing this out to you then so be it. I find your attitude to those with disabilities or those who do not have English as their first language appalling.

I could just as easily ask you why you’re maximising this problem, and why you have to resort to emotional blackmail and cropping quotes to discredit my very valid point. Horrible behaviour.

It isn't one charity it's Jo's Trust too.

Everyone is giving you examples and you don't seem to care about the fact that there is a genuine risk that women could miss vital healthcare.

But if an autistic person follows that one charity then that is the message they are getting isn't it.

Why are you so intent on minimising the problem pumper?

I couldn't remember which autism charity it was but I have no idea why that is relevant. Jo's Trust can't even name women in the linked leaflet.

This doesn't only impact women with language & learning difficulties it's women with English as a second language or poor English.

Jo's Trust is the go- to charity for cervical cancer and they don't say the word woman in the leaflet! What more evidence of language erasure do you need?

That's nice! So if a girl with autism misses her smear and ends up with cervical cancer that's not a huge impact. Wow! Just Wow!

When that is so patently not what I said. I said:

it’s not a widespread issue. That one autism charity should know better, but what about all the other autism charities, are they all doing the same thing?

And a quick reminder: you couldn’t even remember the name of that charity earlier in the thread, how important is it to you?

Apologies for the typos I'm so angry. This is people like my daughter you are talking about. They already are made to feel that they don't fit in and now inappropriate language isn't a 'huge issue' even if it could kill them.

Awful.

And as for the cut & paste the problem doesn't have to be widespread to cause a 'huge issue' for disadvantages members of society.

You keep saying it does. You are wrong.

What jump to emotional blackmail are you talking about Pumper lets be clear you keep telling you there is no impact, I'm telling you that there is and that impact could cause autistic women and girls to miss essential health screening and you are minimising that.

To me that's just awful. I'm sorry it's unforgivable that you think that it is not a 'huge impact'.

It is a sensitive subject for me, you are right. I'm really upset by your attitude.

I’m saying it’s not happening in a way that impacts in any huge way,

That's nice! So if a girl with autism misses her smear and ends up with cervical cancer that's not a huge impact. Wow! Just Wow!

But I do feel like I have to point out again, I’m not arguing it’s not happening at all. I’m saying it’s not happening in a way that impacts in any huge way, it’s not a widespread issue. That one autism charity should know better, but what about all the other autism charities, are they all doing the same thing?

I’m denying it’s a widespread problem

Never heard of prevention being better than cure? Why would we all just passively wait until many people have been harmed?

How many women need to miss smear tests before it's a problem?

How many men to win women's sports prizes?

How many young women damaged by testosterone and double mastectomies?

It's been too many already!

Sorry to be clear not all autistic people have learning difficulties but my daughter does.

However as Autism is a communication disorder the need for clear language remains.

Yes it was the one that tweeted, linked upthread Autistic UK, twitter.com/AutisticUK/status/1351183014760509448

The tweet links to Jo's Trust charity which states that you will be invited for a smear if you are of relevant age and 'registered as a female with your GP'.
www.jostrust.org.uk/shop/cervical-screening-and-cervical-abnormalities/download-only-mini-factsheet-cervical-screening

There is another plain english leaflet which mentions women but this is not at all good enough for people with Learning difficulties who have to navigate to find out whether it applies to them.

My daughter is lucky because I will support her, the same can't be said for all autistic women and girls. It's not only dehumanising it's downright dangerous.