Men have periods too? Yes, some men have periods too. In a lesson about inclusivity, a mom told her son that it’s not just women who get their periods, people, who identify as transgender men or non-binary, can get their periods as well.
In a now-viral Instagram post, Milly Bhaskara said her son first got curious about periods when he noticed blood on her pants one day. So Bhaskara explained how she used her period to also teach her young son, Eli, about inclusiveness.
“Some Men Have Periods Too…”
The post features a photo of Eli holding a sign that reads, “Some men have periods too. If I can get it so can you.”
The mom said, “Eli has been told about periods since he saw blood on my pants a couple of years ago. […] I didn’t use the language of ‘women have periods’ because it’s not entirely inclusive.”
She explained that instead of simply stating women get periods, she explained that “SOME women, SOME non-binary people, and SOME men have periods.” It was a concept that was easy for Eli to wrap his head around, Bhaskara said, because he didn’t already have “the engrained societal norm to unlearn.”
“But if a 4-year-old can grasp it I’m sure most of us can have a crack at unlearning transphobic/misinformed norms and open our minds… ya think?” Bhaskara continued:
“Trans men may have ‘female’ sex organs and still experience periods and some non-binary people have periods too, therefore, removing a female logo off the front of sanitary products helps include us all, isn’t that wholesome and a nice gesture?”
The mom then asked why something as simple as that would affect any of us? “It’s not insulting to women, it’s not discrediting women, it’s opening up the community to make it a safe space for those who don’t identify as women but still have periods.”
Bhaskara’s post is seemingly in response to Always’ decision to remove the female (Venus) symbol from their packaging. The move was meant to help their transgender and non-binary customers feel more included. The company said in a statement:
“For over 35 years Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do so. We’re also committed to diversity and inclusion and are on a continual journey to understand the needs of all of our consumers.”
Both the decision to remove the symbol from their packaging and Bhaskara’s post were met with support and criticism. Some people wrote, “Wow! This inclusive thing is going too far. I support equality but come on, who else is going to use it besides women. Too much.” While others rejoiced, “Yay!! Trans men getting the respect they deserve!”
In a separate post, Bhaskara said, “There’s so much hate flying about at the minute, so I just wanted to remind you all that you are ENOUGH exactly as you are.” Now that should be a message that we can all get behind.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.