I would say I was most surprised by the level of shame and embarrassment the women in “Period: End of Sentence” had in discussing their periods. I had heard of the Period Project before, and their efforts in India. I had also read about some of the beliefs held there of women being seen as tainted or dirty while on their periods. I had read about women in Nepal dying in the winter’s cold, banished from their house while on their period. So on some level I knew the worst of it, but I was still surprised to see the way these women carried that burden of shame in their lives. To see the way it made them shrink away. I think that’s what was so powerful to see in the film, the way they became empowered in learning about their periods, working to produce pads, and the change having accessible pads made in their lives. I’ve only read about the situation in India, and I think of the different formats, seeing the physicality and emotion of the women on film was the most impactful for me.

I felt the films and readings were united in illustrating the callous disregard people can face in receiving the most basic and fundamental of care, and the harm that can cause. I was horrified by LeConté walking her baby to the postpartum floor after what she had already faced in giving birth. The concern she must have had in her premature birth. Fear for her child’s health. Fear for her own health. And to have no reassurance that anyone was advocating for her, or to feel that she was somehow a burden. It must be so humiliating to feel so helpless in a situation where you are so vulnerable. Humiliation is another experience that unites all of these stories. The humiliation non-binary and trans men and women must face in seeking medical help to only be degraded and have your identity questioned. The humiliation and disdain the women in India face in managing a natural function of their bodies. But I guess it’s also the ignorance. People not wanting to know, not caring to know, and not tryin got help people. All of this is so much worse when it’s doctors and medical professionals who perpetrate this harm. In all of this I have to say its disheartening and alarming to hear the specifics of how this plays out, but not surprising to hear that it happens. To some extent I feel I don’t have a way of elaborating on the issue because I’ve experienced it to some degree myself and it’s left me feeling defeated. I’ve felt shamed by doctors before. I’ve had a doctor yell at me for taking preventative HIV medication. I’ve been denied care that I’ve asked for. I’ve had doctors assume that I’m HIV positive because I’m gay. It’s always humiliating and degrading, and I don’t really know what to do about it.