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I'm fed up because lots of people have done the #RSE consultation - sex ed experts, menstruation researchers, womb-related illness charities, fertility experts, PSHE teachers, student charities, school pupils, parents, you name it. 2/?
I am so cross I have not threaded my tweets properly. And even the consultation response document acknowledged loads of ppl mentioned periods, yet the guy who presumably wrote it does not understand menstruation enough, because he 'limited' teaching of it. 3/?
Like... does @DamianHinds understand that menarche and menopause bookend the menovulatory lifetime? Is he punking us and making a 'limits' 'end of menstruation' 'menopause' joke? Sorry - I need a cup of tea. 4/?
I am boiling the kettle. It is a metaphor for my ire. I have circulated a bloody amazing curriculum model as an example programme of study. I'm SO SURE the education minister has a copy. I shared it at the APPG on women's health last year. I put it together based on good recs 5/?
Just for clarity, here is tweet 1/? again, because I can't twitter properly I'm so cross. I'm waiting for the kettle to boil. I don't want to feel like a mug, so I'm using a travel cup instead. I'm still angry. 6/?
I have a travel cup full of tea now. It is my @girlguiding cup from when I was working with them on their awesome #actionforchange and #youngadvocates #periodpoverty campaign. Guess what they know should be included in menstruation education? #menopause. 7/? 
I really don't like being cross. I try to find positive solutions. I even named my research project +campaign @PeriodPositive. But #periodpositivity alone can't stop ignorance. You have to WANT to be open to learning more. So @DamianHinds can we chat #rse? cc @redditchrachel 8/?
This is why I put a curriculum model together just for #menstruation and related stuff. It's an example of how each age and key stage can get the holistic learning they need in a age appropriate way that shows progression and cohesion. V happy to share it with everyone. 9/?
I would be very happy to share it and get feedback from even more teachers, #rse and reproductive health experts, and share it with more MPs. It's an example of how each topic probably developed in other subjects - but like... there's no taboo about other subjects, right? 10/?
(This tea is really good, by the way. It's Earl Grey - my favourite.) 11/?
Did you know that when @michaelgove was Education Minister he changed the Nat. Science Curriculum to say you could teach about menstruation but without mention of hormones? That's like teaching about maths without mention of numbers. When I say this in my show it shocks ppl. 12/?
So, why did I spend time at #periodpositive drafting an entire programme of study just for #menstruation and not for all of #rse? Because the biggest taboo is around #periods. The curriculum doesn't truly acknowledge that #menstruationmatters. 13/?
Sure. The update actually acknowledges some of my suggestions. The nuance of language - 'cope' is now changed to 'manage'. Starting before puberty, continuing into secondary, including all genders, + different product types. BUT fertility and reproductive health are missing+ 14/?
And menopause doesn't even get a mention. @DamianHinds says there are 'limits'. Why limit this? Why not tell kids the whole story? When their mums or teachers could be perimenopausal or menopausal? So they understand their own fertility? It only underlines the taboo. 15/?
To anyone reading this, please share it. And you're also welcome to check out the programme of study for a complete #menstruation curriculum age 3 - 19. It's weird to have to write it from scratch, but taboo meant it didn't exist before. 16/?
And I guess that's what it comes down to. #menstruationmatters and is a key part of #rse - a gateway to so many more conversations about sex and relationships, media literacy, advertising messages, product marketing, consent, informed choice. 17/?
Everything else has been taught at least a bit before. Periods were just a leaflet and a free sample for about 100 years. That means most parents, teachers, MPs and pupils pretty much had the same basic experience, and there's so much more - it's empowering. And it's useful. 18/?
It's not like maths which has been around for centuries, slowly but surely evolving into curriculum areas, lesson topics, progression and a place as a core subject, with numeracy embedded across the curriculum. It shouldn't be radical to suggest reproductive health is too. 19/?
And right now, major multinational menstrual corporations sponsor the education programs and product donation schemes. How does that give young people choice? Options? How does it not echo what came before? Teachers need training in how to examine their own menstrual shame. 20/?
So. I started #adventuresinmenstruating in 2005. I coined the phrase #periodpositive in 2006. This project is now older than I was when I got my first period. I've read so much academic research, I've seen a bazillion ads past + present, met with so many amazing colleagues 21/?
I am always going to be someone who notices the flaws and demands more. Forever. That's just my job I guess. Troublemaker, problem-solver, pun slinger. Nobody gets thrown under the bus when it comes to #menstrualequity and #periodpositive advocacy. 22/?
So @damianhinds thank you for extending 3 sentences in 2000 into 6 sentences in 2019. But it's still a draft. SO. Before we take it through parliament, it needs a few amendments. Shall we hang out? Anyone else want to come along? 23/?
Media literacy about shame in adverts past, present + elsewhere in society + how to reject it. Reusables. Eco considerations. Why, how and when to choose internal vs external menstrual products. Saying #menstrualnotsanitary: blood doesn't = dirt. Reclaiming leakage fear! 24/?
#RSE: Early puberty. Late puberty. Fertility. Infertility. PCOS. Endometriosis. Womb-related cancers. Explanations for little ones who see mum's blood at home. Inclusion of those on the margins with intersectional needs. Refusing to whisper. And including bloody menopause! 24/?
Sorry that was 25/? But you know, sometimes periods skip a day. There is a world of scholarship out there. Just ask @MenstruationOrg. You know what @damianhinds? Thinking you can limit menstrual knowledge by leaving out #menopause is just like teaching maths without numbers. 26/?
+ I love maths. Love charting my cycle. Love reassuring kids what's within the range of 'normal' +how to get help otherwise. Love checking stats for my research. Love a pun. My cycle is actually 28 days long. This tweet sequence is convergent. So lets leave limits to maths. 27/28
I'm not going to stop advocating for proper #menstruation education - I'm convinced it's the best thing ever. See periodpositive.com for info or to sign up to the @periodpositive charter. DM for access to my curric. draft. And thanks. Other cycle lengths are available. 28/28
