By Press Release
When did you last hear the Julie Covington song ‘Only Women Bleed’ on the radio? It’s rumoured the song goes unheard because people assume it’s about menstruation, and that makes radio programmers and listeners uncomfortable. The hit song was written by Alice Cooper, of School’s Out fame, he says it was inspired by domestic abuse, but let me share with you my own theory.
Growing up, I loved the BBC; in fact, I liked it so much that, when I travelled to the USA, I cursed their terrible TV and radio. However good the shows were, they’re ruined by endless advertising breaks. Honestly, I could never have emigrated; I would have missed the BBC too much, especially The Archers, and the Today programme.
I’m not sure when I noticed things had changed but, without a doubt, Auntie is not what she was. Even The Archers is no longer tales of everyday farming folk; Ambridge was invaded by teenagers, creating the kind of drama that teens do in real life. It seems a former Eastenders producer was hired, with the objective of appealing to a younger audience. That never works, all they do is alienate existing listeners. Nowadays, Radio 4’s Today progamme is so woke and biased, I can’t listen at all. Instead, I tune in to Nick Ferrari on LBC, which means suffering 12 minutes of adverts every hour but it still beats the awful Today programme hands down.
Occasionally I do tune back to Radio 4, and a few weeks ago heard a trailer for a series of 12-minute programmes entitled ‘28ish days’. The show promised to be “a bold myth and taboo-busting insight into the female reproductive cycle and its various mysteries”. Like most blokes, I’m embarrassed to say I’m not as well-informed as I might be on the subject. I do have a basic grasp but, like so much about women, the menstrual cycle remains something of a conundrum. I grew up with a mum and two sisters; I have a (long-suffering – Ed) wife and daughters. I also had sex education at school consisting of detailed schematic diagrams, a banana and a condom – used by the teacher for the practical demonstration. It was only partially successful; when my girlfriend thought she might be pregnant, we realised putting the condom on the banana wasn’t what you were meant to do with it!
At my age, you may think I should know everything there is to know about women, but I still have much to learn, so thought I’d tune in to Radio 4 and inform myself. The first episode of 28ish days was mildly informative, but I missed the next few shows. When I finally caught up again, I heard a transgender man, speaking to the female presenter. It occurred to me, that only the ultra-woke BBC would make a series about female menstrual cycles and dedicate an entire episode to a man. The man in question is Kenny Ethan Jones (pictured above), an LGBTQ+ activist, with a bee in his bonnet. He’s campaigning to have all references to women and girls removed from menstrual product packaging and has (so far) succeeded in having the Venus logo removed by Always, a leading manufacturer. He says he’s not attacking women; he’s trying to be inclusive. “Gender-neutral options could make all the difference to a young person trying to come to terms with their identity,” said Kenny thoughtfully.
Afterwards, reflecting on what I’d heard, I had a penny-drop moment. Maybe that’s why you never hear Julie Covington played on the radio anymore. The BBC now believes it’s not just women who bleed!
Isle of Wight Observer