The Students of Cesar Chavez Elementary: Welcome to this 5th grade classroom in San Diego where young girls are learning about their periods for the first time. Barbara Kernan, the nurse at Cesar Chavez, teaches these girls about their bodies with enthusiasm and warmth that encourages questions and positive feelings towards menstruation and menarche.
Cast / Crew
Jennifer: Follow this 28 year old urban professional to her doctor’s appointment where she receives a shot of Depo–Provera, a birth control medication that prevents her from menstruating. Her physician, Dr. Leslie Kardos, tells us how the medication works and she explains why menstruating is not necessary. Jen reveals her motivations for taking this drug: she was hospitalized at a young age because of excessive menstrual bleeding.
Women’s Wisdom Weekend: Nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains, women from the ages of 20 to 70 are led by herbalist Kami McBride of the Living Awareness Institute. They are taught to appreciate and celebrate their cycles. McBride warns us against menstrual suppression and the experimentation that is taking place in the health care industry at the expense of women.
http://www.livingawareness.com
Dr. Andrew Kaunitz: A physician from Florida and site tester of Seasonale, a new birth control method touted as a good option for menstrual suppression, speaks to us at the Association for Reproductive Health Professionals conference in La Jolla, CA. He is one of the most outspoken individuals on the burdens and maladies associated with menstruation. His article, Choosing Whether -- and When -- to Menstrute, has been widely read and cited in the fields of gynecology and contraception hormonal.
Vanessa Tiegs: This artist carefully considers the meaning of menstruation in our discussion with her. She began painting with her menstrual blood several years ago, and now has 80 paintings which she shares. Her motivation - to produce a positive image of menstruation and consider, through the act of painting, the meanings of menstruation.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/spiralingmoon/
Geneva Kachman: This menstrual artist founded menstrual Monday and has made over 2000 kits complete with UFO’s (uterine flying objects) and menstrual bubbles. Kachman desires to bring a smile to the face of any woman in the process of changing her pad or tampon through her menstrual museum , currently in development in Detroit . The museum is filled with delightful and surprising menstrual creations (including a chocolate tampon dispenser!) Geneva lent her talents to the production of Period by participating through interviews, but also by drawing the logo of the film, a play on the uterus from the 1918 edition of Gray's anatomy . http://www.moltx.org
Makeda Tudor at Vagina Fest: Celebrate lesbian women’s health in San Diego, CA with Julie-Marie and Makeda, two musical performers who would give up their periods if given the choice. We meet up with Makeda a year after our first interview as she undergoes a hysterectomy to end her periods.
http://vaginasd.org/
Society for Menstrual Cycle Research: At their conference in Pittsburgh, PA physicians and psychologists debate about menstrual suppression. We catch snippets of their arguments and witness the diversity of opinions and issues related to menstrual suppression. The Society has a long history of advocating for women’s health issues around menstruation – they were involved in tampon safety warnings and were early opponents of hormone replacement therapies. Presently, they are wary of the hype around menstrual suppression and call for more research in the area. http://www.menstruationresearch.org (for more on SMCR go to Period links.)
Truong Sisters: Darlene, Helen and Susie are three sisters who have some amusing and heartfelt ideas on what it means to bleed. We visit them in their Ft. Lauderdale, FL home on the day of Chinese New Years as they prepare a feast for their family and candidly discuss menstruation and cultural taboos around menses.
Dr. Susan Rako: This psychiatrist and author of The Blessings of the Curse: No More Periods?, is one of the most significant voices denouncing menstrual suppression. We interview her, listen in on a conversation with a patient who is deciding whether or not to stop menstruating, and follow Dr. Rako to the Harvard Medical library where she conducts her research.
http://www.susanrako.com/
Terri Kapsalis: Kapsalis is a brilliant cultural critic and health educator who sheds light on the history of menstrual suppression and hormonal birth control methods. Her insights tell us much about the economic interests behind controlling women’s cycles. She delights the audience with a reading from her essay on Vaginal Architecture under the spectacular stained glass dome of the Chicago Cultural center. Her book Public Privates: Gynecology from both ends of the Speculum is a must read for any person interested in women’s health.
http://www.dukeupress.edu/
Red Hot Mamas: Chapters of the Red Hot Mamas abound throughout the United States. These groups of menopausal and peri-menopausal women offer support and information to for those in any stage of menopause. (http://www.primeplus.com) The women of this chapter in Ft. Wayne Indiana have many humorous and informed opinions on hot flashes, the change, and menstruation.
Morty Diamond: A self proclaimed ‘dude who bleeds’, Morty spins the issue of menstruation on its head. By limiting the typical dose of hormones taken by female to male transgendered folks, Morty continues to get his period. His lived experience around menstruation and masculinity is truly fascinating and enlightening.
http://www.myyearinpink.com/
Proceed to CREW