Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Smear appointment reminder with a Mx

379 replies

catin8oots · 02/07/2024 12:34

Have a routine smear booked at my local surgery and just received a reminder text saying it will be with Mx Firstname Surname.

I have no idea if this person is a biological woman or a biological man.

Can I call and ask?

OP posts:
Mermoose · 02/07/2024 16:26

JustThatEnby · 02/07/2024 16:21

As someone who uses Mx, it’s perfectly fine to ask a question like that as a preference thing for something so personal, but I probably wouldn’t word it like that, as most likely they are non-binary like myself and you still wouldn’t get the answer you require,
the person will most likely have had the question asked before as well.

Can I ask - if you're non-binary, if a woman asks for a female nurse or doctor, do you exclude yourself?

PepeParapluie · 02/07/2024 16:25

fungipie · 02/07/2024 15:29

Would you also ask for your C-section, emergency or otherwise, to be solely done by male staff? Honestly, I don't get this at all. Ask for a chaperone if you wish, but medical professionals are just that, medical professionals.

Good for you if you don’t care. Other women do care. They’re also allowed to care and allowed to ask for single sex care, particularly for something like a smear. Ditto @Est1990

CaptainOliviaBenson · 02/07/2024 16:25

Est1990 · 02/07/2024 15:35

I genuinely can't understand why so many women want a female doing a Medical procedure other than that you are literally sexualising a Medical procedure.
What if it's end up being a lesbian?🤣

Jesus! Imagine being so lacking in empathy and so unaware of the world around you, you actually typed this out and put a laughing emoji along with it!

2Rebecca · 02/07/2024 16:22

If a woman doesn't want to be miss or mrs then that's what Ms is for. Ms is the Mr equivalent. Mx is when you don't want to reveal your sex

Lentilweaver · 02/07/2024 16:22

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:20

Sure it's fine and encouraged to civilly voice aspects for improvement, but practices & trusts already get a million not-so-civilly-voiced complaints a day, based on millions of kinds of ideologies. How we cope and survive is humour. So yes it would be funny if Keri thought "oh what a nice gender neutral option" and then ends up having to deal with all of this outrage bright and early on a Monday morning 😂

Hilarious indeed. Women wanting women HCPs is now an ideology.

JustThatEnby · 02/07/2024 16:21

As someone who uses Mx, it’s perfectly fine to ask a question like that as a preference thing for something so personal, but I probably wouldn’t word it like that, as most likely they are non-binary like myself and you still wouldn’t get the answer you require,
the person will most likely have had the question asked before as well.

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:20

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:13

No I'm also being totally serious in calling you out for dismissing someone's concerns over an intimate examination as 'frothing'.

Women should be encouraged to voice any and every concern or issue or share anything that might put them off having a smear.

Calling it 'frothing' is an attempt to silence and belittle women from communicating important things to them. This is a matter of trust.

So yes. Hahaha I'm laughing so very hard my sides are splitting.

I hope you feel proud.

Sure it's fine and encouraged to civilly voice aspects for improvement, but practices & trusts already get a million not-so-civilly-voiced complaints a day, based on millions of kinds of ideologies. How we cope and survive is humour. So yes it would be funny if Keri thought "oh what a nice gender neutral option" and then ends up having to deal with all of this outrage bright and early on a Monday morning 😂

CharlotteRumpling · 02/07/2024 16:20

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:18

Can you read?!

I can. You seem to be far morer worried about Keri's muddled head than actual women.

CharlotteRumpling · 02/07/2024 16:18

Sorry my last comment meant for @babadumm not @RedToothBrush. Accusing women of frothing for having boundaries is just awful.

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:18

CharlotteRumpling · 02/07/2024 16:17

Absolutely this. Do you really expect women from conservative communities to have a speculum shoved up them by a man? As it is, most women don;t go for smears or mammos, because they find them intrusive and humiliating.
Let's not deter them further by having men doing them.

Can you read?!

CharlotteRumpling · 02/07/2024 16:17

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:13

No I'm also being totally serious in calling you out for dismissing someone's concerns over an intimate examination as 'frothing'.

Women should be encouraged to voice any and every concern or issue or share anything that might put them off having a smear.

Calling it 'frothing' is an attempt to silence and belittle women from communicating important things to them. This is a matter of trust.

So yes. Hahaha I'm laughing so very hard my sides are splitting.

I hope you feel proud.

Absolutely this. Do you really expect women from conservative communities to have a speculum shoved up them by a man? As it is, most women don;t go for smears or mammos, because they find them intrusive and humiliating.
Let's not deter them further by having men doing them.

Dartwarbler · 02/07/2024 16:17

Est1990 · 02/07/2024 15:35

I genuinely can't understand why so many women want a female doing a Medical procedure other than that you are literally sexualising a Medical procedure.
What if it's end up being a lesbian?🤣

I’m 60 plus now and mum of 3 dc. I’ve had my “fair share” of both men and women giving me intimate exams or procedures.

in my overwhelming experience, the procedure is way quicker, less uncomfortable and I felt way less vulnerable with women doing it. Whether that’s practice nurses, gynae, obstetricians or midwives. Yep, had a few off hand female practioners, but I have not had a women practioner tell me “to pull myself together”, “do you have a particularly low pain threshhold? ” or “you’re making a fuss over nothing”, all of which have been said by male pratictioners after ignoring a ovarian cyst the size of my full term babies head I was carrying at the time, putting in a coil and the very first time I had a smear by an overfamiliar Gp who had already insisted on a breast exam in days when asking for chaperone wasn’t a known thing and taking an unseemly relish about the soap and water process for breast exams. Now I come to think of it I also never had a female doctor tell meat age of 23, when getting my pill prescription renewed in front of Gp, that I really ought to be getting married and having children by now as my fertility would be ending soon if I didn’t watch out.

nah, it is not the same. Yes, if it’s an emergency then I’ll take any qualified practioner , but this isn’t an emergency. yep, you can get a bumber female practioner but not this level of dismissal, arrogance, patronisation and creepiness

Mrsjayy · 02/07/2024 16:16

IVbumble · 02/07/2024 16:13

I'm a female nurse who uses Mx - I never realised it was controversial - I thought it was nicer than Miss - as that makes me sound like an old maid or a young girl when I am neither of these & I don't like Mrs as I'm not married.

But it doesn't mean anything and causes confusion and as an aside it sounds like a dominatrix title imo 😂

RosesAndHellebores · 02/07/2024 16:15

I want to see nurses who identify as nurses. I don't give a flying fuck what sex they identify as or are.

I'd insist a Mx addressed me as Mrs and sweetly say it's the title I prefer because I'm a married woman. Actually, I wouldn't want to see someone who called themselves Mx. Too right on for me.

IVbumble · 02/07/2024 16:13

I'm a female nurse who uses Mx - I never realised it was controversial - I thought it was nicer than Miss - as that makes me sound like an old maid or a young girl when I am neither of these & I don't like Mrs as I'm not married.

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:13

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:08

No, I meant it! I know lots of people in my field (adjacent to medical) who refuse to use gendered titles anymore because it affects their opportunities and their life, eg at conferences, with patients pre appointment. Imagine if Keri is like oh god what the f is all this frothing to start my week off with 😂

No I'm also being totally serious in calling you out for dismissing someone's concerns over an intimate examination as 'frothing'.

Women should be encouraged to voice any and every concern or issue or share anything that might put them off having a smear.

Calling it 'frothing' is an attempt to silence and belittle women from communicating important things to them. This is a matter of trust.

So yes. Hahaha I'm laughing so very hard my sides are splitting.

I hope you feel proud.

BackToLurk · 02/07/2024 16:12

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:08

No, I meant it! I know lots of people in my field (adjacent to medical) who refuse to use gendered titles anymore because it affects their opportunities and their life, eg at conferences, with patients pre appointment. Imagine if Keri is like oh god what the f is all this frothing to start my week off with 😂

"refuse to use gendered titles anymore because it affects their opportunities"

and yet people are supposed to state their pronouns. Funny old world

TWmover · 02/07/2024 16:11

@Est1990
Count yourself fortunate if you've no experience of sexual violence and trauma but accept that others do. The procedure and who carries it out can have a huge impact on nervous system regulation for those who have survived it.

Mrsjayy · 02/07/2024 16:09

@VotesForWomen go with Ms .

babadumm · 02/07/2024 16:08

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:02

"frothing"

Funny.

No, I meant it! I know lots of people in my field (adjacent to medical) who refuse to use gendered titles anymore because it affects their opportunities and their life, eg at conferences, with patients pre appointment. Imagine if Keri is like oh god what the f is all this frothing to start my week off with 😂

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:07

I use Miss, Mrs or Ms cos I find the whole titles thing farcical. My bank were asking for me to provide zillions of paper work to change from Miss to Ms/Mrs at which point I couldn't be arsed with the hassle. I didn't change my name for precisely this reason so I wasn't about to defeat the object of that by fannying about to satisfy their ridiculousness.

So yeah I'm totally onboard with ditching the dumb things.

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:03

Fkouncingflump · 02/07/2024 15:53

Surely the argument here, is that titles are reductive and sexist and shouldnt be used AT ALL?

That would be one solution.

VotesForWomen · 02/07/2024 16:03

FeelingHotHotHotFeelingHotHotHot · 02/07/2024 14:08

From Google @catin8oots

Mx (pronounced 'mix') is a gender-neutral alternative to gender-specific titles such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, and Ms. It can be used before a person's full name or surname by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender, or those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female.

My money is on this nurse being a transgender woman. I would cancel.

I must say, none of the nurses I have ever had appointments with have been Miss or Mrs or Mx anything. It's just Jenny Hill, or Louise Evans, or Linda Harris etc. No title before the name. (Only 'Nurse' obvs!)

My money is on this nurse being a biological woman who identifies as non-binary. Trans identifying men don't want to be non-binary, they want to be regarded as female in all circumstances, so they wouldn't miss an opportunity to be referred to as Miss/Mrs/Ms.

I have recently been considering changing my title to Ms or Mx as I feel too old to be a Miss and I had no idea Mx would make people think I might be a TW

Dartwarbler · 02/07/2024 16:03

FeelingHotHotHotFeelingHotHotHot · 02/07/2024 14:08

From Google @catin8oots

Mx (pronounced 'mix') is a gender-neutral alternative to gender-specific titles such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, and Ms. It can be used before a person's full name or surname by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender, or those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female.

My money is on this nurse being a transgender woman. I would cancel.

I must say, none of the nurses I have ever had appointments with have been Miss or Mrs or Mx anything. It's just Jenny Hill, or Louise Evans, or Linda Harris etc. No title before the name. (Only 'Nurse' obvs!)

Nope, my money is that she a bolshy woman like me who had it up to here with gender this and that and pronouns, and now playing the idiots in charge at their own game

i use Ms in ,y title now to known individuals, then use Mx when patriarchal twats have implemented gender stereotype thinking . All my membership cards to women organsations are now in Mx titles followed only by my 3 initials - ha, means I can share my memebrship cards with male relatives, more fool them

or other alternative is she a trans man or “asexual” … I’m an asexual for that matter as I’m now 65 and can’t be bothered with men or sex now …that makes me part of the latest minority victim group I think ..hey I’m a victim of discrimination apparently 🥳

RedToothBrush · 02/07/2024 16:02

babadumm · 02/07/2024 15:54

Imagine Keri just chose Mx on the drop down form because she thought it was a nice neutral title like Dr, and then she has to read reams of your frothing lol

"frothing"

Funny.