Would you like a man to advise your daughter about her period?

All women remember when they got their first period. I was 12 and luckily for me it started just days after the “period lady” visited my school to talk about menstruation.

We girls were ordered to gather in the library while the boys were shunted elsewhere.

Of course, I had heard the babble about what puberty entails from friends who were already on their periods or who had older sisters, but I knew very little.

The discussion was easy and informative. We learned what’s going on inside our bodies and why, the joy (not!) of monthly bleeding and all the goodies that come with it: painful cramps, mood swings, bloating, an overwhelming desire to consume copious amounts of chocolate.

Jason Grant, a former personal trainer and tobacco salesman, has taken on the new £36,000 role for the Tay region specifically to tackle “period poverty”.

Eventually, we were given a box of useful bits and pieces—package inserts, pads, tampons—to help us when our period finally came.

I was grateful to the “period lady” for telling us what we needed to know about a touchy subject in a way that spared us any embarrassment. We could all identify with her – she had been through what we were going to experience.

In retrospect, the idea that a man could have had such a discussion with a group of pre-teens and teenage girls is unthinkable. And yet this week we learned that Scotland’s first “period dignitary officer” is… a man.

Jason Grant, a former personal trainer and tobacco salesman, has taken on the new £36,000 role for the Tay region specifically to address ‘period poverty’ (lack of access to toiletries).

In his role, he will also discuss pads, tampons and the like with schoolchildren and students at schools and universities in the region.

His appointment coincided with the enactment of new legislation making Scotland the first country in the world to offer free, universal access to period products.

But distributing toiletries is a relatively easy task. Did they really need to hire a “period dignified officer” with a generous salary? What a waste of taxpayer money.

Nonetheless, Grant is “absolutely thrilled” about his new job, which involves bringing period products to “everyone of any gender.”

any gender? Jason, I have news for you: Only women menstruate!

He believes having a man in this new role will help him “break down barriers, break down stigma and encourage more open discussion” to prove that “this isn’t just a female issue.”

Nonetheless, Grant is “absolutely thrilled” about his new job, which involves bringing period products to “everyone of any gender.”

I had to read the quote a few times. Because if something could be described exclusively as a “women’s issue”, it would certainly be menstruation. I bet girls can’t wait to ask his advice on dealing with cramps, properly inserting tampons, and dealing with public leakage.

I find it utterly distasteful for a man, no matter how well trained and sensitive he may be, to discuss menstruation with adolescent girls. Was there really no woman who was suitable for this role?

To quote tennis legend Martina Navratilova when asked about the appointment, it’s “damn ridiculous” and “absurd”.

I think Scottish writer Susan Dalgety spoke for us all when she tweeted: “I wonder if he’s ever experienced the horror of a bloodstained dress in public or the heartbreaking fear of a missed period? No, I didn’t think so.”

I don’t think so either, Susanne. But the fact that he’s never had hot flashes doesn’t stop him from speaking out about menopause, as its impact on women at work appears to be part of his new role as well. Talk about mansplaining!

Susan Dalgety tweeted: “I wonder if he’s ever experienced the terror of a bloodstained dress in public or the heartbreaking fear of a missed period? No, I didn’t think so’

Do not get me wrong. I’m all for educating people about the changes we go through during puberty. Openness about menstruation is a positive endeavor and both boys and men should know and understand the hormonal fluctuations a woman goes through each month and the side effects. Many of them are doing it, but there are some who still have a lot to learn.

However, Grant’s appointment appears to be part of a broader trend to treat women with contempt in the name of “progressive” and “inclusive.”

Women’s concerns about allowing biological males into female locker rooms, women’s prisons and domestic sanctuaries have been trampled on in the rush to advance trans rights.

In a recent move, Nicola Sturgeon’s government is enforcing its Gender Recognition Reform Act, which will make it easier for anyone aged 16 and over to change their legal gender and eliminate the need for a medical report. The previous two-year waiting period for anyone wanting a gender recognition certificate in Scotland is to be reduced to just three months.

While trans people naturally deserve to live with dignity, many of us are concerned about the reduction in protections for women and that our spaces are constantly being opened up to some biological males—whether they identify as women or not—like author JK Rowling said it would “harm the most vulnerable women in society”.

Even the word “woman” itself seems to be becoming offensive. Staff at some NHS hospitals have been advised to use terms such as ‘pregnant’ and ‘service user’ instead of ‘wife’ and ‘mother’.

Scotland recently became the first country in the world to offer free access to period products

Scotland really has form here. In May last year, Mridul Wadhwa, a trans woman and former SNP parliamentary candidate, was appointed chief executive of Edinburgh Rape Crisis, a job advertised as reserved for women.

This sparked outrage from feminist activists, who claimed Wadhwa did not have a gender-recognition certificate or undergone gender reassignment surgery, and was therefore not legally eligible to be classified as a woman. It didn’t get her anywhere: she’s still at work.

That’s why the appointment of Jason Grant as Period Dignity Officer upset us.

Be sure to give out free tampons and pads to those who desperately need them. But they are not a substitute for what we really need. Respect.

Melanie McDonough: “I had a male obstetrician, so why not?”

Many women have spoken out against Jason Grant’s appointment. Among them was tennis star Martina Navratilova, who declared this absurd. But really, if you think about it, the objections are silly.

The role is primarily to provide users with free hygiene products, although it’s also billed as a way to eliminate “stigma, misogyny and inequality.” It is mainly a project management job which Mr. Grant, a cheerful looking young man, can undoubtedly do perfectly.

Note to Martina: Men are also obstetricians and gynecologists. The doctor who gave birth to my children was a man and did the caesareans very well. For my money, dipping into my womb to pull a baby out is more intimate than taking sanitary napkins to schools.

If we really want to be inclusive, we shouldn’t try to increase the number of jobs that are exclusively for both sexes – and organizing the distribution of sanitary items really doesn’t fall into the category of work that only a woman can do.

Personally, I think the term “period officer” is absurd. Menstruation is a natural part of the female reproductive cycle. It doesn’t need to be talked about. But since the role exists, it should be open to all comers.

Good luck to Jason Grant. I bet he’s doing a good job.