Serving diverse communities begins with the most essential skill in any nonprofit’s toolbox: listening. The Period Pantry Project wanted to make sure that we were meeting the needs of LGBTQ+ people. We started by checking in with organizations with deep roots in that community. They helped us do surveys that shone some light on what their population needed and wanted from a period supply bank.
The Period Pantry Project wants to meet the needs of everyone in our community. Because LGBTQ+ people experience poverty at higher rates than the general population, we felt a real urgency to make sure we are serving them in a way that is effective and affirming. We asked general questions about menstruation and gender dysphoria. We also asked specific questions regarding which products people were most comfortable using.
SURVEY RESULTS
The outcomes? People were happy to share their experiences. I think they were happy to finally be asked about their experiences. We could not draw many lines between people’s gender or sexuality and what they thought about periods and period supplies. As we’ve repeatedly found, product preference is a very individual thing. Disposable tampons or pads, washable pads, and menstrual cups, we found that like the general population, LGBTQ+ users split into different camps. Our mission is clearly to provide as much choice as we can.
We did hear a fair amount about hormonal disruption in the menstrual cycle and about premenstrual dysmorphic disorder. More people expressed shame around their periods than we have heard in surveys of the general population. This underscored for us the importance of working with partners who are already serving the LGBTQ+ community and providing safe spaces. We were glad to be able to present our findings at the Equitas Institute’s Transforming Care Conference, which focuses on LGBTQ+ and HIV health equity.
The surveys did not suggest changes that we need to make to our language or marketing. We started The Period Pantry Project three years ago with a commitment not to use gendered language in our materials. Our colors are black, white and red. These decisions were made specifically to support trans people or non-binary people who menstruate.
The Period Pantry Project is data-driven. In a decade working in nonprofits before starting this organization, I learned that it’s most effective to ask people what they need and then design services around those needs. All too commonly, our sector starts with program design and tries to shoehorn our clientele into it. We do an annual survey of all our clients to learn more about their experiences of period poverty and their satisfaction with our services. We never want to lose sight of who we’re serving and what they want. We look forward to gathering data to better respond to other groups within our broader community, such as immigrants.
Our project to serve LGBTQ+ clients really reinforced that basic supply banks gain so much when we partner with organizations that are already part of the community we want to serve. It’s much easier to get people to share their experiences and needs when you are talking with them in a space where they already feel safe and affirmed.
Jill Guinan is president and founder of The Period Pantry Project in Columbus, Ohio.