Edinburgh considering period products for all people

[nythbran2]

Edinburgh City Council is running a consulation on a proposal to offer people free period products. There are notices round town emphasising this is for all genders and all ages. I wonder if they would do better to suggest the products be targeted to women and girls?

@yetannother, I agree. It looks like a good scheme but using such language to publicise it is alienating potential supporters

Strangely enough, previous publicity has mentioned women and girls - www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/12780/tackling-period-poverty-with-free-sanitary-products

Between that article and this survey, the focus has moved from women and girls to people.

And it's a great scheme. So why are CEC obscuring who it benefits by using exclusive/cloudy language.

@nythbran2

Edinburgh City Council is running a consulation on a proposal to offer people free period products. There are notices round town emphasising this is for all genders and all ages. I wonder if they would do better to suggest the products be targeted to women and girls?

So that's what my extortionate council tax is going on!!!

The match day programme at Murrayfield this weekend stated clearly that 'male and female sanitary products' would be available in the toilets. I asked DH what was on offer; he looked blank and said, "Bog roll?"

@yetanotherusernameAgain has got the content of the survey right. It's just the adverts that are bloody stupid.

Having free access to period products is great in terms of keeping girls in school, evening out socio-economic exclusion from public life and reducing the disparity in discretionary spending between males and females. It's a good policy. The consultation asks about period pants and reusables, so it's not all about single use products being available in public spaces.

What is batshit crazy is the posters saying "free period products for everyone". Wtf? DP says he's going to use his to make insulation for the loft. I hope he was taking the piss, but...

Aside from the battshittery about "people" having periods, I was pleased to see they are potentially going to be offering moon cups and reusable period pants.

They've announced a scheme but with NO idea how it is going to work in practice.

Not sure I want to approach my local Leisure Centre Manager - nice as he is - to ask for "period pants in size 12 please". I'm in my 40s. Can seriously not imagine the average 14 year old girl doing that either!

I think more expensive items such as mooncups and period pants should only be available where it can be tightly monitored or via post.

Absolutely right that period products should be paid for and of course the environment is a concern, but the risks of handing out freely quite expensive products is a bit worrying, especially if non-women might be keen on period pants for the feelz.

For years there's been period poverty and people basically turning a blind eye (or, in the case of twats like Liz Kershaw, opining that in the old days people just washed out their rags and got on with it!).
But now men want to get in on it and it becomes a big thing.
Christ this stuff is getting more and more annoying.
(This may be because I've got my period )

@rookiemere that's the point of the consultation - to ask what "people" want and where/how they'd want to access the products. So, there's space in the consultation to say that you'd feel uncomfortable having to ask to access products, but also to say that you think that reusables should be provided via direct home delivery by post - let's not chuck the baby with the batshit bathwater. They're trying to figure out how best to deliver and a consultation seems like a reasonable way to capture the experiences and opinions of a wide variety of people who need the products. The fact that everyone is invited to have an opinion on something that only affects a maximum of 51(ish)% of the population seems a bit weird but hey...wokepoints.

Now why can't they do a consultation on shutting all the public bogs in Edinburgh, I don't know.

All ages so - so 2 year old boys and 70 year old grandpas are included?
Scotland has gone full crazy.

I always used to think Scotland was a nice place.

Nowadays it just sounds nuts.

There has always been an attitude of misogyny. This and a love of gimmicks and trends. It’s just gone full on crazy - social media hasn’t helped.

@KittenKong

All ages so - so 2 year old boys and 70 year old grandpas are included? Scotland has gone full crazy.

And also 12 year old girls and post-menopausal women. The age thing is sensible, I think: girls who are affected get a say, and women of experience (many of whom will have started their bleeding years in the Dr white belt generation) get to use their experience to inform what would have made things better for them. Or should we only ask the middle aged?

Again, don't throw out the baby with the batshit bathwater. Asking men (apart from TM) for their opinion is stupid, but opening it up to a range of ages seems a sensible way to engage on the policy.

And I envy anyone who has a two year old who can answer an internet survey - can I suggest they sign them up for prolific academic? Modern day coal mining for the win.

@DrWankincense

What exactly do women with a penis do with sanitary products 🤔? Ffs.

How many times do you people need to be told that this is about being inclusive of *>>trans men

The message obviously isn't getting though @Leiska658

'You people'? Seriously?

The whole 'people', 'those with a cervix' (seen most recently on the Scottish cervical screening radio ads), 'menstruators' thing etc etc isn't inclusive. In the case of 'people', It's meaningless. In the case of 'those with a cervix', it excludes various groups of women.

And it doesn't happen to men's health, services and products, strangely enough. Have you seen many condom ads which refer to 'ejaculators'? Many ads for erectile dysfunction ads which refer to 'sperm producers? Many prostate cancer campaigns which refer to 'those with a prostate'? (Hint, even Prostate Cancer UK stand by using the word men on their publicity materials).

If it's about 'inclusion', we should see all the above, in the same way as it has happened to the word woman.

It hasn't. Why?

@Lekisa658 Men don't have female anatomy.

I think they mean women.

People with lady-dicks are welcome to insert tampons up there if they like. That should be an eye - waterer opener.

As an example -

www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/screening/cervical/cervical-screening-smear-test

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/cancer/cancer-types-in-adults/prostate-cancer

For the first link, the word woman is never used on it's own. It always appears with a qualifier - 'woman and those who...'.

The second link, it only mentions men.

Odd that.

men with "female" anatomy?

What do you mean by female anatomy? Why would anyone refer to it as female?

I don't think the "all genders" is aimed at trans women at all - this is clearly language aimed at including AFAB non binary people and trans men. Trans women clearly won't need these things but many people who don't identify as women will.

@owlinnahat

I don't think the "all genders" is aimed at trans women at all - this is clearly language aimed at including AFAB non binary people and trans men. Trans women clearly won't need these things but many people who don't identify as women will.

I've seen various 'trans' women going on about the symptoms of their new monthly cycle. So are you calling them liars? Are you saying their monthly period pains are made up?

@AlisonDonut - I'm saying I don't think that Edinburgh LA's language in launching this scheme has anything to do with those women. I think they are making this scheme more accessible to men and NB people who also need period products.

Unless you think that's wrong and no one should be allowed tampons unless they can turn up in a floral pink dress with "adult human female of childbearing age" embroidered along cuffs and hems.

Does it mean women who have female bodies but identify as men?