Feminist activists prepare for the world's first "National Period Day" amid Menstrual Movement Manifesto
Feminist activists prepare for the “world’s first period day” which will be held on Saturday, October 19. One celebration more but this time, women are offered to salute and celebrate their own menstrual periods. However, activist claim that the day is dedicated to elevate the issues of the periods poverty.
They assess that “1 in 4 women struggle to afford period products due to a lack of income.” They also believe “period stigma” is making menstruation a “taboo topic,” despite the emergence of the Women’s March movement, which resulted in Ashley Judd’s infamous “Nasty Woman” speech in the nation’s capital in 2017.
????55 rallies. 50 states. Join us.????#NATIONALPERIODDAY is 6 days away❗Find your local rally at https://t.co/kj1mxmdmPk and get ready for October 19????️ Big thank you to @seventhgeneration for helping to make #NPD possible! pic.twitter.com/s93l2oGwjQ
— PERIOD (@periodmovement) October 13, 2019
Menstrual equity = health care = a human right. This is a fact for over 50% of our population. Menstrual hygiene products are NOT, nor ever were, a “luxury” item. It's past time to end #PeriodPoverty for all of us and #EndthePinkTax. #NationalPeriodDay https://t.co/QPkdT3kTDA
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) October 18, 2019
Activists are pushing rallies across all 50 states in hopes of “demanding real change to making period products more accessible for all and ending the #TamponTax.”
“If faces were bleeding, someone would do something,” the PERIOD Movement tweeted alongside a video of people — including men — with bloody noses.
“THIS SATURDAY is the first-ever #NationalPeriodDay. We’re hosting rallies in all 50 states to demand menstrual equity and an end to the #tampontax,” it added.
????If faces were bleeding, someone would do something ????THIS SATURDAY is the first-ever #NationalPeriodDay. We're hosting rallies in all 50 states to demand menstrual equity and an end to the #tampontax. Find your local rally at https://t.co/kj1mxlVLqK. @SeventhGen @BBDOSF pic.twitter.com/qPxrRwlGuQ
— PERIOD (@periodmovement) October 15, 2019
The events are endorsed by the Menstrual Movement coalition, which has penned a “MENSTRUAL MOVEMENT MANIFESTO.”
It reads:
We believe that it is a fundamental human right to be able to discover and reach your full potential, regardless of a natural need – and what could be more natural then menstruation? Simply put — MENSTRUAL HYGIENE IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE.
We are the Menstrual Movement — fighting for equitable access to menstrual hygiene, and breaking down the stigma surrounding periods. This fight is on ALL OF US, and we must TAKE ACTION NOW. Unlike most poverty-related issues, this one is solvable. Along with destigmatizing periods, we are calling for:
1. Clean and healthy period products to be freely accessible in schools, shelters, and prisons
2. Eliminate the “tampon tax” – exempt period products from the sales tax.
The PERIOD Movement is encouraging activists to promote the cause on Saturday by using the hashtags “#NATIONALPERIODDAY” and “#PERIODPOWER.”
