I had never spoken about the experience prior to that evening with any of my closest friends or family, and I felt incredibly alone and isolated before I realized the power of connecting with others of shared experience. I shared my story of what it was like to get my period for the very first time at a spoken word event in Atlanta, where I read out an adapted version of the poem. TV: What message do you hope the photos send to other trans people who have periods?ĬC: I hope it sends the message that they are not alone.
My story is absolutely not the universal trans and non-binary experience, but I do hope people hear my story and realize how difficult menstruating while trans can be when it comes to feeling safe and affirmed in our identities. Aside from experiencing gender dysphoria and anxiety around the way my body changes during my cycle, I have to worry about which bathroom to use, whether or not me carrying a tampon or leaking could out me in an unsafe place, or being constantly misgendered because I couldn’t wear my tight binder that week. TV: What do you want cisgender people to understand about being transgender and having a period?ĬC: I want cisgender people to understand that being trans while having your period can be absolutely terrifying. Specifically around trans identities, I hope that people start remembering to shift their language to be more inclusive, fight for less gendered advertisements/product design, and ensure that menstruators of all genders have access to period products in safe bathrooms. TV: What message do you hope people get from your photo?ĬC: I hope people start thinking about menstruation as more of a multidimensional issue, and consider the different ways other marginalized identities intersect with the experience of getting your period.
I was downright terrified to post it, because I had experienced a taste of internet backlash in the past and knew that my photo had the potential to garner a whole lot of hate (which it has). I paired the photo specifically with the poem because I wanted to give more context to what it’s like for me, and people like me, to experience this reminder every month that most of the world will see you as nothing but a confused girl or a woman. What most people don’t know is that I only recently came out as trans and posting this photo not only meant I was coming out to the general public, but also to a lot of friends and family who hadn’t known how I identified. CC: It took me almost four months to work up the courage to take this photo.
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