When a trans man has his period

Nearly two decades after a landmark Supreme Court ruling advanced legal recognition of gender identity, Nepal’s menstrual health policies and services still largely exclude trans men.

Milan Chhetri was 12 when his period first arrived. In his home in Dailekh, Karnali Province, the tradition was clear: anyone who menstruated did not stay in the house. For five days, he had to live with his sister. He could not see his father, his brothers or his grandfather. Back then, he did not have the language for what he knew about himself. He only knew that what was happening to his body felt like a punishment for something he had not done.