Midwives told to stop using terms such as 'breastfeeding' and 'breastmilk'

[MissMoped]

because it’s not gender inclusive language, I believe with particular reference to the transexual debate.

This is at Brighton and Sussex nhs trust btw, good to know NHS money is being spent wisely btw, poring over the “incorrect” use of language.

The word “mother” apparently should not be used on its own; instead “mother or birthing parent” (um, isn’t that a mother?).

Breast milk and breastfeeding is to be replace by “breast/chest milk” or “milk from the feeding parent”. “Woman” should be replaced with “woman or person”.

Gobsmacked.

I think it's all gone a bit mad. I really don't like being referred to as a 'cis woman'. I am a woman, always have been and always will be. I feel like they are trying to make us disappear, we have fought so hard for so long and now feels like it's for nothing. I am not keen on trans women using women's toilets and changing areas - I find it wholly inappropriate.

I am currently breastfeeding my daughter - if anyone refers to it as chest feeding I shall disengage with them.

I struggle a lot with this as genuinely feel for people who feel they are the opposite sex, but at the same time struggle to see if a trans man feels this way - why would they want to get pregnant and give birth?

It's something I need to read up on to get a grip of but I do fear women are being made to disappear.

Not usually a fan of Julia Hartley-Brewer, but if you have Twitter, listen to this:

twitter.com/talkRADIO/status/1359450378761359360?s=20

her discussion today with the Director of Transactual

@H00th00t

Why does there need to be two threads about this?

Because it is that important.

Why does there need to be two threads about this?

I'm assuming the other one is in FWR?
There'll be one in here as well as there's a mission at the mo to "spam" the rest of MN.
Yes, as you say there doesn't need to be two threads on exactly the same thing, they're usually merged together or something so not sure why this one isn't.

There were three at one point H00th00t.

It is obviously a very significant issue for many women.

Annoyingly the one with the poll got deleted, imo a poll should be added to this one. The vote was 99% YANBU.

Being able to get pregnant, giving birth and breastfeeding is what makes us female / a woman. Trans women cannot have that, why would a trans man want that when they don't want to be female / a woman?

And I know some women choose not to have children, or can't, but they have the organs of which they are able to do so - that is inherently female.

@Dilbertian

An autistic charity alerting ‘autistics with a cervix’ to the fact that they may need regular screening for cervical cancer.

'Autistics'? Not even 'Autistic people', let alone 'autistic women'!

'Autistics' seems to be becoming a preferred term in the US

I'm not sure why you are confused by the term non-trans women

So women then? Why don't you just say women?

@Imworthit

I find it extremely surprising that women don’t know they have a cervix? Really

There is a campaign for plain English to address these issues. Many people aren't educated enough to know biological terms like that. Some woman don't know that the uterus and the womb are the same thing.

There are also many women in this country for whom English is a second language. Then there is the population of Deaf BSL users for whom English is also a second language.

Put all these women together and they make up a much higher percentage of the population than the how many transsexual woman who want to live as men and be included in this type of literature? The numbers must be vanishingly small in comparison. There are nearly 90 thousand people in the uk who use BSL as a first language and who's English is often poor, for example. How do the numbers of transsexual women living as men stack up to that?

What happens about people with dodgy prostates who think they're women? I think we need to know. I'd hate to give offence!

Two discussions on two boards on a site primarily for mothers about the language used to describe pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding is 'spamming'?

I see.

We need to do fuck all K1213.

They know where their GP clinic and oncology department is.

Let them sort their own male cancer issues out.

Interesting question Katy1213, it seems that they don’t mind health messages being targeted at men and that they understand that they would be included in health messages aimed at men. They are particularly concerned that women’s biological functions should not be associated with womanhood however.

*Are

They know where their GP clinic is and that their oncology department is attached to a local hospital.

Let them sort out their own male cancer issues.

It's very noticeable, isn't it, how women objecting to language they find offensive in relation to our feelings of self are dismissed as 'bigotry' or 'unimportant'.

Specific groups of people, however, are strongly and vigorously supported in wanting to change such language to suit their own feelings of self. And supported very strongly by some men.

@MissMoped

because it’s not gender inclusive language, I believe with particular reference to the transexual debate.

This is at Brighton and Sussex nhs trust btw, good to know NHS money is being spent wisely btw, poring over the “incorrect” use of language.

The word “mother” apparently should not be used on its own; instead “mother or birthing parent” (um, isn’t that a mother?).

Breast milk and breastfeeding is to be replace by “breast/chest milk” or “milk from the feeding parent”. “Woman” should be replaced with “woman or person”.

Gobsmacked.

The word “mother” apparently should not be used on its own; instead “mother or birthing parent” (um, isn’t that a mother?).

Ridiculous.

Mothers breastfeed. Others do not and cannot. End.

That particular Trust should concern itself with its poor ratings, instead.

For most non-trans women, that's breastfeeding, mother, etc. For trans men, it's not. Why on earth would you have a problem with it?

Seriously @DadJoke plenty of women here have told you it's offensive to call them non trans women. We are WOMEN. Simple as that. For someone who wants to be seen as so inclusive you certainly don't give a shit about WOMEN do you?

Bold fail

I'll believe this shit about mangling language is about "inclusion" the day I see "Movember: for prostate havers everywhere"; "Gillette - the best a beard-grower can get"; "Durex - the brand ejaculators can trust."

Until that day (which is, I predict, somewhere between the arrival of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and never), I will attribute this shit to rank misogyny.

And continue to point out that any man who calls me a "non-trans woman" against my expressed wishes is a nasty little misogynistic skid mark on the underpants of the human race.

Ignore @DadJoke, they’ve just proclaimed elsewhere that men menstruate. I think they’re a tiny bit confused, poor dear.

@H00th00t

Why does there need to be two threads about this?

Theres often more than one thread on a current news story. Either with a different slant or just because the second OP didn't know about the first.

This particular story is surely of wide interest on a forum called MumsNet!

Presumably the trans females who can't cope with the word 'breast' won't be having a vaginal exam at any point of their pregnancy/delivery, or indeed a vaginal delivery at all? I'd love to see some actual figures on the number of pregnant trans females Brighton look after, bet it's a lot lower than the number of pregnant women with visual or hearing impairment, or little/no English language. Calling breastfeeding 'chest' feeding is nonsensical and confusing. Using these nonsense terms excludes women who find them offensive, and women who for whatever reason don't understand what they really mean. This will surely only reduce their local breastfeeding rates!

@VinylDetective

Ignore *@DadJoke*, they’ve just proclaimed elsewhere that men menstruate. I think they’re a tiny bit confused, poor dear.

It's quite funny being told off by someone with such a blatantly sexist NN I'm assuming a bloke...so, within the class of males, a non-transwoman?