This generation seems to be holding the record with the amount of reasons that people are finding to protest over one thing or another, animal rights and conservation, marriage equality, fair pay. However, there’s a new group of protesters to the party and they’re making a bloody scene (pun intended).
For the last year Kiran Gandhi had been training for the London Marathon which took place last April. This being her first marathon, nothing was going to stop her from running it, not even her period. So, that morning when she awoke to find that Aunt Flow had arrived, she decided that a tampon would be in the way of her run. Kiran did what the majority of us woman wouldn’t do, she let it flow freely. In a statement to Mashable she said:
“The real decision for me was about prioritizing somebody else’s comfort and protecting somebody else’s eyes over my own ability to run the marathon. I felt that it represented a problem in our society.”
image credit: Kiran Gandhi via Medium
Kiran ran with her two friends, Ana and Mere, in which they raised $6,000 for Breast Cancer Care.
Although this run was back in April, the story is just now starting to pick up traction. In her blog on Medium, Kiran mentions how this run wasn’t just about free-flowing, but also sisterhood. Regardless of your stance on free-flowing subject, Kiran brings up some very good points, one being that “66% of African girls know nothing about menstruation until they start”. The lack of knowledge and resources for many young woman around the world is an issue and Kiran is doing what she can to raise awareness.
Although I have a different opinion on the free-flow matter, I respect anyone that can run the length of a marathon without stopping once. I can’t even get up my stairs without having an asthma attack. And raising $6,000 for charity is a pretty awesome thing too, so I say, you go Kiran!
image credit: Kiran Gandhi via Medium