Pussy power

>> Bloodsisters marks its fourth anniversary with permanent new digs in Mile-End

by SIOBHÀN O'CONNOR

The era of those greying, pencil-skirt ladies who taught women about menstruation by peddling Tampax pamphlets and copies of What's Happening to My Body is over. In their wake, Bloodsisters, a local grassroots women's collective, is celebrating its fourth anniversary with the opening of their new headquarters at 176 Bernard W. in Mile-End.

Bloodsisters' mission, to disseminate information about menstrual health and promote the use of reusable pads, is a sticky subject for some--which in part accounts for their uneasy footing and lack of funding in the past. But in the last few months the Montreal-based group has gained enough ground that, come late spring, their headquarters will double as a women's health resource centre and library--the only one of its kind in the city.

"Because we aren't doctors and nurses, we'll be providing a different kind of service: alternative and creative girl-to-girl consultation," explains the founder of Bloodsisters, who goes only by the name of A.D. The centre, Elle Corazon, will operate by appointment and offer resources for self-education and information about alternative female protection. Bloodsisters continues to host a dizzying list of bazaars, info-sessions and events at the Bernard location.

Since their inception they've witnessed a spate of similar groups emerging in eastern Canada and the U.S.--some of which have used Bloodsisters as a blueprint. Karen Lithgow, a founding member of the Bloodsisters-inspired Red Heads in Halifax, credits the new surge of like-minded collectives to the Montreal group and to A.D. And, says Lithgow, "Because Montreal has a lot of transients, it's made spreading information about Bloodsisters outside the city really successful."

Kicking Tampax's ass
Bloodsisters operates on a shoestring budget made up of a small Project Costs grant from the Quebec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG). "The only other 'grant' we seem to be able to get is my monthly welfare cheque," laughs A.D. "It seems most people don't want to hear about or pay for the stuff we talk about."

And what exactly do they talk about? Says A.D.: "What concerns us is corporate control over our relationships with menstrual health, creative ways of battling that control and alternatives to disposable female protection products. Basically we want to kick Tampax's ass!"

The health risks associated with disposable female protection rank pretty high on Bloodsisters' list of concerns, given the increasing amount of evidence showing that the materials and chemicals used in tampons (rayon, bleaches and so on) cause the sometimes-fatal Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). As well as TSS, the chemicals have been known to cause a host of nasty infections in women, all curable but no less unpleasant.

To counter all the major tampon companies--Playtex, Tampax and O.B.--who use rayon in their products, Bloodsisters make and sell all-cotton washable pads which, once soiled, need only be soaked a little in cold water, then tossed in the washing machine.

In addition to the colourful, leopard-printed reusable pads, Bloodsisters remains afloat by producing and selling, among other things, a zine titled Red Alert with comic features about Candida the yeast-infection girl and information about how to make your own pads. They also sell the Keeper, a diaphragm-esque rubber cup used to catch menstrual flow, and a line of reusable Urban Armour hygiene products, including hand-made "pussy power" panties--all of which A.D. totes around in a suitcase.

Aware of common criticisms that float their way, A.D. responds to her detractors: "We've often been criticized as being flaky and dated--something out of the '70s. But more and more women are responding to the 'pussy power' thing. And for us, pussy power is just a good place to begin--from there, you can address even more issues about girl-body politics." :

Bloodsisters can be reached at 273-3933 or on-line at www.bloodsisters.org

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