Hello! Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate you taking the time to write something so thoughtful and thorough.

First of all, I definitely didn't take it like you thought that cisgender women should have privilege over trans people, and I didn't at all feel marginalised and offended. I could really feel that you care a lot about the lived experience and dehumanisation of women and girls, while also wanting to include everyone who should be included.

Part of why I really appreciate your input on this because I'm in the weird situation of having been assigned female at birth and also not being perceived 100% as a woman for a few years now, so it's a subject that is important to me and also it's becoming a bit more distant, less familiar and visceral. (It still very much affects my day to day experience, but in more subtle and less intense ways, I think.) The trans stuff has definitely steamrollered everything in that department, as well!

So anyway, I read your reply straight away, and then proceeded to overthink it for a while in between busyness, and talked a bit about all the topics with a couple of friends who are cis women (one definitely feminist and one definitely not, so some very different perspectives!), and just sort of roll it all around and test out some wording.

So I've made some edits to the original article, suggesting some specific wording options for the "just people who have periods" group description. "Girls, boys and nonbinary people who have periods" validates the genders of attendees, but is grammatically weird and also a bit of a mouthful. "People who have periods" contains the word "people" but still somehow feels a bit clinical and dehumanising and has a weird laser focus on reproductive organs. But one person suggested "people of all genders who have periods" and we all felt pretty okay about that one actually? So I wanted to ask what you thought, because you wanted to recognise and acknowledge the girls attending, so maybe the lack of acknowledgement there might not feel good? I think for me it feels better because it encompasses more of a holistic/identity vibe, so maybe that kinda fits what you're looking for even if it doesn't specifically identify girls and young women. (There's also some extra paragraphs in some other sections that were inspired by all of your thoughts and my ensuing overthinking and conversations.)

I'm curious to know what you think either way, or obviously if you're fed up with this then it's totally okay to ignore/not answer and I won't be offended or take it personally! I love so much that people are having these conversations more now, I love that kids are coming into a world with a whole new and more inclusive perspective and having more freedom within gender and bodies and all that stuff. Probably the wording itself isn't the most important thing, just that people are trying to think and talk about it openly and compassionately.

Anyway, thank you again, and thoughts are welcome, but no pressure or obligation at all. :)

Cassian