Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to TEDxHartford. Our first speaker is widely known in the Hartford, Connecticut area for her aggressive women's rights activism.
Speaker: She studied communications at Boston College and went on to work for a leading international PR firm. She left PR in 2021 to dedicate herself to feminism and community engagement in the Hartford area.
Speaker: Her most recent protest went viral, landing her on 60 Minutes and the Today Show. Ladies and gentlemen, the enigmatic Tina Richards.
Speaker: It's not about the blood. When I went viral last year for my dramatic artwork, everyone thought it was about the blood. It's not about the blood.
Speaker: Did I have a bloody vagina? Yes. Did I write my truth on the inside of a porta potty in blood? Yes. Did some jerk-off make a song called, Tina has a bloody vagina?
Speaker: Yes. Women all over the world experience menstruation every month. Obviously, blood exits their vaginas.
Speaker: But it's not about the blood. I created that horror show image because I am a complete woman, and every part of me matters, even the part of me I often hide for hygiene reasons.
Speaker: Every single day, women compete for attention from men. They raise beauty standards until the pressure of perfection kills their spirit.
Speaker: Is that our only option, ladies? I say, no. I will no longer be objectified. I will no longer be treated like a piece of meat.
Speaker: I'm not some play doll. I'm a real woman. I menstruate. Deal with it. I also take craps. Deal with it.
Speaker: So go ahead and stare at my body, but remember what comes out of it. Blood and feces. Ladies and gentlemen, it was never about the blood.
Speaker: It was about demanding respect and telling the truth. When it comes to my body, it's all or nothing. I stand here today without guilt or shame, and I say to you once again, my name is Tina, and I have a bloody vagina.
Speaker: Thank
Speaker: Who is Tina? Who is Tina? Not just about the lovely vagina, Tina. Who is Tina?
Speaker: It's so much more. More than you know!
