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Original poster

Come off it Cancer Research UK

244 replies

Noviceoftheweek · 15/06/2018 14:33

So now women aren't even mentioned in cervical screening awareness activity. To quote Cancer Research UK: "cervical screening (or the smear test) is relevant for everyone aged 25-64 with a cervix."

I despair, I really do.

OP posts:
CuriousaboutSamphire · 15/06/2018 15:26

That's an awful lot of big words just to say "I wont consider any concessions to wording at all, even if it means trans people are more likely to die a horrible death because of it."

So rather than think about the many women who do not know their physiology all that well, who are at risk of cervical cancer, you would rather focus on a small number of people, diluting an important health message? A far better approach would have been to word it so as to include both women and trans men.

And you are completely ignoring the fact that the male equivalent ad by the same people says "men" without so much as a passing though for all those trans women who will need a prostate check!

How transphobic of you!

8DaysAWeek · 15/06/2018 15:27

But will trans men be any more comfortable identifying as having a cervix as by being a woman? Someone said that body dysmorphia can affect people so badly they'd be unable to see that an advert focussed on women's health would be for them, so what difference would an advert focussing on cervical health do?

I'm all for encouraging trans men to utilise these necessary checks, but I don't think this helps. And as a PP said, even if it does there are a much larger number of women who will not understand that it affects them due to the word cervix.

It would be interesting to see the stats on this in a years time.

user1499173618 · 15/06/2018 15:27

Scientific accuracy is not the same thing as commonly understood terminology.

MyOtherUsernameisaPun · 15/06/2018 15:28

@user1499173618 I'm not remotely confused. I think you're just a bit too stupid to understand what I'm saying.

SoupDragon · 15/06/2018 15:29

And you are completely ignoring the fact that the male equivalent ad by the same people says "men" without so much as a passing though for all those trans women who will need a prostate check!

That is the advert that needs a complaint then.

velourvoyageur · 15/06/2018 15:29

Seriously Grannie? I am not pro-TRA in the slightest but that's a really unpleasant word.

77leaves · 15/06/2018 15:29

So what terminology do you want them to use instead of "cervix"?

MyOtherUsernameisaPun · 15/06/2018 15:30

@CuriousaboutSamphire actually I think you have a point - the ad about prostate cancer should also be changed to make it more inclusive. Maybe CRUK are going to address that one next!

user1499173618 · 15/06/2018 15:30

You are completely confused. Poor thing! But far worse that you should spread confusion around you.

SoupDragon · 15/06/2018 15:30

there are a much larger number of women who will not understand that it affects them due to the word cervix.

Are there really a large number of women who don’t get the link between cervix and cervical smear test?

tripYouOut · 15/06/2018 15:30

@MeganChips

Both sexes have bladders. Probably why they said that. HTH with your dilution Hmm

StormTreader · 15/06/2018 15:30

@user1499173618 might be the driving force behind getting the prostate check wording changed to include Trans people! Think how PROUD they would be of that!

user1499173618 · 15/06/2018 15:31

SoupDragon - yes

MyOtherUsernameisaPun · 15/06/2018 15:32

It sounds like a lot of PPs concerns - i.e. that women won't know they have a cervix - could be allayed by this country having much more informative, detailed and inclusive sex education (and by inclusive I mean inclusive of what it means to be trans). That would be a really solid thing to campaign for.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 15/06/2018 15:33

Are there really a large number of women who don’t get the link between cervix and cervical smear test? I could swear there is a link in this very thread to precisely that information....

user1499173618 · 15/06/2018 15:34

This country could do with better education on a great deal of issues. Until then, best to carry on using terminology the majority understand.

BottleOfJameson · 15/06/2018 15:36

What possible harm does this do?

StormTreader · 15/06/2018 15:36

The linked study that keeps being mentioned is just that women couldn't always correctly label everything on a diagram. That's not the same as not knowing they have a cervix, just that they may not be sure of the anatomical layout.
I'm not 100% sure I could correctly pinpoint my gallbladder on a diagram, but I know I've got one.

MyOtherUsernameisaPun · 15/06/2018 15:36

@user1499173618 so far you have been utterly unable to provide evidence of any kind for your confident assertions that the population at large is confused and miserable because of trans people. You've also made a series of vague references to 'newspeak' in a way which is so ill-fitting I can only conclude that you have either never read Nineteen Eighty Four or that you didn't understand it. And now you're making patronising accusations because you know you can't actually back up what you've said. So I don't really see why you should be taken seriously as a contributor, and unless you are actually going to provide some support for what you say I'm not going to bother responding to you further.

user1499173618 · 15/06/2018 15:37

It doesn’t use terminology that will reach its maximum intended audience.

BottleOfJameson · 15/06/2018 15:37

Also the tone of lots of these comments is really nasty.

GahWhatever · 15/06/2018 15:37

Its nothing to do with trans and all about money. Did you see the pp link about how 12% of people having smears in the US. didn't need one as they had no cervix? That's natal women.
They want to be clearer in the UK advice.

Bowlofbabelfish · 15/06/2018 15:37

It’s a poor wording. Medical communication with the public should be as clear as possible. Low literacy, low understanding of anatomy, people whose first language isn’t english. All could be confused by this.
It’s a sad fact that there are plenty of women who are unaware they have a cervix (there are surveys that ask people to name bits of anatomy and you’d be surprised how few get it all right.)

The easiest and simplest way to communicate who has a cervix is to use the word woman in the blurb. There is zero justification for excluding the word woman. This is purely in response to pressure from a small but vocal group of activists and it puts women’s health at risk

Interesting to see the prostate communication still has the word men in it.

AllyMcBeagle · 15/06/2018 15:37

Both sexes have bladders.

Only people who are biologically male have prostates though. This includes both men who identify as men and transwomen.

Like pp I worry that 'people with a cervix' is going to mean that lots of women don't realise this applies to them. I'm not aware of any survey on this point, but I would expect the number of women who aren't aware that they have a cervix will far outweigh the number of transmen who might otherwise not otherwise twig that this applies to them too.

BottleOfJameson · 15/06/2018 15:37

If there are really a signifiant number of women who don't know they have a cervix surely you should be more concerned with improving education?