We have tried saying it out loud, writing it in capitals on protest banners, and talking about it to everyone willing to listen. If all that doesn't work, maybe putting it in an equation will help:
Menstruation =/= women.
Not only cisgender (people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth) women menstruate; non-binary, genderqueer, intersex, and transgender people bleed too. In addition, some cisgender women don’t experience periods. This could be due to stress, maybe a disease. Perhaps a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of a part or all of the uterus), or having reached menopause. Yet, if menstruation is discussed on a forum most people assume that the one being talked about is a woman.
"My period ruins my entire mood and often involves suicidal ideation due to how strongly it magnifies my gender dysphoria. So I try to hide it, pretend that I don't get one and that I don't even have a uterus. It's so stressful because so many people refuse to see me as the gender I am already. If they knew I menstruated, I would never be able to gain their acknowledgment and respect," says Vin Tanner, a non-binary transgender person from Seattle, US.
The fear of being misgendered has driven millions of menstruators to remain silent. As expressed in our handy-dandy equation above, menstruation is a widespread phenomenon, not only limited to women. Discussion about menstruation and of topics around it should, then, be equally widespread. Whether you menstruate or not, having a basic understanding of the purely biological process is essential to carry a conversation. Ignorance, in this case (and most others), is not a bliss. But the language used while talking about periods should be chosen carefully. Again, gender-neutrality is the way to go. Words are hold a very deep essence in our daily conversation. The words we use to portray menstruation in speech and writing are essential. They can change people's mindsets and, in the long run, help make menstruation a less sensitive topic of conversation. So unless you're worried about it being a 'waste of breath', which it most definitely isn't, nothing should stop you from adopting frequent usage of non-gendered terms.
Zephyr strives constantly and consciously to use such terms in menstrual education to children of all ages, including presentations, interviews, or discussions. It doesn't take long for eight-year-olds to get it. Why does it take so long for us?
-Ira Rath
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