Thicker than Blood:
Menstruation education powers confidence and community

"Thicker than Blood: Menstruation education powers confidence and community" is J. Faith Malicdem's senior journalism capstone project about the lack of menstruation education and the dire need for it. The story is driven by the lack of access to menstrual healthcare, which stems back to the lack of menstrual education in schools and at home, which then results in harmful misconceptions and stereotypes about periods. Just like menstruation, it is a cycle. 

 

The story kicks off with Shayzari K., a 21-year-old self-proclaimed student of life with undiagnosed endometriosis who has struggled and continues to struggle to access healthcare as a Black non-binary person. Chris Bobel, a Professor of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at UMass Boston and retired menstrual researcher then explains the importance of menstruation education and the consequences of its absence – stereotyping, stigma, miseducation, etc. Love Your Menses Co-Founder and Director Bria Gadsden then shares the Boston-based nonprofit's mission of teaching menstruators to be in tune with their cycles unapologetically. Finally, Leiya Silveira, a 15-year-old Love Your Menses Youth Ambassador and her mother, Fabienne Eliacin, Love Your Menses Program Coordinator, share their experiences learning and working for the nonprofit.