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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Cervical screening leaflet - what's wrong here?

48 replies

MoltenLasagne · 07/07/2020 12:57

This is the leaflet for cervical screening that I received this morning. Can you spot what's wrong with it?

As a side note, I live in an area where low literacy rates are a known issue with a significant population who don't speak English as a first language and lots of those people don't speak it fluently.

Cervical screening leaflet - what's wrong here?
OP posts:
GoshHashana · 07/07/2020 14:22

How the fuck has this been able to happen? Is there any way of raising a FOI regarding when this wording was changed and which lobby groups instigated it? I am willing to escalate this.

Notredamn · 07/07/2020 14:25

You would be surprised, Resume. I've read publications geared towards trans women about periods, where they insist that once transitioned, they will have a time of month complete with period pains etc

EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire · 07/07/2020 14:26

Why do they need to specify transwomen don't need a smear test? Do they really think transwomen are that bloody stupid?

ResumetonormalASAP · 07/07/2020 14:31

@Notredamn

That is so stupid. I wish I could get rid of my period pain, and massive bleeding. Yep these stupid people arrange a time of month for a pretend bleed and pretend pain - why are these people enabled it's totally ridiculous.

Yes some men are obviously born feeling female and not male - fine, they can transition but why pretend they will have the biological bits and bleed etc... seriously sometime I think that the world is bonkers.

KindKylie · 07/07/2020 14:33

Wow!

This is terrifying!

I personally would feel more uncomfortable accessing an intimate test after reading this leaflet. If the people offering the screening can't say 'woman' then how can I have confidence in their professionalism and sensitivity elsewhere?

Using people and everyone is so inaccurate!

BobbieDraper · 07/07/2020 14:35

@EveryPlanetHasAYorkshire

Because transwomen who have registered as female with their GP may receive invitations for smear tests. Even nowadays, there are people (trans or not) who dont know what a cervix is. It's not about them being stupid; it's about background they were raised in, poor education on biology etc. If they dont know what a cervix is then they dont know whether or not it applies to them.

It is also why not saying "women" is an issue. A lot of women dont know they have a cervix, or if they dont speak English well then they just dont know what the word means.

It goes beyond being politically correct and inclusive. It is now dangerous and unclear for groups of people who havent been educated or dont speak the language.

Aesopfable · 07/07/2020 14:49

if everyone attended screening regularly 83% could be prevented

So why are they excluding transwomen? It apparently requires EVERYONE to attend screening regularly...

SerenityNowwwww · 07/07/2020 14:51

I'm a terrible mother. DS has never been for a smear test.

Melroses · 07/07/2020 14:52

If that is the leaflet that comes with the 'invitation to screen' then how is the transgender man who is registered as a man at his gp surgery supposed to get it to read that he can make an appointment Hmm

nb - I do know that the screening services do produce a comprehensive transgender leaflet about what person needs what screening but it seems to be ignored.

SerenityNowwwww · 07/07/2020 15:03

I got a leaflet and it did speak to women. It did mention that if you were trans male then you'd need a check too.

At least all this nonsense does mean that we read these things carefully.

ResumetonormalASAP · 07/07/2020 15:14

@Aesopfable

Love your comment.... exactly!

SonEtLumiere · 07/07/2020 15:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RandyLionandDirtyDog · 07/07/2020 15:38

Christ, that’s appalling.

So they think it’s fine to use words such as transgender (man) and transwomen but not actual women who make up 99% of the people who require this service.

FML. 🤦🏻‍♀️

MoltenLasagne · 07/07/2020 16:31

Peanutbutteryogurt That's so bizarre - its the exact same wording but missing the first sentence. I wonder whether they had complaints about "women and people with a cervix" and decided that rather than change to just women they'd take the whole thing out.

I am in West Yorkshire, land of the woke apparently...

OP posts:
AryaStarkWolf · 07/07/2020 17:17

I'm in Ireland and just had a look at my last letter about getting a smear test. It does use the word woman and it doesn't mention anything about trans people

ThinEndoftheWedge · 10/07/2020 17:21

Updated online Feb 2020

Hopefully will start seeping into the print edition.

Cervical screening is for women and people with a cervix.
If you are a transgender (trans) man registered with your GP as female, we will send you invitations for cervical screening. If you are registered as male you will not receive invitations, but your GP or practice nurse can arrange an appointment for you if you have a cervix. If you are a trans woman you do not need cervical screening.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/871893/Cervical_screening_helping_you_decide.pdf

Ereshkigalangcleg · 10/07/2020 17:22

Much better.

ThinEndoftheWedge · 10/07/2020 17:32

Indeed.

Every letter/email helps!

ScrimpshawTheSecond · 10/07/2020 18:09

What about us nonbinary sapiosexuals? Why does nobody ever mention US? I feel a letter of complaint coming on like a migraine.

CharlieParley · 10/07/2020 22:29

Although my English was excellent when I first moved to the UK, I had no idea what a cervix was for the longest time (even though where I come from I was having smear tests every six months as was standard for all women taking birth control pills).

Our word for the cervix refers to the "neck of the womb" and cervical cancer is "cancer of the neck of the womb", (all words I could translate into English). But because the English word has nothing to do with the word womb, I did not know what the word cervix referred to or what kind of cancer a cervical one is. I only learned it when I was pregnant and started reading books about pregnancy and birth.

Most immigrants I've met in the time since had far less English than me, and many had better oral than written skills. They all knew the word woman though. Not only because it's such a basic word and therefore a useful one to know, but because it belongs to the first few sets of words non-native speakers learn.

Cervix is specialised vocabulary, woman is basic. My friend who writes material like this was taught to aim for the most commonly understood terms and would have never written about a cervix or cervical cancer before first explaining what it is and who has one. Because you want to increase uptake. Which has been declining unfortunately and this kind of leaflet will not help at all.

I do wonder what the writers care about when I see this. Not being branded offensive? Or saving lives?

And this issue they're seeking to address would be much better approached by offering a link to a leaflet specifically for those female patients who identify as trans. (Much like there's often a link to leaflets in other languages).

Also, on a different level leaflets like this annoy me because they spread misinformation. It's not people over 25 who are invited for screening but female people. It's not everyone they want to attend regularly but everyone who is female.

And this omission of female where it absolutely would be required for minimum readability is hugely concerning. It's not just the word woman that is treated here as problematic but female. That is a much worse level of female erasure, well beyond what seems to have become the norm amongst captured organisations.

SocialConnection · 11/07/2020 12:17

Who needs cervical smears?

All women, trans men, non binary and intersex members of the female sex, who have a cervix and are between the ages of xx and xx need a regular cervical smear examination.

I think that covers it!

EmbarrassingAdmissions · 11/07/2020 12:48

the man was concerned that he had never has this. When I explained what the cervix was, he was a bit embarrassed.

Years ago, family members were talking about a relative who had prostate problems - and they said, in all seriousness: "You never seem to hear about women with this."

I'm glad that this clearly spells out that trans women do not need a cervical screening as opposed to keeping up the pretence and allowing access to this female experience.

iirc, JY insisted that JY should be able to attend a gynaecologist for cervical screening etc. as it's gender-affirming care and I gather that's permissible in Canada.

StruggleAgainstReality · 11/07/2020 13:26

This leaflet demonstrates several reasons why it's vital (at least from a medical standpoint) to have a universally-understood word to describe the class of people who have a cervix. That's the way to avoid all these confusions and qualifications around who needs the test.

So why the hell can't we just keep the word that already exists?

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