How did I do on my first time challenging the erasure of the word 'woman'

[ManonCrochan]

I have socail anxiety and will often smile and nod even if I'm fully aware the information is wrong. I am rubbish at speaking up and it's something I'm working on.

I'm not sure I'm ready to challenge in person but I did on TikTok.

The poster said: women don't menstruate. People menstruate.

So I said: 'We can be inclusive without excludin the word woman. E.g. Women and transmen menstruate'

She said: or just 'people can menstruate'

So I said: Bit dehumanising, no? Why is the word 'woman' a dirty word?

She said: Not at all, people covers everyone without excluding anyone :)

I said: That's not true though. What about people with learning disabilities? Children? How will they know if the information applies to them or not?

She said: They're still people.

I said: Correct, however, not all people menstruate. You can't understand how this can harm some of the most vunrable members of society? People with learning disabilities, People is English as an additional language, and other people who need language to be plain and clear...? ( I saw another poster wrote this on another thread and saved it to my phone notes as it's just brilliant and I'd never be clever enough to think up on my own )

She hasnt replied and has ignored my last comment.

I'm proud of myself for standing up for what is right. Any tips for the future?

I've been told by a different commenter that 'Intersex people can menstruate'

Well done. The first time is the hardest.

@ManonCrochan

I've been told by a different commenter that 'Intersex people can menstruate'

Only if they're women with a VSD though.

You did well. Calm, polite, rational.

you've done a good job
female people of childbearing age with disorders of sex development MAY menstruate- but this is a bit cumbersome

Well done challenging the nonsence, but personally I think the Koolaid drinkers are beyond help-much better to spread awareness to those yet to twig the full extent of this bullshit.

"Women don't menstruate"?

Well done OP. A calm and rational response. Not getting involved in the flailing and roaring about transphobia is always a win - and it gives confidence to others watching from the sidelines.

What's worse is she is the owner and founder of a reusable menstral product company using zero chemicals and made in the UK.

Only if they're women with a VSD though.

Sorry, what does this mean? I have a learning disability so don't quite understand sometimes.i should have mentioned at the start.

Oh fucking hell, it's not Mooncup, is it?

BTW - you did well.

I'd guess VSD means variations of sexual development, another way of saying DSD which can mean 'differences/disorders of sexual development'. The 'disorders' is a medical term, meaning disorders on a cellular level and not, as I once hears the TW Rachel MacKinnon/Veronica Ivy stating in outrage, that the person themselves is disordered. If you see what I mean.

Anyway after all that, well done OP! It's not easy, is it? I wonder if your correspondent would say 'people are black'. Yes, some are. And those that are black are, indeed, people. But does it not make people like me, white, um ... black?

And what does 'women don't menstruate' mean, if that's what she actually said? I am a woman and I used to menstruate (thank the goddesses, no longer). My ex is a man and is a person but he didn't menstruate. I wonder now if he had something wrong ...

You did well. Awesome work.

She couldn’t answer you so ran off

Als9 not every women knows the word menstruate.

Most women and girls use words like on your period or auntie flo

So they might not even know what’s she s talking about

Her priveledge showing

very true

Well done. Answer to " intersex " gotcha is easy as the only intersex people who menstruate are women. Intersex is not a third sex but rather a group of people who have differences in the development of their secondary sex characteristics, but are still either male or female e.g a man with a micro penis and undescended testicles is still male,and will go through male puberty, despite his external genitalia looking different to most other males.

Lots of these companies popping up but they won't last on if they talk down to their actually customer demographic.

Thanks for the encouragement. It's made me feel like I do actually have the wits to challenge someone in the flesh.

I have now actually been blocked on that woman's tiktok. She never replied to me and I made no further comment.

Well done op! She's blocked you because she can't argue. She can't argue because you're right!

Brilliant, very clear and calm explanation of the issues. You haven't received a response because she's embarrassed you've highlighted the negative impact of "inclusive" language on other marginalised groups and it hadn't even occured to her.

A block is a win!

Well done.

What company is this?

There's no saving these people though. I tried to point out something inadvisable in one of these groups. The comment was allowed to stand. They'd Rather let this stuff stand to show their inclusion status than do whats right.

I feel it’s just their elitism

Well done, OP! I always avoid these types on confrontation, which makes me a coward, I know... OP, you're great!

Oh and lack of backbone and using their brains

You did really well and have good reason to feel proud of yourself. Don't underestimate yourself. It's not attributable to you if you don't know what some unfamiliar sets of letters mean. I didn't know what VSD was either.