Suggestion that census could ask “do you menstruate?” instead of asking sex.

[broccolibush]

Telegraph article

So apparently it could be more inclusive and more precise to ask do you menstruate instead of asking for your sex. Which makes no sense at all to me. It would mean that pregnant women, menopausal women, women who have had hysterectomies, women on hormonal contraception, anorexic women, pre-pubescent girls and many others aren’t female. Surely this is beyond stupid?

More concerningly the article refers to “soft decertification” and “slow law” as a way to describe softly-softly pushing through change to erase women from womanhood.

These people need to grow up. And then fuck off.

Agreed

I haven't menstruated since 2018. Does that mean I get a pay rise and to compete in children's sports so I win?

“many people do not have the normative bodies associated with being a woman or a man”.
I hate this. I'd assume the number of people who don't have "normative bodies" is dwarfed by the number of women who don't menstruate.
And it's so fucking reductive. We can't define people by their genitals, because it's offensive, but defining them by menstrual status is fine 😵

Why oh why is this utter BS allowed to persist?

I didnt menstruate until I was 13 and haven't menstruate for several years now still a female woman thank you very much.

I had a hysterectomy after DD was born-had a horrific prolapse. I was very emotional about it-wasn't ready to think no more DC and I really struggled.

I am very clear that I am 100% a woman but haven't had a period in 20 years.

That actually feels very divisive and totally agree with PP who points out that We can't define people by their genitals, because it's offensive, but defining them by menstrual status is fine 😵

it feels fetishy somehow-grim. and why are we even entertaining these ideas????

God that sounds creepy and intimate and weird.

Do you ejaculate?

@WalrusSubmarine funny isn’t it how that’s never asked. Only women need to be erased.

Thats hilarious. We'd end up with about 20% of the population in the category of menstruators

This has got to be bullshit. They're not seriously thinking about this?

WTF?! I don't menstruate as I have a mirena coil. Still very much a woman, getting on a bit but likely still fertile. If the intention is to capture the proportion of the population that can give birth for planning purposes then this is not the right question.

When you think we couldn't sink any lower and then you read this drivel. Are people being paid to dream this shit up?

Had my ovaries out, what am I? Seems beyond stupid to me...

I haven't menstruated in neatly 4 years. Still mean that men can be women or women can be men.

Ffs! Doesn't mean!

That's crazy. Dd ( early 20s) doesn't menstruate as she's on the pill and takes it constantly to avoid periods. I have a period now and then ( peri). My mum has none ( 70s). I have two friends in their thirties who had medical menopauses. We are all women.

This is what annoyed JK Rowling in the first place. The Guardian newspaper referred to women as “menstruators” (to avoid offending trans activists). JK Rowling is in her fifties… Presumably still a woman despite that…

Anyway. So basically now this is erasure of all non-fertile women. Nothing male-gazey about that 🙄

It’s all so Handsmaid’s Tale…

The misogyny in trans rights activism is very, very real.

My mum is 77, she's a bit beyond menstruating now, but she's still a woman. My 19 year old DD has the implant,and hasn't had a period for MONTHS, but she's still a woman. My sister has PCOS and went for ages without having periods (followed by long and horrible ones), and she's still a woman. I'm like some sort of clockwork menstruation toy - cramps four days before I come on, every 28 days, lasts 4 days...and I'm still a woman.

This stupid idea can get in the sea.

Oh for goodness sake, how ridiculous.

Sex. Adult human female. These are not dirty words. It is not an insult to anyone. And anyone perceiving it as rude or a problem needs to take a deep breath, get over the gynephobia and stop being so damn rude to half the bloody population.

Does anyone have a share token?

But yes, it’s getting beyond ridiculous now. All the bending over backwards, changing language, etc to placate some people!

Surely all the trans-women could say that they identify as menstruating, therefore they do menstruate.
That would even up the gap left by all the adult female bodied non-menstruaters and therefore the stats wouldn’t be too far off.

Sounds sensible to me………. 🙄

I don’t think the telegraph does share tokens but here’s an Archive link (I hope. Terrible at these things)

Thanks broccolibush