Spare a thought if you will for the women of India who, in 2015, still face stigma over a little thing like getting their period.
The Sabarimala Temple, a Hindu pilgramage site located in Kerala in southern India, is one of many temples in the country that don’t allow women in – for fear of them being on their period.
Recently, the president of this particular temple was asked about it and he said he’d think about it when a machine was invented that could tell if women were on their periods. No really.
‘A time will come when people will ask if all women should be disallowed from entering the temple thoroghout the year,’ he said. ‘These days there are machines that can scan bodies and check for weapons. There will be a day when a machine is invented to scan if it is the “right time” for a woman to enter the temple. When that machine is invented, we will talk about letting women inside.’
Yep.
According to Menstrupedia, a teen-friendly website run by four Indian girls working to break down the taboo of menstruation in India, menstruating women can often be seen as ‘impure, dirty, sick or even cursed.’ Girls can be prevented from going to school and purchasing sanitary products can be problematic, putting women’s health at risk.
Now, student Nikita Azad is joining the fight against the taboo with her campaign #HappyToBleed which she launched as ‘a counter attack against the sexist statement given by Devaswom chief, Sabrimala Temple, Kerala.’
The campaign urges women to upload pictures of themselves to Facebook with a sign (or as many are choosing, a sanitary towel) bearing the words ‘Happy To Bleed’.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.