Why We Say ‘Menstruators’
Menstruators is a term we intentionally use a lot here at Gaia Collective. We know it can feel cringeworthy. If we’re being honest, a few years ago we might have shuttered upon hearing the word too. After all, it refers to a part of the female reproductive system that we’ve been taught to hide and keep our distance from - our periods.
Here at Gaia Collective, we are dedicated to changing the narrative and empowering the conversations around our periods. We use the term menstruators in order to include and empower all people with periods.
Menstruators is a medical term used to describe those with a menstrual bleed. The reasons we say the GAIAbox is a support box for menstruators, and not solely women, are that:
Not all women bleed.
Not all who bleed are women.
Plain and simple, a person’s gender is not defined by their sexual organs. Having a vagina does not make you a woman and having a period does not make you feminine.*
Not all women bleed.
There are plenty of hormonal and biological reasons that a person who identifies as a woman might not have a monthly period.
a.) They were not born with a womb. This goes back to the separation of gender identity and sexual organs.
b.) Perhaps they were born with a womb and have chosen not to have a period. Whether it’s through taking menstrual suppressions such as hormonal birth control (pills, shots, intrauterine devices or implants) or through a hysterectomy (which often is chosen for medical reasons far beyond suppressing a period), a person can choose to not have a monthly cycle.
c.) Another reason a womb holder of “bleeding age” might not have their period could be due to hormonal imbalance.
d.) Lastly, someone with a womb might not bleed because they’ve reached the golden age of majesty - menopause - and no longer bleed.
So, as you can see, many women don’t bleed.
Not all who bleed are women.
Some people were born with a vagina and have a period, but do not identify as women.
We use the term menstruator to include all people who bleed, including trans-gender men and those who identify as non-binary.
We’re not here to judge or exclude. Instead, the purpose of Gaia Collective is to listen to learn from one another. Our hope is that we break the norms by supporting one another and growing through shared experiences, together.
Some other helpful articles about the term menstruators:
https://www.shethepeople.tv/home-top-video/menstruators-a-gender-neutral-inclusive-term-for-all-our-period-conversations/