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/

What pisses me off is that the Scottish Government seem to be waving all their sanitary towels and tampons in the air as a MASSIVE distraction tactic. The attainment gap has widened and the drug problems have got worse. No imaginative, bold initiatives have touched the sides. It's absolutely shocking.

But what they have excelled in, is championing those who believe that the most pressing issue to address in Scotland today, is that men and women who wish to identify out of their sex (assigned/observed/biological whatever you wish to call it) get what they want ie. access to single sex services, neutralising/removal of female specific language in all public policy and health communications, easier self-declaration of gender etc...

Whoever appointed this man to the role knew exactly what the optics of this would look like. Knew it would be a highly provocative move - but didn't give a toss. They probably took great satisfaction in the knowledge that this would piss off a load of women. This happened in Dundee. Scotland. This happened for a reason. This decision was taken in the knowledge that, in this climate, in this country, they can get away with it.

Forget all the 'oh but this is equality in action', 'why shouldn't it be a man?' - the Scottish Government is putting their female citizens in their place. It's a fucking dire place to be living at the moment. I cannot speak freely in my workplace. I watch my words in so many situations.

And just how long have the Scottish Government been banging on about this initiative? It seems like years?? Yes, it's great - thank you Scottish Government. But it's very gesture politics isn't it? And it does segue nicely into - let's put period products in the boys' toilets too. Oh but how about we "remove the stigma' totally and not have boys and girls toilets? How fab would that be?

It's so depressing.

So far the man has been made a 'leader', photographed explaining something to a woman and a young girl, and talked about how 'buzzed' he is to be breaking down barriers or something. And spawned dozens of articles about how pissed off women are at his appointment.

If the role is to be a 'face' for the campaign, we don't want a man's face.
If the role is to be a role model, he can't be.
If the role is to help make women and girls feel at ease, he doesn't.
If the role is to give out information, he isn't qualified.

And to be clear, I'm not picking on him, I'm sure he means well. The problem is whoever has hired him, whoever is in charge of what is really supposed to be a campaign about moral support, community cohesion, supporting women and girls, intended to shape public opinion and win the public's hearts and minds has made a spectacularly tone deaf appointment and terribly misjudged the publicity material. The role/campaign is about optics, perception, public feeling.

At best, the messaging is unclear. At worst, it's patronising and sexist. This appointment is undermining the whole bloody project.

So far the man has been made a 'leader'

Except he clearly isn't a leader @PrimAndProperPearlClutcher ?

I have concerns about this appointment, but it's not just because he happens to be male. You seem to be determined to spread misinformation about the position and what he has been hired to do.

If the role is to be a 'face' for the campaign, we don't want a man's face.
If the role is to be a role model, he can't be.
If the role is to help make women and girls feel at ease, he doesn't.
If the role is to give out information, he isn't qualified.

And equally, if you read the job spec many have linked you to & repeatedly explained, you would see that none of these roles you are listing are included....

My point was that the perception of the public is what this campaign is supposed to be working with/on.

Whether his job description has been badly written is a moot point. If he is not in fact 'leader' the use of the phrase 'Lead Officer' is a bit daft.

If he's not a face of the campaign, why the photo op of his face?

If he's not a role model, why does he describe himself as a 'positive male role model'?

Etc.

In the end, the public perception is what matters, and the public perception is not good.

"Period Dignity Regional Lead Officer" is a stupid title, for all sorts of reasons, but I think it's clear to anyone who even glances at the spec that he isn't a leader. @PrimAndProperPearlClutcher

If you understand these points, and agree that a huge part of the problem is how it's been communicated in the media, why do you exacerbate the problem?

If he's not a role model, why does he describe himself as a 'positive male role model'?

Again - it's clear he's not claiming to be a role model for girls & women, as that would be ridiculous and offensive.

He is wanting to be a role model for boys & men, which I'm not sure what you oppose to? Menstrual related discrimination will only be solved by also engaging the male half of the population.

As I said, this has been an optics nightmare, and I agree public perception is terrible. How much the period dignity partnership, Jason himself, and the media have contributed to this, remains to be seen.

But I'm not sure why you're so invested in encouraging confusion around this?

Exactly. He has the title of lead officer and he has been promoted in t he press as the face of it.

If there's someone above him what is their job title and why are they not the face of the initiative rather than this "low level grunt" the apologists would have us believe he is?

But I'm not sure why you're so invested in encouraging confusion around this?

Invested? I'm fucking angry. That's it.

But how does spreading misinformation help? As I said, I also have concerns which I think need to be adressed.

But what you're doing just weakens all arguments against the period dignity partnership, and this specific recruitment.

What misinformation?

My job is not doing the fucking PR for this shitshow.

I am responding as a woman in Scotland. What's your angle?

Well personally I feel that those insisting that this is just a PM role are spreading misinformation based on their selected reading of the job description. Are you going to stop because I think that leafy?

It’s just fucking stupid that a man is a Period Dignity Officer .

I have literally only copied and pasted things from the job spec that can be found online

I certaintly don't want to contribute to misinformation - for the reasons I've outlined - so do tell me if I am!

Fundamentally, if you levy all sorts of baseless claims against the period dignity partnership, and Jason himself, it makes it far easier for them to also dismiss valid concerns and arguments.

Yeah the ones saying it’s PM role who are PMs in real life are the ones spreading misinformation. 🙄

Lets just ignore the fact the job description says all through it that’ it’s a PM position:

”The Lead Officer will provide outstanding project leadership and management…”

”Experience of successful working with a wide range of stakeholders, to deliver project outcomes and enhanced opportunities…”

“Project planning and engaging project members and participants”

“To develop and implement a project plan in collaboration with the educational institutions and Local Authorities.”

“Coordinate the creation of a project landing page,”

“Provide support to the project team”

“Represent the project team…”

“Develop and monitor milestones and timelines for the overall project..”

We’ve already explained ad nauseum the rest is a normal part and parcel of a public sector project management position based on our cumulative lived experience as PMs.

On the plus side, it’s drawn attention to the situation in Scotland across the media.

The sheer cognitive dissonance of this man. Worked for 10 years in tobacco sales, while also a health promoting personal trainer.

No wonder he thinks he can do this role.

WillnotWheesht I take it that's not from Teen Cosmo? Am sure the young ones will put a very different spin on it

@IrisVersicolor
Yes I knew my link wasn’t to # prosecutions. But my implied point was that if police are recording racist incidents against white people then that means prosecutions for racism against white people do in fact exist.

Racial prejudice and racism are not the same thing: racism has an institutional, structural aspect and a systemic relationship to power.

As I said before not all racism is structural/systemic racism. Structural/systemic racism is only one type of racism. There are also interpersonal racism, internalised racism, and institutional racism- none of which require structural/systemic racism to exist.

In regards to racial prejudice and racism not being the same thing, absolutely agree but again both can be experienced by all humanity, not humanity “except white people” (which a damaging racist claim in and of itself). I’m not sure you even understand the difference between the two based on the context in which you are arguing?

Do you think that POC who might reasonably object to a white person being appointed as a Person of Colour Dignity Officer would give POC a bad name?

Without pointing to prosecutions of white people for racism, then no that wasn’t your implied point, you just got confused. Police don’t prosecute such crimes anyway, it’s the CPS.

Racism against poc (and persecuted races such as Jews and Roma) always includes cultural, historical, systemic and institutional aspects - even if the immediate manifestation is ‘interpersonal’ or ‘internalised’, that’s the point.

Your whole post indicates you still haven’t understood the difference between racial prejudice and racism and I don’t have any more patience to explain it to you.

I don't understand why girls who are suffering from period poverty need boys to have a male role model.

Because girls/women will benefit if boys & men develop a better attitude to and understanding of menstuation. They're more likely to do this if they have a male role model.

To to be clear, the priority needs to be supporting girls/women & putting them at the forefront of the period dignity project. But I can see why it would be beneficial to have men involved for this reason.

So girls should absorb this ti benefit bits and men? Seriously?

How about boys are pulled ti one side and taught . While girls can maintain the privacy around the subject?

This just shows that whenever there's a choice to be made whether to prioritise men or women in that moment men are picked every time.

Men should sort their own shit out in a way that doesn't means girls have to compromise