Quoted
“It was really important to Mass NOW in working on this bill, to use the word ‘menstruating individual’ in the bill language, because we know that not every woman menstruates and not every person who menstruates identifies as a woman,” Sasha Goodfriend, executive director of Mass NOW told MassLive.
— Cassie McGrath, “Fighting period poverty: Massachusetts bill would make menstrual products free and accessible in public schools, prisons, shelters” MassLive, March 8, 2022
Mass NOW Executive Director Sasha Goodfriend said the effort will tackle “issues of public health, economic inequality, educational equity, and gender equity all at once.”
— “Fall River takes step toward free menstrual products” State House News Service, February 17, 2022
Sasha Goodfriend - executive director of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization for Women - noted the Commonwealth's equal-pay law means employers cannot request information about a person's past salary before making an offer, and they cannot retaliate against workers for discussing their pay.
— Lily Bohlke, “Pay Equity Coalition: With Job Creation, Increase Access for Women” Public News Service, December 20, 2021
Sasha Goodfriend, executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Organization for Women called this bill “critically important” to the validation of people’s identities, and can improve access to services if they feel more comfortable using their ID.“There’s a lot of agencies already around the state who have added nonbinary markers to their databases, so really, this is catching up,” she said.
— Amy Sokolow, “Bills passed in Massachusetts Senate would allow ‘X’ sex on IDs, require ‘medically accurate’ sex ed in schools” The Boston Herald, Sept 25, 2021
Sasha Goodfriend, who is chair of the commission, said the report was conducted after years of complaints from LGBTQ youth in the DCF system and national statistics showing that 45 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth in child welfare systems have attempted suicide.”
— Kate Lusignan, “Report finds LGBTQ youth face ‘significant threat’ in DCF system” The Boston Globe, August 2, 2021
““Menstrual products are a necessity. They’re not a luxury. And they’re something the state should consider a public good and not leave it up to incredible young people to do the activism on top of their schoolwork,” said Goodfriend.”
— “‘A Necessity': Bill Would Make Menstrual Products Mandatory at Mass. Schools, Prisons” NBC Boston NECN, 7 June 2021
““A year later, the movement has won,” if DeMarco and other board members step down, said Sasha Goodfriend, director of Mass NOW, which cosponsored the alternative mayoral forum this week. “It’s a huge testament to the power of grass-roots organizing that this volunteer-led initiative was successful.”
— Ebbert, Stephanie. “Amid turmoil at Boston Pride, embattled president will resign as boycott brings change”
The Boston Globe, 9 June 2021
“Our cosponsors have been boycotting Boston Pride for a year now, since 80 percent of the volunteers resigned,” said Sasha Goodfriend, director of Mass Now. “Our demands have not changed. We want the mayor, we want the mayoral candidates, and we want community organizations to take a stand, to hold Boston Pride accountable to being representative of the community.”
— Ebbert, Stephanie. “LGBTQ activists upstage mayoral forum by Boston Pride”
The Boston Globe, 1 June 2021
“We call it the I AM bill for two reasons,” Goodfriend said. “One, it’s an acronym to increase access for menstrual products. And two, because we want to break the taboo and the stigma around menstruation, and our menstrual activists in our coalition are proud and unapologetic about being menstruators.”
— Yang, Angela. “The Dignity Initiative: Fighting for Menstrual Care During COVID” The Dig, 8 Feb. 2021
“With the virus, we are thinking about necessities like toilet paper and paper towels, healthcare, public health and housing now more than ever,” Goodfriend said. “The fact of the matter is that menstrual products are also a necessity, and so we need to treat them as such.”
— Dusinberre, Ali. “Coronavirus Could Sideline Important Period Poverty Bill.” The Scope, 28 Apr. 2020
“The movement is about ensuring access, but it’s really also about breaking the stigma around menstruation,” she explains. “For the first time, women across generations are able to share their stories about their periods and realize they aren’t alone, together taking collective action.”
— Yannone, Tessa. “On National Period Day Boston Activists Are Rallying for Change.” Boston Magazine, Boston Magazine, 19 Oct. 2019
“The most common thing that I hear when having a conversation about this bill is, ‘I can't believe we didn't already talk about this,’” Goodfriend said. “That just speaks to the underrepresentation of menstruators in government and public policy that we really need to consider a crisis.”
— Williams, Kaya. “A Burst Of Red At Boston City Hall For First-Ever National Period Day.” WGBH, 24 Oct. 2019
“There is this power that comes with being able to tell your truth and be seen by people who believe you and that you're not alone,” Goodfriend said.
— Williams, Kaya. “A Burst Of Red At Boston City Hall For First-Ever National Period Day.” WGBH, 24 Oct. 2019
“Put simply, period policy is feminist policy,” Sasha Goodfriend, President of Mass NOW,
— Fields, Isabel. “The Fight for Menstrual Equity Marches on in Massachusetts.”
Ms. Magazine, 29 Oct. 2019,
“I think especially since the 2016 presidential election, there’s been an effort among feminists to really double down on this idea of self actualization, that we should not be ashamed for our bodies, who we are, and that we are going to be unapologetic demanding that public spaces really do accommodate menstruators, like they do non-menstruators.”
— Beland, Amanda. “Cities Across Massachusetts Are Trying to Make Getting Your Period in School Less Difficult.”
Teen Vogue, 2 July 2019,
“This is the first time I think in Massachusetts that we’re really seeing more momentum around the conversation around menstrual equity,”
— Ebbert, Stephanie. “For Young Activists, a New Cause: Period Parity”
The Boston Globe, 12 June 2019,
“We're really excited about the opportunity to break away that stigma and those barriers around something that's natural and really be able to be our full authentic selves in all the spaces.”