Period Protection For Back to School
Pencils? Check. Notebooks? Check. Bookbag? Check. Scientific calculator? Check. Uniform shirt? Check. Pads and tampons? Uh-oh! When preparing for the new school year, heading to the Staples and Rumi to stock up on cute stationery supplies seems like a no brainer but how about the menstrual hygiene aisle at the supermarket? Although all New York public middle and high schools are required to have free period products available in the restrooms, it’s easy to be caught unaware. Bathroom dispensers in schools, however, are only a drop in a bucket compared to the millions of menstruators who…
Let's All Celebrate Menstruation
I am the Puberty Librarian. I am the Period Lady. I’m the patron saint of library menstruators. If I had $1 for every time a coworker said “I think of you every time I get a tampon from the staff bathroom,” I’d be able to pay both my kiddos’ college tuition. I have a brand and a reputation, and I accept it proudly. Sometimes, it gets burdensome because I’m a librarian that contains multitudes, doggoneit! I make jewelry. I’m learning to read Korean. I’m studying philosophy. Then, I remember that period poverty and menstrual equity is still a worldwide issue. If the thought of me inspires folks…
Saving the World One Tampon at a Time
My 16 and 18-year-old kids like to tease me about my childhood and teen years, because it is so vastly different than their upbringing. Every now and then, I will reveal something that will make them exclaim “wow, you were poor.” Those memories are funny now, but they were not then. I recall being a broke college student working a part-time job and spending an afternoon searching for enough soda cans and beer bottles to collect a dollar in nickel deposits. I just needed enough money to buy a cheap box of maxi pads from the 99-cents store, because I wasn’t getting paid for another two days.…
Safe Sex and Free Condoms
When used correctly, condoms are one of the most discreet and portable ways to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancy and sexuall transmitted diseases. Condoms are also a versatile form of protection that can be used during oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Every gender can protect themselves with a product that has little to no side effects. For folks with latex allergies, condoms are also available in plastic or nitrile varieties. Cases of syphilis and gonorrhea have gone up since 2020 in New York City. The rates of syphilis went up by 30.7% among people reported as female (females…
Let's Celebrate Menstrual Hygiene Day!
Period. Cycle. Monthly. Aunt Flow. Special visitor. Shark Week. Everyone who sheds their uterine lining has a special name for that time of the month. For some menstruators, getting a period is no big deal. It’s just another few days out of the month, but it’s a big deal for others. Some folks get periods with debilitating pain. For some trans men, it’s a painful reminder that their body and gender don’t align. And, for some people, it means having to stay home from work or school because they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products like maxi pads, tampons, or menstrual…
Destigmatizing Periods: An Intergenerational Conversation
When my aunt, Desiree, was 11 years old when she first got her cycle. At that time, she thought menstrual cycles were disgusting. Seeing her older sister get her period was also uncomfortable to her, because she did not want to experience the same cramps, pain, blood, and messiness that she saw her sister going through. My aunt’s mother told her that menstruation was part of becoming a woman, and that she would eventually get it some time in her life. She never received a full conversation about menstrual cycles from her mom, and was left to figure it out on her own. Desiree wishes she…
Cycle Alliance Maxi Pad Distribution: Friday, May 21
Brooklyn Public Library’s Cycle Alliance and Her Village Inc. will be co-hosting a menstrual product distribution and donation event on Friday, May 21 at 2 p.m. Approximately 100 packages of maxi pads will be given to menstruators in need. The public is also encouraged to donate unopened boxes of maxi pads, panty shields, tampons, menstrual cups, and children’s and adult diapers to stock future distribution days. The Cycle Alliance launched in the fall of 2019 as part of the Brooklyn Public Library’s BKLYN Incubator initiative. Through …