Tell me this is not real please. Scotland's first period dignity officer is a man. A MAN.

[Rainbowshit]

I just can't put into words how furious this makes me. Females are having the pis absolutely ripped out of them in Scotland.

What the fuck would a male understand about the indignity of realising you'd leaked through onto your clothes.

About the cold fear when your period is late.

About trying to unwrap a tampon quietly. Etc etc.

I suppose the only saving grace is at least they are not claiming to be a woman.

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/3593497/dundee-man-leading-period-poverty-fight-how-to-get-free-products/

The legislation and the guidance doesn’t use the word women! There’s the root of the issue.

(its probably worth people knowing I’d eat my hat if Jason actually said the quoted words. Any time I do anything for press PR write all quotes - what the elected members and have said - it’s not like breakfast news where someone stands in front of you and asks a question)

Those mentioning cancer and a woman being in charge of Prostate UK - cancer affects both sexes. Yes there are cancers that affect specific male/female parts of the body, but cancer is cancer which everyone can get.

It's not the same as periods (and the menopause) which is completely alien to men, no matter what they say or how well they can project manage.

To be honest I thought it would be a transwoman given the way the Scottish Govt is so that's something I guess 🙄.

Sorry to contextualise that - the guidance requires the use of inclusive language. I linked it last night.

It’s like a tone deaf person being appointed as a conductor, or a chess player being appointed manager of a football team

Just to go back to previous comments, is it right that there are similar roles in councils across Scotland? At £35k a time? Blimey.

He doesn't use the word 'women' or 'girls' at all, does he? It's all 'all genders'

Well you can imagine the interview process for the job.

Reference to women and girls -10 points
Mention of females -20 points
Failure to say 'cis' at any time -50 points
Reference to sex -100 points

Mention of inclusivity +10 points
Ensuring men and boys are included +20 points
Reference to not only women having periods +50 points
'death to JKR badge' +100 points

To be fair to the bloke, maybe he is a decent person and thinks he is doing something to help women and girls in Scotland. That said, in the context of gender politics in Scotland at present it just feels like a total dick move. Literally.

It really seems a colossal waste of money too

This story has overshadowed the real purpose of yesterday, which was to mark the Period Products Act coming into law in Scotland. As we all know, the original proposal from Labour’s Monica Lennon, centred on period poverty not the recruitment of men to tell our daughters how to use the products. The bill went through Scottish Parliament as a fantastic example of working together to get policy through in the best interests of the Scottish people, which was the thinking behind the original devolution ethos.

If you don’t think the appointment of a man (young, healthy-looking, clearly a LinkedIn fan) isn’t in some way political, with orders from above the pay grade of a local council recruitment officer, then you need to start from the beginning again.

Anyone seen or heard from the (cough, ahem) ‘dignity officers’ for the other regions across Scotland or should we only know about former personal trainer, so obviously an expert on womens bodies and focus on Jason as representing progressive Scotland?

I'm stunned that no better qualified woman apparently applied for the role. Surely their lived experience as women would have given them a huge advantage at interview. I just can't quite get my head around how this would have happened.

I'm also trying to imagine if a white person was given a comparable role in relation to something that affects black people, for example to run a campaign in relation to sickle cell anaemia.

It's all about him isn't it? I deeply disagree with his appointment.

Regarding your 'not free' comment. I agree. We have sanitary products placed in the female toilets in my workplace (a college). They are all expensive branded items, including mooncup type things. I buy supermarket own tampons; they are so much cheaper, around 80p a box. How much money are we giving to these companies to provide all this 'free' stuff?

On another note, I've tried the applicator Tampax and can't get them in, and Lil-lets are almost impossible to get out of the plastic. Give me own-brand any day of the week for quality and price.

Had a look at Twitter.

I think there’s a very confused estate agent somewhere wondering why he’s suddenly being asked questions about vaginal atrophy.

@Discovereads I have worked in PR. The messenger is the messaging. It’s not really about this guy personally, he’s not the enemy but is being used to get across the ‘inclusivity’ message. Even if he has been misquoted - the one thing they had control over was who they featured and they chose a man. The gender neutral language he uses matches the legislation posted on this thread so its most likely that was part of the planned messaging.

The photo is very telling. The young girl looks like she is trying to disappear by hunching over. Jason is bolt upright and holding court. Body language speaks volumes.

Jason has a LinkedIn profile. Have a look at his experience. From reading it, it is difficult to see how he really was the most qualified person for the role. He was a fitness instructor until 2 years ago. He apparently thinks, his new role is a natural progression from his role as a fitness instructor.

www.graingerpr.co.uk/newsroom/dundee-man-leads-scotland-in-role-to-end-period-poverty/

I totally agree. “People who menstruate” is a clear indicator of the agenda. His appointment is all of a piece with the language and legislation.

Photo here of Jason and another beardy man delivering information about periods to a mother and her daughter.

I feel like this post summarises how ridiculous some of these claims are. You have absolutely no idea. The caption in your picture says "Jason talks to Rosie & Ange from X, and Euan from Y". Of course he isn't "delivering information about periods" when the project hasn't started (and he won't be running focus groups himself), and the other man is a participant.

People are allowing themselves to get riled up by a media article which is designed to get a reaction, and making unsubstantiated claims about all sorts of things.

The job description makes it clear his role is in PM, policy and compliance. It's pretty crap pay and fixed term. He did an intervew because it's a new position, not because he's the face of the campaign. Yes I'm sure "in the whole of Scotland" there are better qualified women, but presumably they didn't apply for the job. I'd be one of them but it looks like a huge amount of work for a pretty low salary so I'm not interested.

You can guarantee the things he has said are from a carefully worded script, and the "role model" quotes are referring to getting men involved in these issues, not being a role model to women and girls.

There are so many things to be angry about regarding women's rights but this isn't one of them IMO.

Ah, all becomes clear. The existing Period Dignity Working Group consists of four women. Obviously Jason has been appointed because it is a truth universally acknowledged that a Period Dignity Working Group must be in need of a man to guide and lead them.

Reminds me of the poor man with the @ JohnLewis twitter handle

Or a man to do the administration and grunt work?

The salary is 34k.

The message that's coming across here is that "inclusivity" of males will be prioritised over female dignity.

You think this post summarises how "ridiculous" the claims being made here are. And I feel like your post spectacularly misses the point that I and many other women are trying to make.

Jason is talking about wanting to be a "positive male role model" - he's clearly not going to be doing that hiding behind his desk. He may not be in the grass roots delivery, but it very much sounds like a visible and hands on role with a strong presence in the field.

Yes, the photo is posed but it demonstrates how his role is being positioned. The whole piece - and all of his posts and statements - puts him very much at the centre of the campaign, and he's clear about repeatedly focusing on boys, men and "all genders". Women should be front and centre but instead, it's boys, men and all genders, with the actual females a post-script in our own services. More silencing. More erasure. And yet more female voices being spoken over so we can listen to men's feelings on this subject, which are clearly infinitely more important. As per usual. Our teen girls can pick up the scraps which are left once men have had their say.

You don't see why someone who's directing a campaign about menstruation and the menopause should either have medical qualifications specific to female biology, or lived experience of it (preferably both). OK. Absolutely you're entitled to your view. I couldn't disagree any more strongly and I'm bemused why you can't see it's so important so we'll just leave it there.

You don't see why someone who's directing a campaign about menstruation and the menopause should either have medical qualifications specific to female biology, or lived experience of it (preferably both). OK. Absolutely you're entitled to your view. I couldn't disagree any more strongly and I'm bemused why you can't see it's so important so we'll just leave it there.

Why on earth would an obstetrician or a gynaecologist apply to a 34k project management job?

Once again, he isn't directing it, he isn't leading it, he is the PM.

He role is to administrate and organise, so that the views of women with lived experience are collated and escalated.

That wasn't my suggestion. I've outlined lots of roles in my previous comments where there would be an appropriate skill set and falls within the salary range.

Once again, he's going to be the "positive role model".

His role is to "engage people who menstruate". There's no suggestion that he will be a hidden figure in the back room.

As I said, we clearly are diametrically opposed on this, so let's just agree to disagree. I'm not going to waste my time debating with someone who thinks a man is the right person to spearhead a campaign about women's services and rights. You're entitled to your perspective, as am I. We're not even close in agreeing on this.

role model? I don’t look at HIS face and think ‘he knows what I’m going through’

£33k is peanuts for a PM job tbh. Besides many female PMs I know would not apply for such a job. At least of those in my age group who started out thirty years ago.

We had to fight to not be given projects regarding womens issues coming up. For example, back in 1997 I raised holy hell over being given the project management of child care centre provision on military bases and demanded I be put on project management of the firefighter equipment, vehicles and training on military bases. It was obvious my supervisor thought my skills and work experience were less important than the fact I had a uterus. PM is a male dominated career field and quite often that sexist view of women PMs should do the “womanly” projects involving babies or overseeing the mess (feeding people) and leave the more “manly” projects like firefighting or weapons and ammunition supply to FOPs to the male PMs.

Periods is a “womanly” project and I feel this insistence it must be a female PM is literally calling for the reinstatement of the sexist glass ceiling that kept we female PMs from being hired for or assigned the “manly” projects which were always deemed to be the more important projects most likely to get you up the career ladder to Director level. It’s putting that glass ceiling back in place imho. So you can see why I’m an viscerally against the arguments on here.

Its a double edged sword. You demand that we regress thirty years of feminist progress, go back to when only a female PMs can do ‘womanly projects’ you can be sure that will also mean that only male PMs can do ‘manly projects’.

You honestly do not need to be an expert on whatever you are project managing to be the PM. I’ve never run into a burning building, but I was a damn good PM for the firefighter stations.