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?

@DameHelena - I'm pretty sure that is 100% what it is about, yes.

[quote owlinnahat]@DameHelena - I'm pretty sure that is 100% what it is about, yes.[/quote]
Thank you

[quote owlinnahat]@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.[/quote]
Which women? Do you mean the women that aren't men or the men that aren't women?

Why is it ok to advertise things to 'men' knowing that everyone knows what a man is, but not women without having to also include all the men that may or not actually be women?

I filled the survey in and told them that they should use 'women and girls' in their promotional material and not make girls feel ashamed of being girls. They never listen but it made me feel better about the stupidity. At least they can't say no one told them.

Hi

So every Scottish authority has to do this survey by law - from the SG.

You also have to target men for responses as to how distribution could work. It’s not a terrible idea on two fronts - reducing stigma and thinking about men as parents.

I'm pretty sure that is 100% what it is about, yes.

And I'm pretty sure that's an extremely naive view. The pressure to detach "woman" from female bodies across the board is mainly coming from males, because people listen to what male people want more. The same language is much rarer in men, and not as dehumanising (no one calls them "ejaculators" unlike "menstruators", "bleeders" and "birthing bodies".)

@Ereshkigalangcleg

I'm pretty sure that is 100% what it is about, yes.

And I'm pretty sure that's an extremely naive view. The pressure to detach "woman" from female bodies across the board is mainly coming from males, because people listen to what male people want more. The same language is much rarer in men, and not as dehumanising (no one calls them "ejaculators" unlike "menstruators", "bleeders" and "birthing bodies".)

It is coming directly from Stonewall, to get higher up on the list.

@Sillydoggy

I filled the survey in and told them that they should use 'women and girls' in their promotional material and not make girls feel ashamed of being girls. They never listen but it made me feel better about the stupidity. At least they can't say no one told them.

I hope your post inspires others to do the same.

It is coming directly from Stonewall, to get higher up on the list.

Yes indeed, that's frequently a factor.

This obviously has nothing to do with men thinking they can menstruate. I would have thought it’s for women who menstruate but don’t ‘identify’ as women.

www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/period-products-free-provision-scotland-bill

Monica Lennon's report, included as a link on that page -

Mentions 'those who menstruate' once

Mentions 'boy's' once

Mentions 'female' once

But goes through some spectacular linguistic gymnastics to avoid the words 'women' or 'girls'.

Neither of which appear at all. In a report to support a Bill to do with period products.

When I have my period - and it’s not pleasant these days - I don’t sit and ponder my identity. It’s not an issue.

All I think of is how come they don’t make extra extra extra heavy flow pads, and if my additions two pairs of period pants will stop the bed looking like the horse head scene in the godfather by morning.

It’s very much a luxury to be concerned about the use of a bloody descriptive word for a physical function. Give your head a wobble.

Surely people will just sell them online. (to places that pay for them)

Bit insulting that all these things were utterly ignorable before wokeism.

@KittenKong I'm a bit confused. Is this aimed at me? - *Give your head a wobble.

I was continuing the conversation regarding the word 'people' being used rather than 'women or girls' from upthread.

No not aimed at anyone (well maybe those who faint at the sight of the word ‘woman’ on sanoro packaging).

Sitting here having a coffee with the period from hell so thinking aloud - I have this period because I am a woman and no amount of rebranding or wishing will make not stop.

Fair enough. And yes, no amount of removing the feminine sign from tampon and sanitary towel packaging is going to make periods from hell any better! Hope it eases up for you.

I must be getting towards menopause - never had anything like it!

However the whole Always debacle made me look for alternatives a while back and I found a brand called Rael which is pretty good (they are expensive though) but the brand is by and for women (and hasn’t tried to delete women).

That and chocolate. I’m not craving it but it’s a good excuse.

@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?

I'm probably being naive but isn't that just so dad's and older people feel they can contribute? Especially if for some reason they are against council funding. So when they go ahead with it they can say 1 person was against it as a waste of council money but 99 people were for it.

So say open to everyone - the used the word ‘gender’ purposely.

I don't come to this corner of mumsnet usually so have probably missed something and am ready to be educated.

@KittenKong

So say open to everyone - the used the word ‘gender’ purposely.

Ahhh I seeeee knew I was missing something! Thanks

The survey is now closed so I can't link to the questions asked but from memory when I did the survey, the questions asked were roughly -

• What kind of period products would you like to see available (with a list)?
• What buildings would you like to see products available in (with a list)?
• Would you feel comfortable asking a member of staff in a building for products?

They were clearly questions for people who use such products. There were no questions about value for money or whether councils should offer these service.

The use of 'people' has been a deliberate decision.

Just popping on to repeat my usual refrain that humans are not AFAB (assigned female at birth). Or, in the interest of fairness, AMAB (assigned male at birth).

Midwives, doctors and others present at birth OBSERVE the baby's sex.

That was in response to an earlier post.

Owlinahat is that what makes someone a woman? Wearing a pink floral dress? I wear jeans and boots. Does that make me a man? Do you realise it is possible to be gender non conforming and still be female? I just can't get my head round how sexist stereotypes of women are somehow now seen as progress. FWIW I don't have a problem with period products being accessible to anyone who needs them however they view themselves.