The #HappytoBleed campaign is the period protest you need know about

A countless number of women all over the world get their periods. It’s a fact of life, something that is necessary for the human race, and the reason we’re all here today. So why is there such a negative taboo surrounding menstruation? Indian college student Nikita Azad is aiming to dispel that taboo with her amazing social media campaign, #HappytoBleed.

Many Hindu temples don’t allow women who are menstruating to enter, as they’re considered to be “unclean.” But one Sabarimala temple doesn’t allow women of reproductive age to enter at all, and the temple has “long been a subject of controversy,” according to ABC.

“. . . women between the 10-50 age group are not allowed to enter Sabarimala,” reads the website. “. . . such women who try to enter Sabarimala will be prevented by (the) authorities.”

Matters only grew worse after the comments of Prayar Gopalakrishnan, new board member of a Sabarimala temple. Gopalakrishnan recently responded to a question about a woman’s right to enter the temple in the most awful way:

That’s right: Women are only allowed inside this temple when a magical machine is invented that can detect periods. Totally wrong on ALL levels. That’s exactly why Nikita Azad, 20, decided to stand up and speak out against Gopalakrishnan’s comments, as well as the stigma surrounding periods in general.