The appointment of a man as the first ever period dignity officer in Scotland has drawn severe backlash on social media. Jason Grant has been appointed as the period dignity officer of Scotland's Tay region.
His job would be to discuss menopause issues and the distribution of free period products. Jason Grant, who has previously worked in tobacco sales and as a personal trainer, was announced as the regional lead officer as a part of the Period Dignity Working group earlier this week, reported The Guardian.
According to the BBC, Mr Grant would lead a regional campaign across schools, colleges and wider communities to raise awareness of the new law and ensure that Scottish government funding is allocated appropriately.
The appointment has stirred a debate on social media with activists advocating that the job should have been offered to a woman. Meanwhile, the period dignity working group has defended Mr Grant's appointment.
A spokesperson said that Mr Grant was the strongest candidate for the job. “The role builds on some fantastic work which has been gathering speed across the Tay region for several years, led by a passionate group of people of all genders, ages and backgrounds. By changing the culture, encouraging debate and removing the stigma around periods, we look forward to supporting the delivery of this important work across the region,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by BBC.
People, on Twitter, have expressed their disagreement with Jason Grant's appointment.
Wimbledon Champion Martina Navratilova has called it “absurd”. She said, “Have we ever tried to explain to men how to shave or how to take care of their prostate or whatever? This is absurd.”
Columnist and author Susan Dalgety commented, “Jason Grant is Scotland's 1st period dignity officer is “absolutely buzzing” about his new job. It's about making “anyone of any gender” aware of period products he says. Jason, I have news for you, Only females menstruate. Any more questions? PMS? Endometriosis?”
A woman came up with data and said, “Only 24% of girls in the UK feel comfortable discussing their period with their male friends. Whereas, just 29% of girls in the UK feel comfortable discussing their period with their fathers.”
Here's what others have to say:
Jason Grant's appointment has drawn widespread criticism as the programme is funded by the Scottish government, but managed by a local team of councils and colleges. Scotland passed the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021, becoming the first country in the world to provide free and universal access to period products. The Act came into effect this week.
