You need to see this powerful Instagram showing “periods are NOT just for women”

Gender is a spectrum, and women are not the only people to menstruate. It is about time we started talking about it. Luckily, Cass Clemmer is doing just that. You may remember them from their awesome coloring book about menstruation. Now, we are hearing from them again about dealing with menstruation while transgender.

Clemmer took to Instagram to post their incredibly powerful message about menstruation. Cass, who identifies as transgender and uses they/them pronouns, has long been an advocate for menstruation and period stigma. When they created Toni the Tampon, the coloring book meant to raise awareness about menstruation, they changed lives.

This time, Clemmer is calling attention to the difficulty that menstruation brings to trans and non-binary folks.

There is a lack of cultural understanding when it comes to periods.

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As Clemmer points out, periods are not just for women, and not all women have periods. For as much stress periods can cause cis-women, they can be even more traumatic for trans and non-binary people. Clemmer realized that even close friends had not considered what menstruation was like for them.

“I remember sharing for the first time with a friend of mine that I wasn’t able to wear my binder that day because I was on my period and my boobs had swelled up so much that it made it hard to breathe,” Clemmer told HuffPo.

This is one of the reasons it is important to discuss menstruation openly.

Even if you think you understand, you may not be aware of the difficulties of menstruation for some people.

Clemmer has received a mixed bag of reactions, naturally, because it is the internet. They pointed out that they will continue fighting stigma because of the people it helps. But since the post, they have also received a lot of positive feedback from trans and non-binary people.

If you’re looking to support Clemmer’s work, you can support Toni the Tampon. Clemmer created Toni, as a character and coloring book, back in 2016. The coloring book brings awareness to the many ways to manage your period. The book also reminds people that menstruation is not gender specific.

The coloring book is available for purchase on Amazon. You can follow Clemmer’s work on Instagram, Twitter, and their personal website.

We love that they continue to make waves and help everyone feel more understood.

Kudos to Clemmer and ending period stigma!

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