Having just read this thread looking for recommendations on period pads I've come away thoroughly disheartened and pretty surprised at how the thread turned. It seems a lot of people here are either misinformed or wilfully transphobic. I'm hoping the former.
For those that simply aren't that clued into gender stuff (which is fair if you've not had need to be) I'l just clarify that advertising period products as for people who menstruate is to help people who don't identify as a woman or girl but do menstruate (without excluding women and girls) such as non-binary or transgender. These people can have very serious complexes around periods and making it a little easier for them by using more inclusive language is just compassionate and costs nothing.
I am a very strong advocate of feminism and have been for a long time but the anger of gender inequality on this thread seems misdirected.
For those quoting the suffering and embarrassment periods can cause especially in 3rd worlds I would remind them that non typical gendered people who menstruate are also in that group. They also experience all the bullshit that comes along with periods except they get an extra dollop to deal with. Trans people are also more at risk from being persecuted, murdered, ostracised, ridiculed and committing suicide. It’s not a competition, I'm just pointing out that if compassion is your reasoning they are just as deserving.
The choice of words here don't cause any harm or incite anything insidious against women’s rights The reactions on this thread seem just that, knee jerk reactions. In the past (and still today annoyingly) minorities (including women) have been met with the same sort of reaction from white men when they wanted to be included. If and when they were eventually allowed, time past and nothing bad happened. This is much like that.
Menstruation doesn't define a person or their gender; many cis-women don't even menstruate and never have. Let’s be real here the people who you should be angry with are not browsing menstruation products and absolutely there is no danger of people forgetting how menstruation works given that half the population will have some experience. The choice of inclusive language is not going to perpetuate suffering only alleviate a little. You don’t even need to understand it you just need to be willing to believe someone else’s experiences without judgement.
When fighting inequality it's important to try to punch up, not down.
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