Not one mention of women or girls

[PaleBlueMoonlight]

It is about dehumanising menstruators because they are not catered for properly at festivals. They don't seem to have noticed their own dehumanising language.

The erasure of any mention of women and girls and the replacement with the words menstruator and people with periods is the dehumanising language. It is being used to describe women and girls even when they are not menstruating, as women and girls who are not actively menstruating at this moment but have to plan for their periods are affected, girls who are not yet menstruating will be affected in the future and women who used to menstruate have been affected in the past. This means that they are not using these words to describe someone menstruating, but as words to describe our sex class. They are using them with the same meaning as the words women and girl have always meant. Its use in this way is an illustration of why we need words to describe a human sex class, but apparently the words we had are not OK and we have to use bodily functions to describe that sex class instead.

I know we have seen this to many times before, but it is so stark in this piece.

BBC: It's time festivals catered for people's periods

By the way, the title on the clicky link is what you see on the home page.

Just happened to have a glance at the Prostate Cancer UK website, no mention of people with a prostate - just men. (It's a great charity BTW)

Health care info, particularly around cancer MUST be as clear as possible so that its message reaches as many of its target audience as possible. Many may have poor English comprehension etc.

I really resent the way women are being dehumanised to pander to a tiny section of the population. I don't want to be called menstruator, ciswoman, cervix owner etc. I am an adult human female ie. WOMAN!

When I saw this yesterday, I just knew one word would be missing. Again.

I've complained. I'll add their weasley excuse to the rest of my replies from their previous stories that fail to mention the one word that leaves them sweating - woman.

@Stripyhoglets

FreezerBird - I saw that post too earlier - before the poster commented about the problems. Then the post was shut down. Another place I can't say how I feel now - I wouldn't dare anymore.

Assuming we're talking about the same place (!) have you been in recent years? I haven't for some time so I'm not sure whether the language policing would happen at the event itself or whether it was just a social media thing - I'm aware that group isn't anything official as far as the festival is concerned.

@KimikosNightmare

I'm not entirely sure it's the BBC you should be angry with. The BBC reported what the women in the clip said- they didn't put those words into their mouths.

I agree with others that there's an element of snowflakery there. Re menstrual cup- why can't it be emptied and rinsed out with a bottle of water? And/or take a supply of the largest/ thickest pads. If there's really nowhere to get rid of used ones stick them in nappy disposal bags. People take babies to festivals and seem to manage to change nappies.

If the interviewee was using the n word or p word, do you think for one second that the BBC would air it? Menstruator is in the same category: it is more than offensive - it is designed to cause offence. It’s not even a word. The BBC does not have a duty to offer a platform to every hate group or weirdo.

Freezerbird. I have been most years over last 15 years. Tbh I cannot recall any specific discussions or talks I went to policing language so far. But last festival was 2019 and JKR stuck her head above the parapet in June 2020 and there's been no festival since then so it will be interesting to see next year if it makes a difference now the issue is more in the public domain. I feel there will be a "be nice" expectation. But I wouldn't expect to be corrected if I said "women".

I certainly won't be referring to myself as a menstruator!

I haven't listened to the clip, but has the text below it been edited? It's very neutral indeed no, but there's no 'people' anywhere.

The title has definitely been edited.

Yes. I think it has been edited, but sadly didn’t get screen shots of the original [kicks herself].