Periods are Political: The Politics of Menstruation in Activism, Art, and Law 📅 Wednesday 15 October 2025 | 1–5pm (BST) | Online
October is a month of blood and shadows: a perfect moment to confront the truths that have too long been hidden. Menstruation is political, and its silence haunts law, culture, and public life.
This online conference brings together activists, artists, and academics to unmask the politics of menstruation across activism, art, and law.
Hosted by The Open University as part of the Free to Bleed: Data-Driven Advocacy and Art for Menstrual Justice project, the event will:
🩸Introduce the Free to Bleed project, a collaboration between campaigners, researchers, and artists
🩸Showcase powerful research and creative work on menstrual stigma, rights, resistance, and justice
🩸Gather a global community to ask: what happens when we treat menstruation not as a private shame, but as a matter of politics, law, and culture?
With themed panels on Resistance, Power, and Representation; Rights, Health, and Justice; and Stigma Breakers and Law Makers, this event promises bold ideas, challenging conversations, and a few bloody truths.
The conference is free to attend and open to all. Participants will also be invited to future collaborative opportunities, including a face-to-face gathering in 2026.
