Transgender menstruation: the men who have periods and the women who don’t
Periods are a taboo subject for many, and for transgender and non-binary people they can be especially embarrassing. Activists say more education is needed
In June, Cancer Research UK tweeted: “Cervical screening [or the smear test] is relevant for everyone aged 25 to 64 with a cervix.” The choice of language – “everyone” rather than “women” – was a deliberate attempt by the charity to be inclusive.
Likewise, the social enterprise Bloody Good Period, that provides sanitary protection to asylum seekers in Britain, uses the term “menstruators” rather than “women”.
This shift in language reflects the idea that it is not just women that get their periods. Transgender men and ‘non-binary’ people – who may see themselves as both feminine and masculine at once – menstruate too.
While there have been advancements in attitudes towards menstruation and the transgender community in the West, education in Hong Kong is lacking.
Watch: Indonesian Islamic school welcomes transgender people
“I remember our teacher separated the girls from the boys, and took us to a private room when we were given the talk about periods,” says Joyce Fung, founder of MenstruAction, a social platform aimed at challenging current attitudes toward menstruation.