Ok but can we talk about this, for real.
This extreme segregation of the binary genders will always be harmful to everyone. Because it always comes down to shit like this, one versus the other, one being natural and the other being dirty and impure and wrong. No matter what, that is what happens.
When we talk about reproductive health, it needs to involve EVERYONE. Because everyone with the ability to have sex and/or get/cause pregnancy is affected. But lets back it up, lets take sex out of the equation completely. Lets talk about how traumatizing puberty is in a society like ours where everything involving puberty is stigmatized so severely that education about it rarely even exists for a good majority of kids until after it has started.
People with penises can get erections as fetuses in the womb. erections =\= arousal. Erections are a normal, regular part of bodily systems checks of sorts. But this is so rarely ever discussed that even new parents get surprised by it. It is IMPORTANT that these erections happen and should be more concerning if they didn’t. bloodflow could be severely restricted, nerves may not be receiving transmissions, tissues might be damaged, ect ect. You get my point. and this will continue to happen for most of their lives. And yet, because this never gets talked about, children grow up confused about why their body is doing this and what it means, ashamed because majority of parents will teach them it is shameful and wrong because they don’t know, either. and it happens without their control, oftentimes in very inconvenient situations that open them up to severe humiliation, ridicule, and bullying by their peers and family members. and that’s all before puberty even hits.
it only gets worse from there. because now not only is their body still going through natural cycles, but they are ALSO getting ready to be sexually mature, which naturally means thoughts and urges and physical and visual stimuli are making it happen all the more frequently. again, not within their control. and now they are of an age to understand what sex is and connect it to why they’ve always been told it’s wrong and dirty and shameful. not to mention how toxic masculinity really begins to set in and actively encouraged at this point.
so why is it people with penises deserve to grow up like this? why is everyone fine leaving them out of the conversation of reproductive health? why do we raise hell and demand respect and education about the things people with vaginas go through and continue with the misinformation and ignorance with literally everything else?
is it any wonder why so many cis men have so many insecurities surrounding their genitals when shit like this is the norm? is it any wonder they’re reluctant to even seek medical attention when something serious might be going on with their genitals? is it any wonder how toxic masculinity and homophobia is so easy to dig its claws in?
look. i love that periods are finally being discussed more openly in entertainment and media. i love that we’re finally starting, very gradually, to erase the stigma surrounding them. it is very important, and it makes my heart so happy that so many children now have a way to start these conversations and learn about it in a way that isn’t utterly terrifying. and it’s fucking fantastic that kids who do not share the same anatomy get to learn, too. i don’t want to take away from that. this is a good thing.
but i want to highlight that we still have a shitload of work to do when we talk about reproductive health in general.
