If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news.Sriya Srinivasan stopped menstruating for nearly three years and had no idea why. She went online for answers, and the search results frightened her so much that she stayed silent about the problem instead of asking relatives or teachers for help.
“I think it's really important to reduce shame and help people understand their bodies,” said Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, a Democrat and the bill’s primary sponsor. “Everybody should be learning about this, so I hope that nationwide, this is a thing. I hope that this is something that our federal partners get on board with.”Last fall, Srinivasan started a Change.org petition about including menstrual health education in California public schools.
“She actually didn't realize that she was severely ill and that she needed medical care,” Wilson said. “She eventually got medical care, but then when she was talking with her friends about it, all of them were talking about how they didn't know about menstruation and they hadn't learned about it in school. So when she presented the bill to us, it was just really impactful.”” — a study commissioned by the period underwear company Thinx Inc.
“There was one young girl who testified about PMS, and she said, ‘I didn't even know what that was. I thought it was when guys call you angry,’” Wilson said. “PMS — that’s a real thing. Learning is power. There shouldn't be a stigma around menstrual health. Male, female, it doesn't matter who you are, you should be well versed in it.”Srinivasan said that her classes have not prepared her well.
Whether or not AB 2229 is enacted, Srinivasan views the impetus behind it as greater than any one piece of legislation.