Girlfriend gets applauded for standing up against P.E teacher for rebuking her transgender boyfriend

The topic of menstruation has always been a sensitive thing to discuss, especially in school. But the last thing a menstruating teenager wants to experience is getting scolded by a teacher simply because they took a bit more time while using the bathroom. u/Pineapple_Smoothie17 shared a personal story on the Petty Revenge subreddit where she narrated how her trans boyfriend was berated in front of the class by their P.E. teacher and how she stood up for him.

The post was titled: "My P.E. teacher thinks that he knows everything about periods, so now I 'know' everything about him." The post started with the Reddit user sharing how her boyfriend is a transgender male who got his period and asked for the teacher's permission to use the bathroom during a P.E. class. When her boyfriend took 10 to 15 minutes to get back, the teacher had an absurdly rude reaction to it.

"My teacher then went off on a rant about how that was no excuse and that he has 3 sisters and none of them take that long!" she wrote, adding that she got protective of her shy boyfriend. She stepped in and tried to explain to the teacher how period experiences are different for everyone who gets it. "Another one of the girls in my class also reminded my teacher that my boyfriend was only gone for 10-15 minutes, which isn't even that long of a time to use the bathroom," she continued.

The P.E. teacher who surprisingly also teaches their health class was told by the girl that the next time he decides to talk about things he doesn't know about, he better not do it in front of the entire class. Talking to the school coordinator wasn't helpful either but the girl knew she had to do something to teach the rude teacher a lesson. She chanced upon the perfect opportunity when the P.E. teacher took some time off because he got a cold.

"He was gone for about 4 days. When he got back I planned to ask him why he was away from school. When he says that he has a cold I would say to him 'Well I have a brother and he doesn't take that long to recover from a cold!' I knew full well that I was going to get in trouble, but it was worth it. Nobody makes my boyfriend cry on my watch," she further wrote.

She set her plan into motion. "When he said that all bodies recover from sicknesses at their own rate, I said to him 'Oh, but the same can't be said about periods, right?' At that moment he realized what I was doing. He kept quiet because he knew that he had no arguments left. I decided that every time he does something, I will say 'Well, my brother has blank and he doesn't do blank.' It drives him insane and I don't plan on stopping until he apologizes," the post concluded.

The Reddit community collectively showered their displeasure and wrath in the comment section and shamed the teacher for being insensitive. u/jenpatnims wrote: "I honestly don't understand teachers like this. I've been a teacher for 20 years and one of the best things I can do is admit when I make a mistake or have learned something. I can think of at least one instance where I said the wrong thing and upset a student and I apologized and we got past it." u/waterydesert commented: "I’m so over men trying to regulate something they know nothing about! And a health teacher? For shame!"

u/OmegaGlops added: "I'm really sorry your bf had to go through that experience. No one should be ridiculed in front of an entire class for something as personal as this. Your P.E. teacher's response was absolutely inappropriate, especially given that he also teaches health." According to a report by Wiley Online Library, many transgender men and other non-binary individuals who go through their menstruation cycle can feel shame and further alienated from their bodies. Teachers and any senior figures should act mindfully and compassionately towards these individuals and not shame them in front of their peers like this particular P.E. teacher.