Captions: Half of the world menstruates. And the average menstruating person uses over 9,000 pads or tampons throughout their lifetime, resulting in an expenditure greater than $2,000. Having access to period products is a human right, but then how is it fair for this right to be so costly and unaffordable for many menstruators around the globe? This is the issue of period poverty, affecting millions of menstruators everyday. It has no one identity or target, and can exist just about anywhere, from schools, shelters, prisons, you name it. And during today’s COVID-19 pandemic, period poverty has affected more people than ever. With a skyrocketing unemployment rate and demand for free and paid menstrual products, supply is limited, and accessibility continues to plummet. This is period poverty today, but doesn’t have to be period poverty tomorrow. You can donate, raise awareness, educate, and make a difference –– to give this human right back to half of our world. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.org to Join the coalition Sign the petition Request or donate products Contact your legislator Visit Mass NOW’s website at massnow.org Download the advocacy toolkit Donate Stay tuned for videos on menstrual equity and the I AM Bill. Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Captions: We believe that a world without period poverty is possible. In a utopian reality, where menstrual equity is actualized, we’d see a few changes. First, menstruators of all gender identities would have access to free products, regardless of where they were and their socioeconomic background. Next, we’d see that even in the era of COVID-19, when people are losing their jobs and products are becoming increasingly scarce, menstruators would still be able to find places that are open and able to supply them with products. Finally, like in New Zealand, England, and Scotland, our government would prioritize public health, bringing forth policy to reduce and eliminate period poverty for good. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmmecoalition.com to Join the coalition Sign the petition Request or donate products Contact your legislator Visit Mass NOW’s website at massnow.org to Download the advocacy toolkit Donate Stay tuned for videos on menstrual equity and the I AM Bill. Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Captions: Have you ever noticed the lack of public access to menstrual products? Non menstruating people go into the bathroom expecting their basic bodily needs will be met. This is not the case for people who are menstruating. If you are a student or resident of MA you can help make these products more accessible throughout your state. Introducing the I AM Bill. If passed, the I AM Bill would provide free menstrual products to all 6th-12th graders in Massachusetts schools, shelters, and prisons. The bill also contains language ensuring that individuals seeking these products are never stigmatized for doing so. But to do this, we need your help. Join Mass NOW and the MME Coalition, advocate for the I AM bill, sign the petition, download the toolkit and submit your testimony. Now, more than ever, it’s becoming increasingly important to invest in public health. No one should have to choose between food, a roof over their head, education, and access to menstrual products. Yet public policy does not address the needs of menstruating people. With your help, Massachusetts has the opportunity to change that. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.com to Join the coalition Sign the petition Request or donate products Contact your legislator Visit Mass NOW’s website at massnow.org to Download the advocacy toolkit Donate Stay tuned for videos on menstrual equity and the I AM Bill. Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Go to mmecoalition.org to read the full transcript of the interview. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.org to -Join the coalition -Sign the petition -Request or donate menstrual products -Learn about the I AM bill to Increase Access to Menstrual products in schools, shelters & prisons -Download the advocacy toolkit to contact your legislators -Donate Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Leimary Llopez (YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts) and Chioma Ugochukwu (Harvard chapter of MME) discuss Leimary's journey as a menstrual activist and how her work has shown her how menstrual access truly affects everybody. Go to mmecoalition.org to read the full transcript of the interview. Visit the Massachusetts’ Menstrual Equity Coalition website at mmecoalition.org to -Join the coalition -Sign the petition -Request or donate menstrual products -Learn about the I AM bill to Increase Access to Menstrual products in schools, shelters & prisons -Download the advocacy toolkit to contact your legislators -Donate Follow us on Instagram! @mme.coalition @massnow

Founded in 2019, the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition is nearly 300 activists working together to end period poverty statewide. We’re organizing to pass the I AM bill to end period poverty in prisons, shelters and schools statewide, put on Period Art Pop Up shows, Rallies & recently completed the Fall River Menstrual Equity Project. Learn more and join at mmecoalition.com. Video by Main Paige Media #periods #Periodpower #Boston #Massachusetts #policy #feminism

This video is an excerpt from the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Summit that took place on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Northeastern University, including a keynote by Dr. Bobel. Chris Bobel (she/her) is Professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has been researching, writing, and speaking on Critical Menstruation Studies for over 2 decades. Her most recent books include The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South (2018; Palgrave Macmillan), and the co-edited collections Body Battlegrounds: Transgressions, Tensions and Transformations (2019; Vanderbilt) and open-source The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies (2020; Palgrave Macmillan) To become more involved with the Menstrual Equity Coalition and learn more about MME, become a member, take action to pass the I AM Bill, or come to regular meetings, check out: https://www.mmecoalition.com/