It’s time we reimagine menopause as an expansive, intersectional journey through radical divestment and collective empowerment for all marginalized voices.
This essay is part of an ongoing Gender & Democracy series, presented in partnership with Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund, highlighting the work of Groundswell partners advancing inclusive democracy. You’ll find stories, reflections and accomplishments—told in their own words—by grassroots leaders, women of color, Indigenous women, and trans and gender-expansive people supported by Groundswell. By amplifying these voices—their solutions, communities, challenges and victories—our shared goal is to show how intersectional organizing strengthens democracy.
When We Divest
Our goal is to ensure that nobody’s menopause experience is overlooked or left behind—and that requires us to break from the mainstream ‘landscape’ and forge an empowering community of our own.
Sometimes, the road to democracy and liberation begins with divestment.
To divest is not simply to walk away. It is to release, unburden and make space for transformation. It is a conscious and courageous act of letting go: of systems, relationships, cultural norms and ways of thinking that are misaligned with freedom, justice and collective care.
The word divestment comes from the Latin vestire, meaning “to clothe,” and with the prefix dis- or di-, it literally means “to strip away.”
In a world where inclusion is often offered without power, where proximity to institutions is mistaken for progress, and where entire communities are invited to participate but not to lead, divestment becomes a radical tool for reorientation. At Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause (BGG2SM), we understand divestment as an act of humility, clarity and sacred refusal—a return to alignment with our deepest values and visions for liberation. Divestment is not abandonment. It is a vision that moves towards building the world we’ve been waiting for.
Our work has always been about creating space for the voices and experiences of those often left at the margins—Black women, genderqueer, nonbinary and trans people—and offering a vision of menopause that is not just inclusive but liberatory. As the mainstream conversation about menopause continues to gain visibility, we acknowledge the significant progress made by the media, cultural movements, healthcare professionals and health equity advocates in raising awareness and advocating for better support and resources.
However, we have also observed initiatives, writings, gatherings, fem-tech companies and lifestyle brands related to menopause that narrowly focus on specific kinds of menopause experiences. Whether this is done unconsciously or intentionally, this dynamic reinforces the idea that menopause only affects individuals with certain gender identities, sexual orientations, class backgrounds or specific age groups. This limited framing often reveals a misalignment between our values and those of organizations operating within what is commonly referred to as “The Menopausal Landscape.”
Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that nobody’s menopause experience is overlooked or left behind—and that requires us to break from the mainstream “landscape” and forge an empowering community of our own.
… So Much More Is Possible
We continue to challenge ourselves to ask: What kinds of worlds can we create to support all menopausal journeys in a way that is broad, inclusive and liberating?
Our answer remains: worlds where all voices are considered, like the Black woman entrepreneur navigating perimenopause in her mid to late 30s, the genderqueer student in their 20s experiencing medical menopause due to cervical cancer, or the trans masculine creative in their 50s who has been receiving hormonal gender-affirming care for the past 20 years.
And what of the many stories of formerly incarcerated people who experience menopause behind prison walls or upon returning home? How do current conversations and resources reflect their lived experiences, challenges and needs? How might the landscape change if their narratives, expertise, wisdom and cultural perspectives were more fully and authentically centered?
Our divestment is a call to reimagine the menopausal landscape and open space for bolder narratives, cultures and realities where all menopausal experiences are honored and protected.
When BGG2SM was launched six years ago, we focused primarily on Black women and femmes navigating midlife through menopause and beyond. However, we soon realized how limited that perspective was and challenged ourselves to conceptualize the entire Menopausal Multiverse: an expansive reality comprised of a wide array of marginalized menopausal experiences. It encompasses the diversity of menopausal individuals, both past and present, while also honoring ancestral knowledge and care practices, and envisioning future possibilities free from systemic oppression.
In a sociopolitical climate that is increasingly hostile to women, trans and queer people, immigrants, and people of the Global Majority—a collective term that encompasses individuals who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, Indigenous to the Global South, or those who have been racialized as “ethnic minorities”—the urgency of this work cannot be overstated. Our divestment is a call to reimagine the menopausal landscape and open space for bolder narratives, cultures and realities where all menopausal experiences are honored and protected.
In the Footsteps of Trailblazers
Our stance is guided by the wisdom of our own lived experiences and those of our culture-bearing ancestors, who centered our collective narratives and needs while charting their own paths as truth-tellers.
Take our beloved Toni Morrison, who published her first novel, The Bluest Eye, at 39 and consistently highlighted Black narratives in her work. When questioned about her focus on Black culture, voices and experiences, she responded:
“I have spent my entire writing life trying to make sure that the white gaze was not the dominant one in any of my books.”
Similarly, Ida B. Wells was unwavering in her commitment to anti-lynching work, civil rights and the suffrage of Black women. She refused to accept token gestures of inclusion, emphasizing that inclusion without power is not progress—it is performance.
We are also reminded of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress and a 1972 presidential candidate at the age of 48, with the campaign slogan, “Unbought and Unbossed.” She also recognized the importance of self-determination and authenticity. On the topic of her candidacy, she remarked:
“I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman and equally proud of that. I am the candidate of the people.”
Chisholm’s campaign embodied a radical act of divesting from imposed narratives about who could lead and for whom they could lead. Her run for president was not about seeking permission but instead reclaiming space for all those marginalized by the political mainstream.
These trailblazers demonstrate the power of prioritizing community values by affirming Black culture, power and self-determination as a non-negotiable. Their work was rooted in the sovereignty to tell their own stories, fight for justice, and drive change beyond oppressive systems. Their refusal to conform wasn’t just resistance; it was a declaration of autonomy and a commitment to shaping movements on their own terms for the collective liberation of their people.
I am the candidate of the people.
Shirley Chisholm
What Does Transformation Look Like in Practice?
This transformation is an enduring invitation for courageous introspection, encouraging us to ask: What does this transformation look like in practice?
Our answer envisions a future where:
The menopause experience is no longer framed within a falsely narrow lens of uniformity but is recognized as intersecting, dynamic and vast. It mirrors the realities of those who have always been here. The Menopausal Multiverse honors complexity. It does not flatten or sanitize. It makes space for grief and joy, for identity and evolution, for nuance and contradiction.
No single voice is asked to represent an entire community; instead, the breadth of our identities, expertise and lived experiences is honored. Tokenism is replaced with true power-sharing. Representation is no longer symbolic—it is structural. Leadership is shared. Voices are amplified without being exploited.
There is no expectation that we or the community we stand in solidarity with bring our knowledge, insight and labor without a mutual exchange of learning, investment and accountability. Partnerships are rooted in radical reciprocity. Our time, our stories, our creative and cultural labor are not extracted for optics. They are valued, supported and protected in mutual relationships rooted in justice.
Those who have been systematically excluded are not just included—they are the primary architects of a new, more just, and expansive understanding of menopause. Marginalized voices lead the political, cultural and spiritual transformation of the menopausal narrative. The Menopausal Multiverse does not ask for permission. It builds on ancestral knowing, creative resistance and deep relational power to guide us into what comes next.
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This is the future we are building. And we know we are not building it alone. We invite those who are committed to doing the work to join us in the multiverse, where liberation goes beyond an abstract idea and becomes a practice we live, shape and protect … together.
