Degendering Menstruation
Pride month is approaching its final week and all of us have seen campaigns about inclusivity, rainbow flags, and slogans of love is love. To take the spirit of pride further, let’s talk about something that is often kept under wraps: Menstruation.
The first image that comes to most of our minds when we think about menstruation is that of a female. A rather active female wearing white pants and running around to ‘conquer the world’, if popular representations of menstruation are to be believed. It is, however, exactly these representations that fail to recognize that all those who menstruate are not women and not all women menstruate. They erase the experience of people from the transgender and non-binary community who menstruate, incorrectly portraying periods as a ‘women’s issue.’
Periods have no gender
The truth however is that menstruation has nothing to do with one’s gender identity.
Some women may not have periods due to menopause, hysterectomy, or other medical conditions. Some women may not even start menstruating due to an underlying condition. Whereas many transgender men and non-binary folks do experience periods. In fact, some transgender women despite not experiencing any bleeding can experience symptoms such as pain, PMS, and cramping during their hormone replacement therapy.
Reality of pain
Our society is only beginning to ‘normalize’ menstruation and fight against period shame for women. So, the complete erasure of transgender and non-binary menstruators from the period story is not shocking.
A survey by the National Family Health Survey 2015–2016 estimates out of 336 million menstruating women in India only about 121 million (roughly 36 percent) women use sanitary pads on their period. These numbers are indicative of a huge gap in proper menstruation management, even in the case of women. In keeping with the popular representation of periods, there is no official data about transgender and non-binary menstruators. One could only imagine the extent of challenges that the community faces in accessing menstrual hygiene products or healthcare schemes.
Despite the recent changes in policy like the Transgender Person (Protection of Rights) Act in 2019, striking down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalized unnatural sex in 2018, and a supreme court judgment ensuring the right to self-determination of gender in 2014, the reality in the streets remains grim. There exists little to no institutional support in terms of healthcare and hygiene when it comes to menstruation.
With no support, these people are left alone to battle with gender dysphoria i.e. “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.”
For many in the community, menstruation becomes an unpleasant body function and a reminder of the sex assigned to them at birth, the one they do not identify with. The pain of menstruation thus becomes more than just physical. Given the condition, the need is to build a world where menstruation is seen beyond the binaries of gender.
Inclusive Period Practices
It is important to inculcate gender-neutral practices in our daily lives in order to create a safe space. Here are some things that all of us can do as allies:
Ask for their pronouns when meeting someone for the first time and refer to them with the correct pronouns, thereafter. This simple gesture can help them affirm their gender identity and battle dysphoria.
Replace the commonly used gendered language around periods with inclusive terms:
• Menstruators or people who menstruate instead of women
• Reproductive Health instead of Women’s health
• Period products instead of feminine hygiene products
• Menstruation management instead of feminine care
Push for gender-neutral toilets in your organization. Despite policies like the Transgender Persons Act, there are hardly any gender-neutral public toilets in India. Men’s toilets around the country are not equipped for menstruators. There are no dustbins, private cubicles, or menstrual product dispensers making menstrual management difficult. Many menstruators who do not identify as female thus face judgment and shame while using toilets when on their period. This worsens their dysphoria. Pushing your organization to make gender-neutral toilets can be helpful in creating a safe environment.
Change the narrative. When people bring up menstruation as a women’s thing in conversations, correct them and use this opportunity to state that many individuals who do not identify as women such as transgender men and those who are gender non-conforming also experience periods while some women may not experience them. Change the direction of the conversation in order to make space for inclusivity in the future.
Support inclusive brands. The popular representation of menstruation remains linked to women. While most brands cater to and advertise for just women, there are a few exceptions like Rio and Boondh along with local initiatives that are working towards starting a conversation about periods beyond gender. Supporting such brands might eventually push the market toward inclusivity.
Educate and open up. Educate your peers, family, and especially young children that some boys bleed while some girls don’t. Tell them about things they can do to move beyond the gender binary. This will help keep menstruators who do not identify as women safe in case someone finds out they are on their period. Education and open conversation will hopefully also change the popular narrative and bring about societal change.
Remember, Menstruation is a body function that has nothing to do with gender. Small changes in attitude and little acts of compassion can go a long way in creating a prejudice-free safe space.
Project Baala is trying to take a step towards changing the narrative and trying to build a Menstrual Hygiene Management education and training module specially catering to the needs of transgender and non-binary individuals. As we venture on this journey, our motive is not just to start a dialogue but also to include as many voices from the community as we can.
If you are or know someone who belongs to the powerful group of menstruators that identify as transgender or non-binary and would like to help us bring about change by sharing your experience of periods, we are all ears.
This pride, let’s degender menstruation, together!
About the Author
Drishti is currently an intern at Project Baala. An English literature graduate currently pursuing a master’s in Development, she aims to bring about positive change in society by penning down realities from the ground while focusing on action. In her free time, you’ll find her petting dogs or color-coding the post-it notes in her planner to perfection.
