Decision to hire man as period dignity officer defendedon August 16, 2022 at 11:51 am

A group in Tayside has defended its decision to appoint a man as a period dignity officer.

The hiring of Jason Grant to the first role of its kind in Scotland has sparked a heated debate.

He will work with the area’s period dignity working group to implement the legal right to free period products in public settings.

But the appointment has sparked a heated debate, with critics saying the job should have gone to a woman.

Czech tennis legend Martina Navratilova described it as “absurd”, while British actress Frances Barber said she was “fuming”.

Susan Dalgety, a newspaper columnist and women’s rights campaigner, tweeted: “I have no idea why anyone thought it was a good idea to appoint a bloke as the country’s first period dignity officer (terrible job title).”

Mr Grant is expected to lead a regional campaign across schools, colleges and wider communities to raise awareness of the new law and ensure that Scottish government funding is allocated appropriately.

The job advert said the suitable candidate needed a “successful track record of engaging and empowering a large range of people from a diverse range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, in particular young people who menstruate”.

The period dignity working group, which has representatives of Dundee and Angus College, Perth College, Angus Council and Dundee City Council, said Mr Grant was the strongest candidate for the job.

A spokesperson said: “The role builds on some fantastic work which has been gathering speed across the Tay region for several years, led by a passionate group of people of all genders, ages and backgrounds.

“By changing the culture, encouraging debate and removing the stigma around periods, we look forward to supporting the delivery of this important work across the region.”

The spokesperson added that Mr Grant would not comment on the controversy over his appointment.

Mr Grant previously worked as an account manager with Imperial Tobacco.

He then became a personal trainer with his own business and was recently a wellbeing officer for Dundee and Angus College.

The 24-month role as period dignity officer has a salary of up to £36,126.

The post is funded by the Scottish government.

On Monday, new legislation came into force in Scotland protecting the right to free sanitary products.

The Period Products Act means councils and education providers have to make the free items available to those who need them.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon campaigned for the legislation, which was unanimously backed in the Scottish Parliament in 2020.