Primary school pupils will be told that “trans boys and men and non-binary people may have periods” in a bid to tackle stigma surrounding menstruation.

Advice on menstruation will be offered to boys and girls at the school in Brighton after new guidelines were proposed by the council to minimise the risk of offending transgender pupils.

The guidance states that education about periods should be inclusive of “all genders” and “bins for used period products are provided in all toilets.”

It adds that periods are not “dirty, disgusting, or something to be embarrassed by” and that periods can be “something to celebrate”.


In a statement, Brighton and Hove Council said:

“By encouraging effective education on menstruation and puberty, we hope to reduce stigma and ensure that no child or young person feels shame in asking for period products inside or outside of school if they need them. “We believe that it’s important for all genders to be able to learn and talk about menstruation together. “Our approach recognises the fact that some people who have periods are trans or non-binary.”

The council has faced criticism, however, for not prioritising girls in favour of political correctness.


Stephanie Davies-Arai, from the campaign group Transgender Trend, told the Times:

“This is deliberately misleading children about biological facts. The wider agenda here is the indoctrination of children into the belief that personal identity overrides biology, and we must ask why certain adults wish to confuse children by pretending that there is no distinction between the sexes.”

Tory MP David Davies added:

“Learning about periods is already a difficult subject for children that age, so to throw in the idea girls who believe they are boys also have periods will leave them completely confused.”

The advice comes just months after Brighton and Hove City Council issued a Trans Inclusion Schools Toolkit to encourage sensitivity around student gender identity.


The tool kit attempts to explain the difference between biological sex and gender identity and says all children should have access to a toilet and changing room that corresponds to their gender identity.

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