There’s Nothing Luxurious About Me and My Menstrual Cycle

Across the country on October 19, people celebrated the first-ever National Period Day, and our Changemakers at Deeds Not Words got to be a part of this historic day. Changemaker TeQuila Chatmon (@allthingsadvocacy ) is a campus organizer that attends school at Texas Southern University and was one of the featured speakers at the National Period Day Rally in Houston.

In TeQuila’s powerful speech, she speaks about the tampon tax and how no person should be faced with choosing between paying for a hygiene product and paying for a meal. You can listen to TeQuila’s speech in full here. 

A special shoutout to the student leaders at @period.houston who organized the rally!

There’s nothing luxurious about me and my menstrual cycle. The fact that there are 35 states that still consider menstrual products a luxury is a sad reality. This last legislative session was the first time that our Representatives heard testimony in favor of removing the Tampon Tax after this bill being filed in previous sessions and disregarded this important issue, by not voting on it in committee. 

Last time I checked there is nothing luxurious about menstruating. For us that actually menstruate we know that regardless of our aches, pains, heavy or light flow, and everything else that comes with menstruating we must keep going and keep fighting to survive those days when our menstrual cycles are here. Not only do we have to keep fighting to survive the days, but we have to keep fighting all of us collectively to get the tampon tax eliminated. 

Womanly bodied individuals are being unnecessarily punished for something that is natural. How is it possible that currently in the first-world some people are faced with choosing between paying for a hygiene product and paying for a meal. How is possible that an essential item like a tampon, pad, or diva cup is taxed when non-essentials like rogaine and viagra are not. 

Menstrual cycles are not luxurious or fun, Menstrual cycles are not just a female issue and menstruation is not cheap. We need to stop taxing mother nature, and eliminate the Tampon Tax.

I am somebody — and I deserve FULL EQUALITY…RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. 

My Mother is somebody — and they deserve to bleed without guilt. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW. 

My Sister is somebody— and they deserve to bleed without stigma. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW.

My friend is somebody — and they deserve to bleed with autonomy. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW.

My neighbor is somebody — and they deserve to bleed without taxation. RIGHT HERE. RIGHT NOW.

by: TeQuila Chatmon