5 Articles to Help Us Understand Periods and Gender

With Pride month upon us, now is the perfect time to highlight the experiences of trans and non-binary people when it comes to periods.

Navigating our periods can be difficult for all of us at the best of times. For trans and non-binary people, periods can be all the more complicated and chaotic; for some, periods can bring about feelings of shame, stress and confusion around identity.

Whether you’re a trans and/or non-binary person looking to learn more about the experiences of your peers, or a cis person seeking to be a better ally, the following five articles by trans and non-binary people are well worth a read.

• To learn more about trans men, periods and inclusivity, read this Glamour article by model and activist Kenny Ethan Jones.

• If you’re looking to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of transgender and non-binary people when it comes to periods, this TeenVogue article is a must-read.

• To hear about the experiences of a trans man’s transition and how this affected his period, check out this Refinery29 article by journalist Freddy McConnell.

• To understand what it’s like to be a transgender man who has periods, read this Cosmopolitan article by writer, artist and activist Vic Jouvert.

• To learn about the complexities transgender women face when it comes to periods, this article by writer Sam Riedel explores the experiences of a number of trans women.

Written by Shardae Grenfell, AWWA Guest Blogger