How do you measure the success of a community event? Is it by the number of people who show up, the partnerships you forge, or how many strangers willingly sign up to experience simulated menstrual cramps on a Tuesday night?
When members of the Monthly Dignity team planned Cramp Your Style, our menstrual health-themed trivia night, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Trivia about periods in the middle of the week? I figured if a dozen friends and a few curious strangers showed up, we’d call it a win.
But the night far exceeded anything I imagined.
I was stationed at the door at Bar Coop Milton Parc (hands-down one of the coziest venues in town) greeting people as they streamed in. And they just… kept arriving. Six at a time, whole teams piling in like it was some kind of menstrual Met Gala. Within the hour, the space was packed—nearly 65 people—and the energy in the room was unmistakable.
One of the biggest hits of the night? Cassandra from Somedays and the infamous Period Pain Simulator (1). If you’ve never seen someone voluntarily hook themselves up to a device that mimics contractions, it’s… a lot. In the best way. People tensed, sweated, laughed, and groaned. Some begged for mercy. And as someone who deals with brutal period pain, I gotta say: it was deeply satisfying. I felt a strange mix of empathy, pride, and maybe a little bit of petty justice. Okay, a lot of petty justice.
Watching others voluntarily engage with that kind of discomfort felt deeply validating. I found myself cheering people on—not just for enduring it, but for being willing to step into an experience that so many of us are expected to suffer through silently every month. There was laughter, yes, but there was also understanding. You could see it in people’s eyes—that flash of recognition, that dawning empathy.
Throughout the night, we connected with amazing folks from across the city, including the wonderful team from AIDS Community Care Montreal, who showed up to lend their support (2). Our raffle was a hit, too, with prizes such as the Somedays Period Relief Kit, books including Period Power by Maisie Hill and Red Moon Gang by Tara Costello, an Aisle gift card, a uterus plushie, and menstrual disc that were generously donated by our local partner Fornix (3).
By the end of the evening, I felt full in the best way. I realized something had shifted. We hadn’t just pulled off a successful event. We’d created a space where people felt seen, included, and informed. That feeling when you know you’re in the right place, doing something that matters? That. It clicked.
So, how do you measure success? Sure, attendance counts. The donations received and awareness raised matter. But what I’ll remember most is the feeling in the room: the laughter, the discomfort, the conversations, the spark of awareness that lit up people’s faces. That’s what tells me it worked.
And yes, raising money for menstrual equity definitely helps, too.
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