Last Updated on August 18, 2022
Local authorities in Scotland are coming under fire after hiring a man to serve as their regional “period dignity officer,” ensuring that “period dignity” is maintained in public settings and that the approach to such dignity is “streamlined.” The position was formed after Scotland’s government recently passed the Period Products Act, requiring governments and other “public bodies” to issue free menstrual products to women, and even men who claim to be women, nationwide.
Jason Grant has made headlines across the UK after being hired by a group of colleges and local governing councils in Scotland’s Tay Region to serve as their first “Period Dignity Officer.” In that role, Grant will reportedly be tasked with leading “regional campaigns” to “raise awareness of the country’s new law on free period products” as well as to ensure that funding for such products is being “properly dispersed.”
During his term as the Tay Region’s first Period Dignity Officer, which will last 24 months, Grant will reportedly receive a taxpayer-funded salary of up to £36,126.
According to Scotland’s government, the new law will set up a “Scotland-wide scheme to ensure that period products can be obtained free of charge. Additionally, the Scottish Government will “have the power to make other public bodies provide period products for free.”
Left-wing activists have hailed the new law, which into effect this week, for its “inclusive language” that allows transgender individuals to also participate in receiving free tampons and period products.
Though the Period Products Act is being hailed as very “progressive” by some, women all over the political spectrum have blasted the fact that a man will be managing periods throughout Scotland’s Tay Region, something Period Dignity Officer Jason Grant shrugged off when speaking to the media, even suggesting that periods are an “issue” for men as well.
“I think being a man will help me break down barriers, reduce stigma and encourage more open discussions,” Grant said, adding that “periods are an issue for everyone.”
“It’s time to normalize these topics and get real around the subject,” Grant insisted, not elaborating on what getting “real” would entail.
“I believe I can make progress by proving this isn’t just a female topic, encouraging conversations across all genders, and educating and engaging new audiences.”
