SHE SOARS

Feminism and inclusion in health advocacy: Insights from Leisha Toory

• CARE Canada • Season 3 • Episode 7

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Leisha Toory, a passionate young advocate for inclusive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and founder of the Period Priority Project, joins Youth Champions Shreya and Olivia to celebrate International Women’s Day. They discuss the meaning of feminism and intersectionality, highlighting women’s choices and the importance of diverse voices in SRHR advocacy, particularly women of colour. Leisha shares her motivation to distribute over 30,000 free period products across Canada and educational efforts to address period poverty. They explore different roles and options for youth who want to speak up for SRHR and why community building is key to creating change.

*SHE SOARS, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is the Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills project. Learn more at: https://care.ca/shesoarsproject

Episode transcripts are available in French and English at: care.ca/shesoars.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the SHE SOARS podcast are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, standards and policies of CARE Canada. The SHE SOARS podcast is a youth-led initiative that provides space for young people to discuss global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights with the purpose of raising awareness in Canada. Listeners acknowledge that the material and information presented in the podcast are for informational purposes only and do not constitute advice or services. The podcast is for private, non-commercial use and speakers do not necessarily reflect any organization they work for.

[00:00:00] Paniz: Hi, and welcome to SHE SOARS. Her voice. Her rights. 

[00:00:05] Jacqueline: We are CARE Canada's Youth Champions, a group of young people across Canada who are passionate advocates for Sexual and Reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

[00:00:13] Paniz: We're excited to discuss and raise awareness about young women's rights and choices in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. ​

[00:00:18] Jacqueline: Together, we will explore how these global issues connect to our lives as Canadian youth and discover ways in which we can all take action. 

[00:00:26] Paniz: We will also talk about the SHE SOARS project, which improves access to health and education, which are areas we want to see change in. Join us!

[00:00:37] Shreya: Hello and welcome to the SHE SOARS podcast. My name is Shreya Rao and I'm one of the members of the Youth Public Engagement Champions here at CARE Canada and a co-host of the SHE SOARS podcast. Today I'm also joined by my amazing co-host, Liv Woods.

[00:00:49] Olivia: Hi everyone! In this episode to honour International Women's Day, which was on March 8th, we're celebrating the incredible achievements of women and girls around the world. Join us as we reflect, discuss and continue the conversations on how we can uplift and empower women every day and everywhere. And on that note, we would love to welcome our guest on the podcast today, Leisha Toory.

[00:01:10] Leisha: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to chat a bit more about my work.

[00:01:15] Olivia: We're so excited to have you here today and thank you so much for being here.

[00:01:18] Shreya: Leisha has such an incredible journey in SRHR, the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights space. I am so excited to just dive in. She is the founder of the Period Priority Project, a human rights award-nominated grassroots initiative that has distributed over 30,000 period products. She is also an SRHR policy consultant and analyst with seven award nominations, over 35 publications, and more than 15 media features.

[00:01:43] Leisha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French for Francophones from Memorial University, and is passionate about public policy, menstrual equity, youth leadership and increasing representation of women in colour in politics. So with all that being said, I would love to hear a more about your journey and what led you to become a youth SRHR advocate and just a little bit more about your work.

[00:02:06] Leisha: Absolutely. Thank you. So I started the Period Priority Project in 2022, and that was during I would say the pandemic because the price of groceries was going up really high and I just started to feel like period products were not that accessible. So I thought, what if we had a food bank, but just for period products? But of course, that doesn't exist.

[00:02:29] So I thought: Maybe I'm just going to start a summer project and try to get donations and then distribute it to women's shelters or homeless shelters. And I posted it on Twitter and it just kind of blew up and everyone started asking for more donations. So it went from starting as a summer project to becoming a full grassroots initiative. As mentioned we have distributed over 30,000 period products across the country. We have a podcast and a YouTube channel that focuses on talking a bit more about period and menstrual health education. And we were awarded the Feminist Creator Prize for the podcast and the YouTube channel. We also host presentations on menstrual health education in schools. We have an anthology that is in the works that focuses on experiences on peer poverty for people in Newfoundland and Labrador. We also hosted free reusable cloth pad sewing workshops and we have a digital resource toolkit available for parents, teachers and/or students. 

[00:03:36] Currently I wrote the only scholarly article to cover peer poverty in Canada, so we don't have any other scholarly articles that focus on that. I would definitely say that is a milestone just because a lot of research doesn't exist out there on period poverty in Canada so it's nice to have some data. 

[00:03:56] And the reason why I'm so vocal about SRHR is because growing up in a brown community, I didn't have access to sex ed. That's not really helpful when you're going through puberty and you don't have anyone to ask questions about your body to or just anything related to bodily autonomy.

[00:04:15] And that is not okay. Or even sex ed is just so heavily stigmatized and it's very difficult getting accurate information from accurate sources. So it was just shrouded a lot in silence. And then coming to university, I saw that there were women’s groups and people were just talking openly about condoms and that was a little culture shock to me because I didn't necessarily grow up in that environment. So it was a moment of empowerment and I thought maybe I could do something. Maybe I could use my voice and get some representation out there. That is how I got involved a lot with SRHR. I learned a bit about decolonizing SRHR. I learned more about abortion access in marginalized communities. I learned more about period poverty across the country in different cultures. So I would definitely say it all started from that stigma back home that really led me to give that platform for other women of colour to talk more about sex ed and just have that bodily autonomy that everyone deserves.

[00:05:19] Shreya: I completely resonate with the thought that sexual education doesn't really exist in communities. Being someone who is from India, particularly south India, I feel like that was something so prevalent for me. I got my period at 13 years old and I was so scared to tell my mom and even ask what that meant, especially since I wasn't really being taught it in school as well. So how has that affected or impacted the way that you have these conversations?

[00:05:45] Leisha: Similar experience. I was born in Mauritius. I grew up in Mauritius and I would say my mom did kind of prepare me a bit just like knowing how to wear a pad or that I need to wear a pad in case I get my period. But the problem was I couldn't talk about it to other relatives at home or even my friends. We had to hide our pads when going to the washroom and I don't know, it just felt so incorrect because everyone knows that you're menstruating but you can't actually talk about it. So why is it treated like a bad thing? So it was definitely like the environment that I grew up in that influenced that I would say.

[00:06:24] Shreya: That totally makes sense, and especially since you have that global context and some lived experiences and now Canadian context as well. How do you see local activism connecting to global change? And how can we advocate for people all across the world in addition to just our individual communities?

[00:06:43] Leisha: I definitely think that whenever anyone, even as an individual, when you're advocating for something, even though it seems like you're not part of a group or part of a bigger community, the fact that you're putting information out there, you're educating people about your advocacy and why this is an issue that needs to be talked about. In a way, you're telling people, this is the issue in the community right now and something needs to be done about it. And then they're going to learn from it. They're going to do a bit more research and that gains traction over some time and it reaches a larger community.

[00:07:14] So I would say, especially from my experience, starting as a single person, advocacy is only effective when you're working towards building a community because that is when the change and advocacy is sustainable. You can only do so much as one person and you're only going to impact a bigger community once you build a bigger community.

[00:07:35] Shreya: Agreed. I like your emphasis especially on collective action. I feel like it's so important to inspire other people to join in on your mission because that's the only way that we have progress. I feel like it's very hard to expect one person to be able to do it all. So that is incredibly inspiring and thank you for sharing a little bit about your journey and your background.

[00:07:54] Olivia: Yeah, I agree as well that finding these communities within advocacy and especially in SRHR is so fundamental. And it also can just feel so relieving that you're like, okay, I'm not alone in this. There are so many other people that have similar ideas or similar struggles. So I think the emphasis on community is so important. Changing gears a little bit, what would you say are some of the biggest challenges that you see in SRHR advocacy today? And how do you think we can address them and move forward to creating more of these communities and more impact?

[00:08:27] Leisha: I definitely think there is an issue with recognizing that advocacy in SRHR needs to be intersectional. We tend to neglect that race and disability are equally important factors that kind of shape the way inequalities are prevailing in different communities. When the lens is just focused on privileged women, or, you know, anyone in SRHR, you're not being inclusive and not including different voices that are actually being impacted by that social injustice. So I would definitely say, decolonizing SRHR is one way that we can break down those barriers. So just making sure that everyone has a voice. Everyone has a seat at the table and you're not just doing like tokenism. You actually want representation in decision-making or in learning spaces because we all come from different backgrounds. We all have different experiences and different communities have faced that. So it's nice to talk about it and find not necessarily a one size fits all. So if we really want good solutions for different communities, it needs to be tailored for different communities and not just one solution.

[00:09:38] Olivia: I love that. I think that such a fundamental part in SRHR advocacy is that one size does not fit all. Everyone has a different journey. Everyone has a different experience. And to assume that people have had the same journey leaves out all of the other individuals that have had different experiences. Feminism means different things to different people. So in the context of your work and in this SRHR space, how would you define feminism?

[00:10:04] Leisha: In the context of my work and everything I've been through or I've seen happening around me, I would say it's about the right to choice. Our bodies or anything happening to us does not have to be like a political battlefield, but it is. That's the reality and it should not be that way. We should be able to have the right to choose whether or not we want to have an abortion, what we choose to wear, what career we want, whether we want to stay at home or work from home or even don't work at all or start like a small business or something corporate.

[00:10:35] We don't have to abide by certain standards to be called a true feminist. It's all about choice because we didn't have that. So many women fought for us to be able to have some sort of choice. And I feel like it's really important to honour that and remember that. You are not a better feminist than someone else just because you decide to do something specific. It's more about the fact that we are respecting each other's choices – choices that we made, of course, not that other people made for us. 

[00:11:09] Olivia: Yeah, thank you so much for talking about that. I think a lot of times, and sometimes in the digital space, it can be easy for people to critique what other women and individuals are doing within this space. And it's just so important that, like you said, one decision you make doesn't make it better than a decision someone else made. I think that's so important. So what is one of the biggest misconceptions that you see around feminism? Is there one key part of SRHR work in general that you see maybe frequently online or in conversations that you wish people knew?

[00:11:41] Leisha: Absolutely. I'm definitely going to highlight intersectionality again just because being a brown woman, when I need to have access to SRHR services, just the lack of representation is so inaccurate sometimes. In our communities, we don't necessarily talk about IUDs [intrauterine devices] or even abortions. So if ever I need to have access to these services, I don't have a support system to talk to. I would definitely say that is a misconception that you know every study just kind of outlines the same thing.

[00:12:14] And yes, those struggles are valid but it's just our voices are not represented. So that means that I'm not going to have a solution necessarily tailored for me and whatever they have there that is going to help with SRHR is not necessarily going to help me or women of colour. So it's really important to have women of colour and diverse voices at the table because we bring so much lived experience and that is what is going to help us and the women after us.

[00:12:45] Olivia: Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that. I think we kind of move into what is being called like the fourth wave of feminism and as this fourth wave is trying to be defined in our society, I think that intersectionality needs to be at the forefront for sure. 

[00:13:00] Shreya: If I can jump in on that too, I’ve been having a lot of conversations recently about how to promote intersectionality within the healthcare space. One of the interesting initiatives that I’ve seen universities start doing, particularly at Waterloo, I got to be involved in the interviewing and hiring of a South Asian counsellor, which was really impactful especially since a majority of the students at the school are of South Asian descent. So that was something that was really incredible to see; there was the recognition that people have different lived and cultural experiences and how that could impact their mental health care. So I feel like that is definitely one way that people can advocate better in their communities, especially young people, is trying to find space and make space for different lives identities and how we can help with health services and especially mental health services. With the amount of international students that are here, if we have so many folks that are coming and leaving their homes and making such big lifestyle changes, I feel like that is going to affect anyone mentally and providing services for that is really important.

[00:14:03] So how can we support women of colour and how can we decolonize the healthcare space in order to make room for those people? So thank you for sharing all of that. I kind of want to dive into a little bit of your social media. When we were learning about you and looking through your Instagram and just feeling very inspired obviously, I wanted to get your take about how feminism exists online and what your experience has been but particularly how do you think it has changed the way that we engage with feminism? I feel like it has made it a little bit more accessible but what is your take on that?

[00:14:38] Leisha: Absolutely. I definitely feel that it is more accessible because you just see everyone’s take or different data that you would not necessarily go to a library to read. Everyone is on their phone nowadays. That being said if accurate information is accessible, we also have a lot of misinformation as well. So there is definitely that issue of identifying what is misinformation and what is actual education. But on the bright side, it's just really nice to have a platform to get comprehensive sex ed out there, especially for people who probably in their region don't have access to that but they are on their phone. So it's just an alternate way of learning. I would definitely say in that aspect, technology is definitely good for the feminist movement.

[00:15:20] Shreya: I totally agree. And I remember you touching on the aspects of tokenism and I feel like I've seen a lot of potentially performative feminism where people just post things and join on viral trends, but how do we move from clicktivism to more meaningful change on social media? What do you think? What type of content should people be creating? How should they start that discourse or contribute to the discourse effectively?

[00:15:48] Leisha: I think my take on that is not everyone is comfortable just talking or recording themselves or talking about something and sharing it. That might be rooted in the environment they grew up in or probably the bullying that is going to entail for them just like having a voice. And you know, not everyone goes to protests but they do get information out there on social media. I feel like we all have different roles to play when it comes to advocacy, like some of us need to be at the forefront and the protest rally. Some of us have to be lobbying. Some of us have to make sure that they get some representation in the media to talk about issues or any protests or rallies that are happening. Some of us have to be behind the screens and making infographics to share on social media.

[00:16:34] I feel like everyone has a different part to play in advocacy and not everyone necessarily has that same level of comfort or safe space, I would say, to just authentically share their views. And especially when we're talking about SRHR, it's a tough climate right now and it's just so hard to stand your ground and say things that are so contradictory to what is happening around the world. So even just sharing something or educating someone about something I would say is an act of power because in this climate I feel like anything that you do in your capacity is going to impact positively in some way or other because you are setting a stage to encourage conversations around that topic. So that would be my take on it.

[00:17:21] Shreya: Yeah, I absolutely agree. I really liked the point of meeting people where they are. I think that’s what’s missing in advocacy right now is the expectation that everyone should be an activist like by profession. And I think that's really difficult because people come with different comfortability, like you said, and environment as well. Social media is not necessarily the safest space for a lot of people. You're kind of subjecting yourself to scrutiny sometimes if you open up about your opinion. So yeah, absolutely so important to recognize that. I like how you say that we should be using our skillset and determining how we can contribute in that way.

[00:17:57] The way that we see activism being redefined, at least in my opinion, is using our careers and the pathways that we're choosing and the skills that we're developing in order to champion change in whatever workplace or industry we decide to join, whether that means actively seeking representation or that could mean being a hiring manager of some sort hiring more women, more people of colour and people with disabilities and having different sexualities and other sorts of representation. I think being a person who is committed to intersectionality and promoting diversity within whatever space you're involved in is very important.

[00:18:35] So thank you sharing on that. With the topic of women of colour and being on social media, I find that when it comes to algorithms, I don't often see certain narratives from women of colour. I find that sometimes the algorithms tend to silence certain voices and promote other voices. So how do you think we can ensure digital feminism is inclusive and it's not just privileging certain voices? And maybe how do we as women of colour find visibility or what sort of content should we be creating? 

[00:19:06] Leisha: Absolutely. I do see that. I actually have to go out of my own way and search, you know, what brown creators are there covering certain topics that I'm interested in because I wouldn't necessarily get that on my Facebook page or my page on Instagram. So you have to defy the system or the algorithm.

[00:19:23] One thing that works for me and I think would be super effective for anyone just trying to find their community or representation is you could research any creators specifically that you resonate with and then you could compile it in a list or graphic and then share it on social media. So that way other people in your community have a list. They have access to people that they would learn from. They could see themselves represented. But yeah, we definitely need to work on having that algorithm fixed because it's so frustrating that you don't see people who look like you talk about issues that you resonate with but you see so much of the similar mainstream ones. It's only after searching that you're like, oh okay, she also talks about things that I'm passionate about, and she comes from a similar community. It's definitely like that research that you have to do on your own and then sharing that, because it's going to help more people to see them. So it's going to help with the exposure.

[00:20:16] Shreya: Yeah, I agree with that. I find sometimes the content that gets amplified is the more palatable version of feminism. So it's like whose voices we're actually willing to hear versus not, even if they're sharing the same thing. Yeah, so the privileged aspect of social media is definitely hard and I find that because of the way that women of colour have been born and raised and because of their experiences, a lot of times they are scared or nervous to even create that content and share their narrative because of the scrutiny that comes along with it. So do you have any thoughts on that? Potentially if there is someone who is listening that looks like you or resonates with this, how would you go about giving them advice to step outside of their comfort zone and create content? 

[00:21:01] When I grew up, no one talked about periods and trust me, it was really scary because you don't know if someone back home is looking at it or even like my classmates from back in school, they're probably like, ‘She's so cringe’ or whatever. This is probably very simple to say but I swear, once you start internalizing it, it's going to be very easy. What I do is I just think, what would 13-year-old me think of me? And she would probably be like, ‘Oh my, you're the coolest.’ That’s all that matters because you know, people are going to talk anyway. It doesn't matter what you do or what you don't do. It's just that mentality that you really have to internalize and just be like, you know, you have talent. Everything you do matters. Your voice matters. And even if no one around you right now is recognizing that skillset or you being you, you are setting an example for so many girls and women that are going to come after you. They're going to look at you and be like, ‘Yes, she set that movement, she started it. That's why I can do it too.’

[00:22:05] And especially when there is no one doing what you're doing and you're kind of second guessing yourself. Just remind yourself that there’s a reason why no one has done it before. That means that it needs to be done. It's just there's a lot of backlash that comes with it. Like if you're talking about periods and you're uncomfortable with it, it's because everyone around you is uncomfortable, but you need to put in the work. It's something you need to do.   

[00:22:29] Shreya: Also on this topic I wanted to give you a moment to be able to share some of the successes that you've had because you've been so transparent about your journey. So has there been really important milestones? I've seen that you have got to travel a lot and represent young people in different spaces. Is there anything you want to share about the types of opportunities you've had because of your activism and what that has looked like to further inspire everyone?

[00:22:53] Leisha: Oh my gosh, absolutely. It’s like my favorite thing to talk about. With my advocacy, I've gotten the chance to have a seat at different summits or conferences happening for youth leadership and SRHR in different provinces. It's just so nice because I might be like the first one in my family to actually be in those spaces. So it's definitely a moment of privilege. But also just sending out the message that, you know, we can do it. Even if we haven't seen people who look like us be in those spaces, we have a seat at the table. We are capable. We belong there. And also I got the opportunity to be interviewed on the news. So that's kind of a big thing because so many people are watching it out there and going to be like, ‘Okay, she's brown. She's talking about periods. We don't talk about that at home. So cool. Maybe we can actually talk about it. Maybe it's okay.’ Also just like with the awards, it goes beyond the recognition of the work that I'm doing. I feel like for me, awards are acknowledging that, you know, women of colour have something to say, our lived experiences matter and it deserves to be recognized.

[00:24:01] People need to know what is happening. People need to know what we go through. People need to know what services we don't have access to. So I definitely feel like it's just a way to amplify our community and voices. And we can do it too. 

[00:24:17] Shreya: I appreciate you saying that especially on the topic of awards. I feel like sometimes when it comes to this work, people are nervous about saying that they appreciate being recognized but I think the accolades are so important. It gives you a platform to share all of the things that you're talking about with an even wider audience.

[00:24:34] I wanted you to share that because it's so important to know that you are taking up space and you're allowing for other brown women and women of colour to also take up space. And yeah, I think that is such an incredibly motivating piece of advice that people will recognize you. And there are folks in your corner across the country who are there to uplift you and support you in this current landscape. Especially I feel like people are worried that they won't get that recognition or won't be heard. So yeah, that's absolutely a good point. I'm so proud of you. You are absolutely killing it.

[00:25:07] Leisha: Thank you.

[00:25:08] Shreya: It’s important for you to tell people. It's important for everyone to know about. So I appreciate you sharing that.

[00:25:13] Leisha: Thank you.

[00:25:15] Olivia: Okay, so just kind of wrapping up with our final question here. If you could see one major change in the next decade for women's rights and SRHR, what would it be? And is there something that you're excited to see upcoming in this space, or one thing that you would really like to see emphasized in the next little bit?

[00:25:33] Leisha: With my work, I've been advocating for access to free period products and that has happened over the course of three years. So I got my university to actually provide free period products in all gender inclusive washrooms. I got the city hall of St. John's to stock all public owned buildings with free period products. And for the past few years, I was lobbying for the government of Newfoundland to partner with Shoppers so that they could provide free period products. They announced earlier this year that the partnership is happening. So, you know, small steps do make a difference. I am excited to just see that happen. I know it's only temporary but I'm hoping that they will see how many people are going to benefit from it because no one should have to choose between going to school or having a period. We don't need barriers. So I am very excited for them to see how important the access is and hopefully they continue to provide the free products. I also hope that we have a good support system for women of colour when it comes to abortion. I feel like this is talked about very, very little and we don't have representation out there. We don't have people who look like us. So when you're going out and just talking about your experience, I really hope we get a supportive community.

[00:26:51] Olivia: Yeah, just those little steps and the little wins lead to big victories. I think sometimes it's easy to forget that what you're doing day in, day out, it can feel like I've hit a wall and I'm stuck in this one spot, but those little victories add up and they create a larger change. I hope to see all of those amazing things and hopefully we can see them across the country and internationally. So how can listeners support your work and get involved in making a difference?

[00:27:17] Leisha: So you can follow us on Instagram @periodpriorityproject. Any initiatives we have on the go or even any opportunities that other groups are doing, I do share that. And yeah, we have a link tree there in the bio. So it has all our websites, our YouTube channel and just any opportunities that are happening. We are working on a blog piece so that's a good opportunity for people to contribute their thoughts and pieces on period poverty. 

[00:27:46] Olivia: Thank you so much. I'm so excited to keep an eye on all the amazing things you get up to in the next little bit. And thank you so much for coming and chatting with us today and being so open about your experience and your journey and for inspiring all the amazing people who are going to be listening to this podcast.

[00:28:02] Leisha: Thank you so much for having me.

[00:28:04] Shreya: Thank you so much for listening to this episode. If you have made it this far, I want to tell you the secret word of this episode is going to be ‘feminism,’ relating back to all the topics that we've discussed today. And as always, remember that you have ownership and power over your voice. As much as possible, we should be using that in order to champion as many global issues as we can. Thank you once again for joining us and be sure to catch us on the next episode of the SHE SOARS podcast. Bye! 

[00:28:35] Jacqueline: Thanks for listening to SHE SOARS. If you liked this episode, please share it on social media, connect with us in the comments or give us a like.

[00:28:42] Paniz: Make sure to catch our next episode by subscribing to our channel and following us wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:28:48] Jacqueline: Follow @CARECanada on Instagram for updates on our show and the project.

[00:28:53] Paniz: SHE SOARS stands for Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment, Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

[00:29:02] Jacqueline: The project is funded by Global Affairs Canada. Check out our global partner organizations: The Center for Reproductive Rights and Restless Development for even more project updates. 

[00:29:12] Paniz: Thanks again for listening. Until next time!