Ellyn C • Colorado • 32
So… I have a vague memory of the very first period. I was probably 12 or 13, whatever age I was as I was entering 7th grade. I have 6 siblings, my twin sister and I are the youngest, older sister is 3 years older, then four older brothers. At the time I remember NOT wanting my mom to know, because she’d like cry happy tears or something else embarrassing (now I’m a mom and I cry reading about Jesus’ birth even tho I’m not a Christian. So, embarrassing comes with the territory). I called my big sister into the bathroom and basically threatened her if she told mom. She promised not to... and then immediately told mom.
What I remember much more clearly is the first time I got my period unexpectedly at school! 7th grade math class. I remember feeling it and being *mortified.* At the end of class I was panicking, because if I stood up, they’d see my chair. I awkwardly sat there waiting until everyone left, we didn’t even have cell phones to pretend to be checking!!
Eventually I think I asked a girl from my volleyball team for help, but ultimately it was a boy who I hardly knew then, but is one of my dearest friends today, who helped a girl out. Derrick Bettis, a feminist co-conspirator before we knew what that was, waltzed up to the math teacher (a man) and quietly but confidently asked if he had any cleaning spray and some paper towels. The teacher was confused but caught on, handed Derrick the cleaning supplies, and then finally realized Derrick was going to clean it himself and stopped him, saying he would handle it from there. My friend walked me to my locker to get my things and then to the front office.
It hadn’t occurred to me until I stopped to recall this story that Derrick was somehow such a trailblazing dude feminist back then. I’m gonna go thank him again now.
