My P.E. Teacher Thinks He Knows Everything About Periods, So Now I "Know" Everything About Him

My boyfriend, who is a trans male, was on his period during P.E. class and asked the teacher if he could use the bathroom. The first few days of his period are always the worst. He has a very heavy flow and painful cramps, so it usually takes him a little longer than normal.

He was gone for about 10–15 minutes.

When he returned, our P.E. teacher immediately started ridiculing him in front of the entire class for "taking too long" in the bathroom.

My boyfriend quietly explained that he was on his period and that using the bathroom takes longer on those days.

You'd think that would have ended the conversation.

Instead, the teacher launched into a lecture, saying that wasn't a valid excuse because he has three sisters and none of them ever take that long.

My boyfriend is an extremely shy person, and whenever someone raises their voice at him in front of other people, he completely shuts down.

Seeing how embarrassed he was, I walked over, gave him a hug, and tried to explain that every person's menstrual cycle is different. I pointed out that his sisters might have lighter periods, use different menstrual products, or simply experience different symptoms.

Another girl in our class also spoke up and reminded the teacher that spending 10 to 15 minutes in the bathroom during a heavy period isn't unusual at all.

By that point, the teacher's face had turned bright red.

My boyfriend had already started crying, so I finally looked at the teacher and said,

"The next time you decide to lecture people about something you clearly don't understand, maybe don't do it in front of the entire class."

What makes everything even worse is that this same teacher is also responsible for teaching our health education class.

After class, I tried reporting what had happened to the school coordinator because I honestly believed humiliating a student over a medical issue wasn't appropriate. I explained that my boyfriend experiences particularly painful periods and that his doctor had previously told him that heavy bleeding and severe cramps can vary significantly from one person to another. I also mentioned that publicly dismissing or mocking a student's medical concerns could discourage them from asking for help in the future. Unfortunately, I was simply told that, "Mr. [Teacher's Name] is entitled to his own opinions." That response honestly shocked me because I felt like they completely ignored the difference between having a personal opinion and publicly embarrassing a student over a legitimate health issue.

Once I realized the school wasn't planning to do anything, I let it go.

Or at least I tried to.

A few days later, the teacher missed almost four days of school because he had caught a cold.

While he was away, I came up with an idea.

The day he came back, I casually asked why he had been absent.

He answered that he'd been sick with a cold.

So I replied,

"Well, I have a brother, and he doesn't take that long to recover from a cold."

I knew I might get into trouble for saying it, but after the way he had humiliated my boyfriend, I honestly thought it was worth it.

The teacher immediately responded that everyone recovers from illnesses at different rates.

So I smiled and answered,

"Oh... but the same can't be said about periods, right?"

The expression on his face changed instantly.

He realized exactly why I had said it.

For once, he had absolutely nothing to say.

Honestly, it felt incredibly satisfying.

Ever since then, whenever he makes some sweeping generalization about anything, I respond with something like,

"Well, my brother has that too, and he doesn't do that."

It absolutely drives him crazy.

And honestly...

I don't really plan on stopping until he apologizes.

Yes, it's petty.

That's kind of the point.

Edit:

To everyone saying, "Men can't have periods!"

Please read the post carefully.

My boyfriend is transgender. He was assigned female at birth and still has female reproductive anatomy, which means he can still menstruate.

I'm not going to misgender him simply because some people are confused.

And to everyone insisting this story is fake, that's completely up to you.

I really don't care whether you believe it or not.

I'm just tired of my notifications turning into arguments instead of people actually reading what I wrote.