Sometimes one branch of progressive awareness cancels out another branch of progressive awareness, revealing a hierarchy of disprivilege.

For example, the government of Northern Ireland on period products:

Period inequality contributes to the poor mental health and wellbeing experience of those who are unable to access the basic health essentials of period products. This is a growing issue particularly in light of the increased cost of living.

Period products are essential items for personal care to address a normal biological need and should therefore be available to everyone who needs them, regardless of their economic status.

First two paragraphs, and already the problem is obvious. The people who wrote this get that women and girls are disadvantaged by heavy bleeding between the legs every month, but they also get that they’re not allowed to call girls and women “girls and women.”

It can’t be done, chums. You can’t draw our attention to a handicap particular to women and girls while refusing to mention women and girls.

Those two dirty words never appear in this government summary of provision of free period products.

To address this gap the Period Products (Free Provision) Act (NI) was made by the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022 and requires that period products will be made available from May 2024. The requirements of the Act go beyond seeking to make provision for those in financial difficulty. Rather, as stated above, there is a recognition that period products are necessary and essential items that should be available free of charge and accessible by all persons who need to use them.

This consultation seeks your views on how best the Executive Office (TEO) can ensure that period products are “obtainable free of charge” by “all persons who need to use them”, “while in Northern Ireland”.

My view: step one: delete “persons”; substitute “women and girls.”

Too late, of course; the consultation is over.