BBC calling women 'menstruaters'

[ageingrunner]

twitter.com/bbcradio4/status/799030970288635905

twitter.com/bbcradio4/status/799030970288635905

Bleeders, feeders and breeders, are we now?

I suppose they have to have a way to sidestep the inconvenient biological fact that WOMEN lactate, gestate and menstruate 🙄

Ffs. Who thought that sentence was OK?

On a good day I'd say they're trying to be funny.

On a bad day, I'd say they're pandering to trans bullshit.

This is in a segment talking about de stigmatising periods btw

Well, what's wrong with "menstruating women".

It doesn't discriminate against trans women, as there are other groups of women that don't menstruate, either. And it's a bit more dignified, surely?

Once more the BBC show their true colours.

HardcoreLadyType

Menstruaters is used to include transmen and to not discrimine against transwomen who find it 'transphobic' to say only women have periods.

Typical BBC. Let's not possible off 1% of the population when we can offend over 50%. Idiots.

It's a link to a snippet from A Bleeding Shame which was broadcast back in June about periods, shame, perception. The tone of the piece is very much 'those who bleed have had enough of being shamed as it's a completely natural thing.' It's off the back of the freebleeding back in the summer in protest about the tax on sanitary protection.
Not the greatest description of women of reproductive age undergoing a natural process but at least literally correct in this case.

They've possibled me right off.

And there's no feasible way I can even boycott the BBC.

Hmm, yes, but post menopausal women don't menstruate, either. Neither do many woman with hormonal imbalances. I accept the point about trans men. But if they're having hormonal therapy, they probably won't be menstusting, either.

i don't believe the BBC have used it in order to be literally correct. It's so as not to offend trans people. Does this mean there are guidelines re how to mention women? What about men? Will they also be referred to by their biological functions?
Or is it just women/woman that's too offensive to be written down?

Exactly hard I don't want to be reduced to my biological processes du jour. I'm quite happy to be grouped with other women who will have the same physical experiences as me over our collective life courses.

yes, but post menopausal women don't menstruate, either

But they have done previously. And so have experienced the stigma that the BBC are talking about here.

I doubt post-menopausal women are lobbying the BBC to not use the word women anymore. And if that's the case, what about women who aren't currently pregnant? Non-incubators? Or women who are breastfeeding - lactators??

This blog post refers to individuals who menstruate as women because the author wanted to highlight gender inequality in health care. We acknowledge that not all individuals who menstruate identify as women and that not all individuals who identify as women menstruate, but feel this generalization is appropriate considering the gendered nature of most health care policies.

When any media outlets feels the need to put this disclaimer in the footing when talking about periods you know that the world's gone man.

HardcoreLadyType the #ifmenhadperiods campaign during the summer got attacked because it was seen as transphobic. Trans don't care that menopausal women or someone with a hormone imbalance don't have periods. It is transphobic to say "women have periods" as well as exclusionary.

while they ignore the most basic biology

This blog post refers to individuals who menstruate as women because the author wanted to highlight gender inequality in health care. We acknowledge that not all individuals who menstruate identify as women and that not all individuals who identify as women menstruate, but feel this generalization is appropriate considering the gendered nature of most health care policies.

Ugh.

Not all women menstruate but the only people who do menstruate are women.

This is getting more and more offensive and surreal. We do indeed live in a post-truth world.

There must be trans groups putting pressure on the BBC to ensure they use the "correct" language. Maybe women should create a counter pressure group to lobby for not being described by our bodily functions and/or body parts?!

I find it interesting that self proclaimed feminists are having a pop at the BBC, which is one of the most divisive TV stations around, constantly promoting radical feminist propoganda, giving a voice to ignorant feminists, and constantly promoting a very left agenda.

I wish for once they would have a civil discussion with smart, strong women, instead of pushing shows like Frankie Boyles American Autopsy in which Boyle actively, and purposely looked bored, while 4 insane man haters told him he was a rapist. This damages our cause so much!

Time for me to wheel myself out again as exhibit A, a non-menstruator who, despite finding myself in that position at an absurdly early age due to horrendous medical issues that blighted my life, nonetheless manages to understand that the word "women" is what's needed here. Because - hey! - it's not about me! Stigma about periods affects women. Just women. Not all women. But only women (by which I mean XX chromosome & uterus).

I get particularly antsy about this because of the problems I have had over my lifetime with my periods being an absolute blight due to endometriosis- they derailed my career, not just because of the agony and the repeated surgeries, but the perception this caused of me in my workplace - a hysteric, someone who made a huge fuss about a simple biological process, an unreliable worker (I am none of those things). And that's in a nice civilized first world environment. There are many countries where menarche means losing some or all of your access to education and public life. This shit matters.

Pizan, will you bore off now with this "self proclaimed feminist" nonsense, now, please? There is literally no other way to be a feminist.

Fresh

What exactly are you talking about? Are we all not self proclaimed feminists?

When I use that term I use it to specific people who make statements, whereas I am 100% sure there are non self proclaimed feminists on this board, so to use women, or feminist, would do a disservice to those women.

It's very annoying all this. The equivalent I suppose would be the promotion of Viagra. I just can't imagine them having a program about 'people with erectile dysfunction '. It would be 'men with erectile dysfunction ' wouldn't it? It just wouldn't be an issue.