Queer Period Activists: Trans and Nonbinary Menstruators Fighting for Equal Access to Menstrual Products for Every Individual

By, Olivia Eisenberg

Menstruation has long been a topic from which many tend to shy away, but in the past decade, large-scale movements have appeared aiming to destigmatize menstruation and to end period poverty. Since it is (wrongly) assumed that all menstruators are cisgender women, transgender and nonbinary menstruators are often underrepresented in this fight. Here are a few of the many transgender and nonbinary people courageously working to ensure that every menstruating person is heard in the push for proper access to menstrual products.

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Kenny Ethan Jones (he/him)

Kenny is a trans model and period activist. After modeling for many years, he was given a role in Pink Parcel’s I'M ON campaign, which aims to destigmatize menstruation through t-shirts that promote conversations around periods. After Kenny was chosen to be a front face of this campaign, he discovered that of all of the period-related content online, only 8% features the experiences of trans individuals. This statistic inspired him to continue to advocate for the destigmatization of menstruation, especially for trans and nonbinary people. Since the campaign, Kenny’s activism has focused on body politics, mental health, and intimacy in the trans community. He is also breaking barriers in the modeling and fashion world by being the shortest man on the runway. 

Photo Credit: Happiful

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Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen (he/him)

Rodrigo is a Cuban-American trans activist and the current Deputy Executive Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality. Throughout his career as an advocate for the transgender community, he has organized and trained thousands of volunteers to canvas and phone bank on Crucian nondiscrimination and marriage equality campaigns, and put together leadership development programs in trans communities and LGBTQ communities of color. Rodrigo’s activism also lies in the lack of representation for, or even consideration of, trans and nonbinary menstruators in the period conversation, such as the lack of accessibility to menstrual products for low income individuals and families. 

Photo Credit: Freedom for All Americans

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C aka The Period Prince (they/them)

C, or The Period Prince on Instagram, is a nonbinary period activist and the author of the gender inclusive coloring book, The Adventures of Toni the Tampon. As a nonbinary person, menstruation had always been a difficult topic; it felt like “[their] body had betrayed [them]” since menstruation is so often talked about as just a women’s issue. Their coloring book challenges this notion by providing a fun opportunity for parents to teach their children from a young age that menstruation has no gender. C has faced a great deal of backlash from their book and continued efforts to educate communities on gender-inclusive menstruation, but they say this only fuels them more to make a difference. 

Photo Credit: C via Instagram

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Kai Wes (he/they)

Kai is a nonbinary actor, artist and activist who is very open about sharing their transition experience. Some trans or nonbinary individuals choose not to share such personal information, but Kai does so in the hopes that he may make others feel more comfortable in their decisions regarding their gender identity. On menstruation, Kai has continuously advocated for period products in all bathrooms and gender-inclusive language; they told Vogue that only women’s restrooms have pads or tampons available, and not everyone who menstruates feels comfortable in a women’s restroom. Additionally, in men’s restrooms, there may only be one stall with a door, leaving privacy to change one’s period product unavailable. 

Photo Credit: Kai Wes via Instagram

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Niko Cariño Tiare (they/she/xe)

Niko is a shapeshifting femme. After they stopped testosterone, having not menstruated for years, it was difficult for them to adjust to having their period again. While she didn’t feel “connected to the Earth and moon” like “all of [her] cis girlfriends” did, they still felt “powerful.” With this feeling, Niko started to create educational resources that can be applicable to everyone, regardless of gender, that center autonomy and pleasure. Xe also focuses on destigmatizing menstruation, especially with younger bleeders, and helping them understand that they shouldn’t feel like they are hiding a secret.

Photo Credit: Niko Tiare

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Olivia Eisenberg