WOMEN’S HEALTH | SEXUALITY

Recent Changes Have Put a New Pep in My Step

I will defend to the death my right to health, wealth, peace, and freedom of choice in our sexuality

Photo of the author taken by the author.

This is exactly why representation matters. Seeing Kamala Harris take the political reigns from Joe Biden has been awe-inspiring. Hearing how much support she is getting from people and how favored Michelle Obama was to run as the Democratic nominee blows my mind.

I also love that Harris chose Beyonce’s song, Freedom, for her campaign. Beyonce is another major figure on the world stage, and last night, I saw her video that was released for the opening games of the Olympics. It featured the USA gymnastics team, of which Simone Biles has been a long-time shining star, doing things in her routines that few people even dream of accomplishing.

This all happened this past week as I was processing what happened to Sonya Massey, the 36-year-old woman who was shot in the head by a cop in her own home, allegedly because he became scared that she would throw boiling water onto him or his partner.

He shot her three times, refused to give her any aid, and basically wanted her to die. This is after he told her to take the pot of boiling water off of the stove because something might catch fire. I watched the bodycam footage of the shooter’s partner. It went black once the gunfire started, but the audio continued. I didn’t expect that.

My mental health was shaken.

Too many do not get it or seem to even want to understand what it means to be a woman of color in or out of America. My compassionate and kind romantic partner is doing his best to fully comprehend it. I can tell he is starting to get it, but it’s a long and slow process.

The beginning of this past week started out very well. I felt rejuvenated and full of positive energy for the week ahead. My mental, emotional, and sexual health were all in balance and humming.

I knew it was going to be a very challenging week due to major changes happening at my job alongside big shifts in my hormones that would signal the start of my period the following week.