We Bleed

Ever since I woke up, I've been grading my students' 400 word response to "Period. End of Sentence:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrm2pD0qofM I am not an educator with a degree in Sex Ed and so, admittedly, I can't cover topics with professionalism. But I can use plays and documentaries and photos that speak about the many aspects included under the vast sex ed "umbrella," even about masturbation since some Romanians fear that sex ed will teach kids of a very young of age how to do that. I am not shocked. I am amused. Still, what I can't tolerate as a woman and an educator is to talk out my ass, to be told stupid lies, to be misinformed, and/ or to be made to fear an invisible entity such as God.

(Unedited) student's response:

Periods - Why it’s a taboo and reasons why it shouldn’t be

It’s taboo to talk about our human bodies, especially as girls, because a majority of us weren’t given proper sex education and have been told by relatives that it wasn’t polite or it’s simply something to avoid talking about. With a new wave of parenting comes immediate talks about sex education, fit to the child’s age of course, and starts with using the correct names for body parts. When parents call these body parts by their improper names - “coochie” or “peepee” - it is the very start of creating this taboo in the child’s mind. This improper sex education continues into health class in middle or high school. Unqualified teachers are talking about sex and the body in a way that basically just avoids the topic instead of truly teaching it. Abstinence is mentioned more than other safe sex options, and periods are never mentioned at all. After growing up with all of this, it’s difficult to think of it as anything but taboo. These things are natural human functions and we need to start treating it like that by using proper names and not feeling disgusted whenever it’s mentioned. In the short documentary, they show this when the older women tell their children and grandchildren that “going to temple is forbidden because God can’t hear your prayers while you’re on your period” and when the men refer to it as a “disease.” This misinformation does nothing to help reverse the taboo, it just adds fuel to the fire.

Talk of periods and menstruating shouldn’t be a taboo for many reasons. First, talking openly about it with others your age will make you feel less alone. Getting your first period is terrifying and it’s crucial to have a good support system of other girls going through the same things. Secondly, men (like the one who built the machine in the documentary) would be way more helpful if they were also knowledgeable and comfortable with talking about periods. Periods not being taboo would allow men to help their wives and daughters by providing whatever they needed, making the whole process a lot easier and less stressful. Lastly, I believe that talking about periods is a gateway into so many other important body talks. Getting rid of the taboo around periods would then lead to getting rid of the taboo over talking about intimate relationships and anything else you can think of.