Critics hit out at smear test ad that fails to use the word 'woman'

Critics hit out at university smear test advert that fails to use the word ‘woman’

• University of Manchester academics urged ‘people’ from the ‘LGBTQIA+’ community to share how they feel about self-service cervical screening
• Critics of the trans lobby have branded the language ‘highly politicised’
• The team want to encourage transgender men to sign up to their study

Researchers at a top university have been criticised for asking ‘people with cervixes’ to take part in a smear test study.

University of Manchester academics urged ‘people’ from the ‘LGBTQIA+’ community to share how they feel about self-service cervical screening.

Critics of the trans lobby have branded the language ‘highly politicised’ and argued it could lead to confusion. The Manchester team want to encourage transgender men – born female – to sign up to their study.

University of Manchester academics urged ‘people’ from the ‘LGBTQIA+’ community to share how they feel about self-service cervical screening

Uptake of cervical screening among this group is low, and researchers want to see if a urine test taken at home would change this. In a Twitter post, Manchester PhD Dr Jen Davies-Oliveira wrote: ‘Are you aged 18+, identify as LGBTQIA+ AND have a cervix? Researchers want to know your opinions on cervical screening…’

The advert was issued by her research team, not by the university itself.

Kate Barker, of the LGB Alliance, said: ‘Cervical cancer affects women and women alone, and many students (especially those from overseas) may not realise that they are ‘people with cervixes’.’ Manchester University has been contacted for comment.

Toby Young of the Free Speech Union said: ‘In allowing for the possibility that men can have cervixes, Manchester is siding with trans rights activists against gender critical feminists since that’s precisely the issue they disagree about.

‘Why is Manchester taking the side of a tiny minority of political activists, a majority of whom are men, and not their female students, who make up more than half the student population?’

It comes after a number of health services tried to be inclusive of transgender people by removing references to females.

Midwifery courses across the country now refer to ‘pregnant people’ and ‘birthing parents’ rather than ‘women’ and ‘mothers’.

The NHS website now refers to ‘chest-feeding’ rather than ‘breast feeding’ to accommodate trans men.

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