Author

It is possible to menstruate for forty-six years without ever considering menstrual politics as a compelling intersectional sphere that embraces gender, race, class, health, and environmental concerns. It is not possible, however, to read Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law’s Silence on Periods and fail to grasp the scope of the policy problems and opportunities that menstruation presents.

This Review presents one lawyer-activist-reader’s perspective on three distinct themes in the book: menstruation and education, the health and environmental aspects of menstruation, and menstrual politics as a site of intense semantic contestation. This grab sample of Menstruation Matters reflects my own areas of experience and expertise. It also demonstrates the book authors’ impressive range as they explore well beyond their core disciplines of tax and constitutional law to present a lucid and comprehensive picture of the diverse issues that periods implicate.

I share with the authors a hope that the ever-growing movement for menstrual equity provides proof of concept for an expansive vision of human dignity and flourishing that benefits all of its constituent movements.