Today the British tabloids have given us a story that is such an absurdist mix of the infuriating and hilarious, it would be brilliant if it were a hoax. Meet Ryan Williams, or tampon boy: a self-identified "meninist" who feels that tampons are a "luxury item."

Ryan began his controversial rant after learning about the movement to eliminate taxes on tampons.

"People are saying tampons shouldn't be taxed because they are a necessity," Ryan said, according to The Mirror. "but why can't those women just learn to control their bladders?"

"If they are going to bleed then they should wait until they get to the toilet," he continued. "It's all about self-control."

Ryan seems to genuinely believe that it is a "luxury" for women to shed their uteruses each month without dousing our wardrobes in blood. Although, thanks to sexism, he's not entirely wrong! Tampons are wrongfully treated as a luxury item in many parts of the world. A lot of girls in developing countries are often compelled to miss school or work because of their periods. Depending on where you're reading from, that may seem distant and extreme. Even in the first world, period stigma is very real, and is why we still have no cure for cramps or access to period products in public restrooms. Though, if all men had periods, would we have access to free period products in public restrooms the same way we have access to free toilet paper and soap?

Anyway, we're getting away from the core issue at play with tampon boy. He wasn't discussing the distorted cultural valuation of women's health, he was proving he knows absolutely nothing about the female anatomy, and that, as a recent high school graduate, his education has failed him in that subject entirely.

Sex education is wildly limited. Only 22 states mandate sex education, and only 13 require the information to be medically accurate. Please let that sink in like a day one period meeting a fresh tampon. Less than half of this country is being provided with adequate sex ed, and more than half of them are exposed to a mix of facts and biological fan fiction.

Sex ed should absolutely be a required portion of our holistic curriculum, and periods should 100% be one of those lessons. Menstruation is not a fun fact for students to maybe stumble upon or not. It is a fact of life experienced by half the population for anywhere between three days and two weeks a month. People who have periods should be learning what makes them healthy, and how to deal with the flood of emotions, back pain, bad dreams, and blood that form just part of the full experience of menstruation. People who don't have periods should be aware of the facts of the process, so that women's bodies are not treated with misplaced disgust, because to stigmatize periods is to shame any body that menstruates.

The only mystery about menstruation should be the fact that any mystery remains. It's about time we dispel with this nonsensical stigma, and make sure everyone is aware of the facts as soon as their body is mature enough to bleed once a month. Ryan's views are disturbing, but we can learn a lesson from him, and it's this: The only people who should feel shame around periods are those too ignorant and immature to make the effort to be fully informed. On the bright side, whatever confusion he had has certainly been set straight by all the internet users correcting his statements.

Related: A New Survey Shows You What Americans REALLY Think About Periods