FOR YOUTH. BY YOUTH.

THE VISION

A WORLD WHERE MENSTRUATION HOLDS NO ONE BACK.

Founded in 2015 by youth organizer Manju Bangalore

After an especially painful period and encounters with those who could not afford their menstrual products, I founded this organization in February 2015 with a few other college students to make sure every person who bleeds is never held back by their period.

Here is the reality of menstrual injustice in our country:

20% of students who menstruate miss school because of their period pain or because they don’t have access to menstrual products
Some incarcerated menstruators have reported only receiving two pads per month in federal prison.
Unhoused menstruators often have no pads and must substitute toilet paper because of the expensive nature of menstrual products and because people often don’t donate pads or tampons to shelters.
Trans and nonbinary menstruators must often pick between their gender identity and access to menstrual products when selecting a restroom to use.

Menstrual equity, which advocates for access to menstrual products, is the current goal of most menstrual organizations. But we believe we have to go to the root causes of why people don't have menstrual products in the first place – things like the prison industrial complex, houselessness, racism and xenophobia, disability injustice, and transphobia – and address them intersectionally.

That is why we coined a new term: menstrual freedom. Menstrual freedom advocates for the abolition of any system or barrier that prevents a person from experiencing their period in a dignified way.

We must work to achieve menstrual freedom. And young people must lead this movement, because our future is the one at stake right now.

Let’s build this future together.

#TheFutureIsMenstrualFreedom

#ForUsWhoBleed

- Manju, Founder and Executive Director of Operation Period

What We Believe

We believe in every person's inherent right to a safe and dignified period.

About misogyny

Ingrained prejudice against women, cis and trans, has led to centuries of violence and oppression. At Operation Period, we believe we must actively fight against the patriarchy to achieve justice for women.
About racism

Black and brown women and nonbinary people are disproportionately affected by medical racism, houselessness, and incarceration -- factors that all contribute to menstrual injustice. At Operation Period, we believe the fight for racial justice needs to be at the forefront of the menstrual freedom movement.
About transphobia

Trans men and nonbinary people menstruate too. We fight for all those who bleed and believe that centering LGBTQ+ people is imperative to accomplish a world where menstruation holds no one back.
About houselessness

Unhoused people are at risk for disease and infection when they don't have access to period products and healthcare. We want to go beyond product access and ensure housing is a right for all menstruators.
About incarceration

Incarcerated menstruators are at high risk for physical violence, sexual assault, and unplanned pregnancy. At Operation Period, we advocate for the end to the prison industrial complex to ensure no one else has to ever face the horrors of incarceration.
About ableism

Disabled people are the largest minority in this country. Endometriosis, PCOS, and PMDD affect menstruators of all backgrounds. At Operation Period, we believe we must center disabled people in this work to ensure no one is ever left behind.
About environmental justice

Since our inception, we have honored our pledge to only partner with reusable product companies. Operation Period is committed to addressing climate change and championing environmental justice for all.