Period poverty / 'bleeders'

[Beagadorsrock]

"
❤️Jane Austen was a Super Plus fan, Lizzie preferred a Mooncup + Emma didn't leave Hartfield without her Thinx. But some bleeders in the UK can't afford sanitary products, imagine the scandal at the ball!💃🏽 Donate to @bloodygood__ this Festive Period & help someone's #flowhoho❣️"

twitter.com/ladycariad/status/1072068738147631104

Very disappointing. I can't believe we are back in the Middle Ages so comprehensively.
And no, using 'bleeder' is not "more inclusive" because it includes trans men. It is massively, massively reducing women to a (distasteful and historically considered 'impure') bodily function.

Can I start referring to men as "standuppissers"?

Well a quick scoot around and I don’t see the word woman but see that the twitterer thinks she is a comedian.

"What doesn't seem to occur to their woke little brains is that women and girls in period poverty are quite likely not to have English as a first language and/or poor education and literacy skills."

Because so many people who work for charities have never interacted with anyone who isn't middle class before. They do all the wokey wokey la di da crap but they have no actual experience/knowledge of anyone's life outside their bubble.

That's why so many charities are so hopeless imo. (Obv not all.)

That's utterly grim.
'Bleeders'.
Fuck off with that
Another reminder that the word 'woman' is under attack.
But what will I be when I no longer 'bleed'? A 'non-bleeding bleeder' or a 'non-man non-bleeder'?
So confusing but I expect there's already a clever woke term I could use.
If only Cariad would give us a list of bodily-function-related gender definitions, so I could be sure I'm not excluding anyone. I don't want to accidentally and thoughtlessly use the word 'woman' when I could use some made up over-thunk bollocks instead.

This is just a jolly hockey sticks jape for them, eh?

Was my thought. Idiots.

Also it’s show a complete lack of understanding of the history of women’s issues. Historically dealing with periods was a massive massive barrier to doing anything, leaving the house, getting an education, working. Inadequate/non existent sanitary protection meant women were kept in their place, still true in a lot of the world. It was bloody true for Jane Austen. I’m trying to remember the detail from an essay I wrote a million years ago but it was definitely a thing. And dam fucking strate it was a scandal at the ball, but not cause women thought it was funny but because men thought it was disgusting.
And remember noble ladies had their periods discussed at length in regards to working out if she was pregnant because she couldn’t hide it from household staff.
And while I’m on my bastard high horse lets remember historically AND IN LOTS OF PLACES STILL a girls first period is an idication she can get married. So it’s not about a bit of staining on the knickers it’s about not letting a normal bodily function control your life.
And now I can’t write my Christmas cards because I’m seething and trying to that essay.

*This is just a jolly hockey sticks jape for them, eh?

Was my thought. Idiots*

I feel like this too. It's admirable that they want to help, but wanting to help while having no concept of the history of women's rights, menstruation and how that has affected women throughout history, how different cultures react to menstruation, the priorities of people in need and LANGUAGE is important.

The thought that my daughter is going to grow up hearing this crap is enough for me to not want to move back to the UK.

But what will I be when I no longer 'bleed'? A 'non-bleeding bleeder' or a 'non-man non-bleeder'?

They've thought of that, Three.

FAQs

What about Men/Non-Menstruators

We also collect other essential items such as toiletries, deodorants, toothbrushes and nappies which are, of course, available for free to anyone who comes to our drop-ins.

You are a non-menstruator.

Interesting that the word "men" is sacrosanct, eh? Non-menstruators would technically cover men but they call out men as a separate group. Worthy of respectful language.

It reminds me of what Lucy McDonagh wrote about Goldsmiths and the Deptford People's Project.

Am I not an ex-bleeder?

What about Men/Non-Menstruator

We also collect other essential items such as toiletries, deodorants, toothbrushes and nappies which are, of course, available for free to anyone who comes to our drop-ins.

What in the actual fuck.

Non menstruators? Well... I’m not even trying to be polite now. What miserable misogynistic pathetic women they are.

I'm all for some proper, funny, period-themed comedy around periods - but a 'joke' about women and girls who are in a miserable situation is not remotely amusing. It's not edgy, it's not clever.

It's a shame, because I'm sure most of the people involved in that campaign are entirely well meaning, and it's a very worthwhile cause. It would be much better if they could have the maturity to say, 'sorry, we got this one wrong' and come up with wording more appropriate for the people they're trying to help.

The statement from bloody good period manages to list "women, girls, transmen and non binary" which is exactly what was needed originally.

However by doing that in their statement they're trying to spin it that the nasty women here don't want to be inclusive of transmen and non binaries. That is the opposite of the truth and spectacularly misses the point. Gender critical feminists object to the concept "inclusion" when it is a byword for including men. Men as in ejaculators.

And although bloody good period managed it in their statement, it is very very unusual to see that list - "women, girls, transmen and non binary" - together. What is happening more often is women (meaning the gender identity, so mixed sex), womxn (made up bullshit racist appropriative meaning) or the function - bleeders, cervix havers, chest feeders etc. All of these terms have been designed with the feelings of transwomen in mind.

As for Cariad Lloyd I love and recommend her podcast griefcast. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that it was a poorly informed joke that she didn't realise was incredibly misogynist.

Popchyk

Non-menstruator

It's enough to make my eyes pop out of my head
Men always get to keep their words and their status.

ErrolTheDragon

Do you think it’s well meaning if them to use the terms men/non-menstruators like that?

Men get to keep their name, but women are renamed Bleeders and Non-Menstruators.

This is supposed to be a charity for refugees. It doesn’t seem to be their main focus at all.

As for the people of bloody good period - they should get some fucking humility. It's a great cause but partaking in charity for people who have less than you doesn't automatically make you better than everyone. I presume this isn't just a gap year project? Inclusivity is meaningless if you don't apply it with critical thinking. Get out there and actually talk to the people who receive your charity.

So there are three categories of human being:

• Men
• Menstruators or bleeders
• Non-menstruators

There we have it.

I'm post menopausal so I'm not even a bleeder. I'm just .

I think there are men, bleeders and .

E-mail sent

Ahh crap wrote woman instead of women awell

Really I’m surprised nobody has proposed ‘incubators’ as a term for pregnant temporarily-not-bleeders yet. Surely the most inclusive!

My only comfort is that 95% of the comments on that twitter thread were angry objections to the term “bleeders”, or encouragement to donate to other charities, also helping to provide sanpro, which respectfully used the term “women” instead.

Yes, it is useful for people who perhaps haven't come across this phenomenon of women being redefined in terms of bodily functions, while at exactly the same time men get to keep the "men" label with no questions asked.

Threads like that one demonstrate exactly what is going on.

And hopefully there will be a few WTAF moments from casual Twitter users.

I have contacted them too.

Fed up of this, there is no excuse anymore

I've just emailed. Never in my life have I used the words "women, transmen and nonbinary people" but I didn't want their reply (if I get one) to focus on my only acknowledging biological women.

I'm writing with regard to the recent fundraising campaign fronted by Cariad Lloyd, of whom I've long been a fan.
Having previously supported the work of Bloody Good Period, I was dismayed at Cariad's use of language in this campaign, and at BGP for endorsing the same. I believe there's a place for jest and flippancy, and that humour can be an excellent way of drawing attention to a serious issue - all the ridiculous moustaches that come out in Movember are a case in point!
However, making the recipients of your work themselves an object of ridicule is not the way to go about it. Women, transmen, and non-binary people deserve better than to be reduced to a single biological function. A period poverty charity referring to people who have periods as "bleeders" is as disrespectful and inappropriate as e.g. The Little Princess Trust referring to the recipients of their wigs as "baldies". BGP and Cariad, of all people, should understand how distressing period poverty is, but dehumanising, flippant terms like "bleeders" and "flowhoho" reflects a complete lack of respect or compassion for people experiencing this.
Furthermore, it illustrates an utter disregard for many of the women, transmen and nonbinary people from ethnic minority groups or who have come to the UK seeking asylum, who are experiencing period poverty. Many of these people are from cultures where menstruation is already perceived as a dirty, shameful thing, and where people who have periods are made into objects of ridicule and humiliation purely on the basis of this one biological function that they cannot control. Maybe if you come from a very privileged, Western background where you've never needed to feel ashamed of your periods, and are confident enough to withstand people poking fun at them, this isn't an issue for you. But I would have expected an organisation like BGP to show a little more sensitivity to those who do not come from such a privileged background, and for whom this campaign is simply one more example of someone with wealth and influence using that wealth and influence to further degrade them for the fact that they menstruate.
I will be withdrawing my support for BGP with immediate effect.

Will post back if I get a reply, but they're probably inundated and have given up replying individually.

If we're going to call people with periods bleeders, or ex bleeders, and people with penises ejaculators, surely it's more obvious than ever that more mtft are ejaculators, and the rest ex ejaculators..? But they're more likely to be refered to as women now, than actual biological women (aka bleeders/ex bleeders). It's bloody madness!