#menstrual equity

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Why putting free period products in men's bathrooms is good for everyone

One in three low-wage women will miss work, school, and other events due to period poverty — and trans men experience it, too.

Ryan Adamczeski at The Advocate:

It isn't just women who need menstrual products, or who experience period poverty. While Republicans push legislation targeting transgender people, there's several policies they refuse to pass that could benefit all Americas regardless of gender. The states passing trans bathroom and sports bans are the same states that reject measures that would make menstrual products free and accessible to all. Here's everything you need to know about period poverty, and why free menstrual products are good for women, men, and nonbinary people alike.

What is period poverty?

Period poverty refers to one's inability to access menstruation, sanitation, and hygiene products due to cost or lack of resources. One in four students who menstruate in the United States have trouble accessing supplies, according to a survey from Alliance for Period Supplies, and over one in three (37 percent) adults who menstruate say they or their family have struggled to afford menstrual products.

Why are period products so expensive?

Period products are taxed differently in the United States than other medical or sanitation products. While Viagra, the erectile dysfunction pill, is classified as a tax-exempt health product in many states, period products are classified as luxury goods and are therefore taxed at the highest rate, which has been denounced by the United Nations. [...]

Why should period products be free?

One in three low-wage women will miss work, school, and other events due to lack of access to period products, according to APS. Over 44 percent of teens reported stress and embarrassment due to a lack of access to period products, and 25 percent of teens are unable to do schoolwork due to lack of access. However, after New York passed a law mandating free products for students, participating NYC schools saw a 2.5 percent increase in attendance. The government also already provides other free sanitation products in public bathrooms, such as toilet paper, paper towels, and soap.

Why should period products be in men's bathrooms?

Transgender men and nonbinary people also experience menstruation, as well as period poverty, which can be reduced by putting products in men's restrooms.

Despite the right-wing outrage about menstrual products in men’s restrooms, putting such products in men’s rooms is a net benefit.

[winnipegwinterpeg]

Access For All. Period.

Free pads and tampons are now available throughout Manitoba as part of the Access for All Period program, led by the Manitoba government. This program is focused on ending period poverty by providing equal access to menstrual products for all.

What is period poverty?

Period poverty is the inability to access or afford menstrual products, preventing youth and adults who menstruate from participating in their everyday lives.

Why is this important?

Removing barriers to access menstrual products is crucial to the physical and mental health of all who menstruate. A lack of proper access can result in dangerous situations, leading to both short and long term physical harm, as well as mental health issues including anxiety, depression and self-isolation. For students, it can negatively impact attendance and participation, affecting long-term achievement and resulting in missed educational and employment opportunities.

How does the program work?

The Manitoba government, in partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart, is providing readily available pads and tampons free to those in need. Products are available to all Manitobans in schools and community organizations as listed below. Free menstrual products are also available at participating shelters throughout the province through the Access for All Period program.

Where can I go?

You can access free menstrual products at the following locations (38 total, 26 in Winnipeg) under the cut:

* Andrews Street Family Centre, 220 Andrews Street, Winnipeg

* Blue Thunderbird Family Care, 998 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg

* Acorn Family Place, 222 Furby Street #202, Winnipeg

* Canadian Muslim Women's Institute, 61 Juno Street #201, Winnipeg

* Community Ambition, 266A Linwood Street, Winnipeg

* Elmwood Community Resource Centre, 545 Watt Street, Winnipeg

* Family Dynamics, 393 Portage Avenue #401, Winnipeg

* First Nations Family Advocate, 286 Smith Street #200, Winnipeg

* The Food Vault and Community Resource Centre, 24 Hampton East, P.O. Box 881, MacGregor

* Fort Garry Women's Resource Centre, 1150A Waverly Street, Winnipeg

* Holy Names House of Peace, 211 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg

* Interlake Women's Resource Centre, 87 - 5th Avenue, Gimli

* Lakeshore Family Resource Centre, 9 Main Street, Ashern

* Madeline's Closet, 40 Main Street, Inwood

* Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, 445 King Street, Winnipeg

* Marlene Street Resource Centre, 27 Marlene Street #6, Winnipeg

* Men are Part of the Solution (MAPS), 117B Commercial Place, Thompson

* N'Dinawemak, 190 Disraeli Freeway, Winnipeg

* Ndinawe, 472 Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg

* North End Women's Centre, 394 Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg

* North Point Douglas Women's Centre, 221 Austin Street North, Winnipeg

* NorWest - A Woman's Place, 945 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg

* NorWest - Community Health, 785 Keewatin Street, Winnipeg

* Pluri-elles, 114-l420 Des Meurons Street, Winnipeg

* Samaritan House, 1610 Pacific Avenue, Brandon

* South Winnipeg Family Information Centre, 800 Point Road, Winnipeg

* Steinbach Family Resource Centre, 101 North Front Drive, Steinbach

* Swan Valley Crisis Centre, 119 9th Avenue North, Swan River

* The Counselling Centre, 335 9th Street, Brandon

* The Pas Family Resource Centre, 103 Edwards Avenue, The Pas

* Thrive Community Support Circle, 3-406 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg

* Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, 225 Dufferin Street, Winnipeg

* Winnipeg Central Park Women's Resource Centre, 400 Edmonton Avenue, Winnipeg

* Women's Safe Haven, 228-35 Main Street, Flin Flon

* West Central Women's Resource Centre, 640 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg

* Western MB Women's Regional Resource Centre, 729 Princess Avenue, Brandon

* YMCA Winnipeg (Downtown Branch) 301 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg, (West Portage Branch) 3550 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg

[thedashproject]

[fringlepringle]

I AM SO ANGRY. I have only ever read like 2 fiction books that have had the mention of periods. Anyone with female reproductive organs experienced them at some point. And we just go around living our lives going to work/school like normal. We are very good at making it so no one can tell how much pain we are in. ITS LITERALLY OUR OWN INSIDES WORKING AGAINST US. And then we go home, take our pain relief pills and curl up into a ball with a hot water bottle while watching a movie/tv show.

[rapeculturerealities]

Turkey: ′Sanitary products are not a luxury′

For months, the "Campus Witches" of Turkey have protested against the rising cost of sanitary products, which they say should be free. For m

In the middle of January, some 20 students protested in front of the finance ministry in the western Turkish port city of Izmir. Holding up two sets of oversized women's underpants with red stains, they chanted: "We cannot buy sanitary pads anymore, we cannot even afford two meals a day."

They were part of the "Campus Witches” movement that campaigns for the rights of girls and women, mainly in universities and other establishments of higher education. They were wearing the pink and purple witch's hats that have become their trademark.

In recent months, they have particularly campaigned against the drastic rise of the cost of sanitary products and called for the 18% tax on such items to be abolished. They say that since menstruation is natural, sanitary products are not a luxury but essential.

Therefore, they think they should be provided for free by the state. In the meantime, they have stepped up initiatives such as solidarity boxes in women's toilets and other public spaces where people can donate tampons and pads for those who cannot afford them

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Flailing MAGA media settle on strange attack against Harris VP pick Tim Walz: “Tampon Tim”

Payton Armstrong at MMFA:

Right-wing figures are sharing memes attempting to brand the new Democratic vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as “Tampon Tim” for signing a bill to provide menstrual products in public school bathrooms. This is the latest in a series of bizarre attacks that right-wing figures have launched at Walz.

In 2023, Walz signed a bill requiring Minnesota public schools to provide access to free menstrual products, including tampons, in bathrooms for all students in grades 4 through 12. The law, which went into effect earlier this year, “has been in the works for several years, with high school students across the state leading the charge,” CBS News reported. After presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate on August 6, MAGA media figures launched a slew of desperate, bigoted, and weird attacks against Walz. Conservative pundits responded to the news with anti-Muslim, anti-trans, and anti-Black rhetoric alongside criticisms of Walz’s folksy appearance. The bizarre attacks also came from right-wing figures on social media, who used the 2023 law to mock Walz as “Tampon Tim.”

MAGA media trolls push strange attacks on Tim Walz by calling him "Tampon Tim."

See Also:

LGBTQ Nation: Conservatives are outraged that Tim Walz provided free tampons for all students who need them

[justinspoliticalcorner]

GOP senator ruthlessly mocked for saying hurricane victims don't need tampons - LGBTQ Nation

“I think he means that menstruation stops if the President declares a natural disaster,” one commenter joked.

Daniel Villarreal at LGBTQ Nation:

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) is being mocked on social media for his ignorance about menstruating people after he criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for discussing tampons on a podcast while victims of Hurricane Helene are still recovering from the storm’s devastation.

“Finally, last couple of days, the vice president goes on some show called Call Her Daddy or Call Your Daddy or Who’s Your Daddy or something … and among other things, she’s talking about tampons,” Kennedy said while speaking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on October 7. Kennedy was referring to Harris’ recent appearance on Call Her Daddy, a massively popular women’s empowerment podcast. [...] Nevertheless, continuing to criticize Harris, Kennedy said, “You know, the people of Appalachia right now don’t give a function about tampons. They need water. They need to get out. I’m sorry, I’ll say it again: You cannot make this stuff up.” However, numerous commenters on X mocked Kennedy for not recognizing that people who menstruate still need associated hygiene products while recovering from a natural disaster.

This is just a classless and out-of-touch statement from Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-LA).

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Why Are Conservatives Grasping at (Tampon) Strings to Criticize Tim Walz?

Opinion: Making sure students, teachers, and staff can access necessary health-care supplies like menstrual products is exemplary—not shamef

Avital Norman Nathman at Rewire:

Within hours of Vice President Kamala Harris’ announcement that she had chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Donald Trump’s followers mockingly dubbed him “Tampon Tim.” Named for a recent Minnesota law that provides free menstrual products in public schools, the opposition took joy in deriding a man who signed a bill that addresses a very real public health need. I can’t be the only one who has had to stuff scratchy, one-ply toilet paper in my underwear after an ill-timed or unexpected period while in school. In fact, I know there are others like me, because as a teen, not a month went by without a friend asking if I had a spare pad or tampon.

In the days after the Tampon Tim moniker gained momentum, many friends shared their own stories of menstrual malfunctions and humiliations, where access to free supplies would have been a lifesaver. According to Alliance for Period Supplies, which leads a national network of more than 140 independent, community-based nonprofits working to end period poverty, 86 percent of people who menstruate have started their period unexpectedly in public. So to find out that Minnesota public schools are now stocking bathrooms to ensure that students, teachers, and staff have the supplies they need? I don’t think it’s shameful in the least. It’s exemplary.

However, conservatives took a cursory look at the law and decided to run with the sensationalized spin that Walz was forcing fourth-grade boys to have tampons in their bathrooms. Grasping to find some way to sell this to their base, they infused a “trans panic” on the public health policy that states Minnesota public schools “must provide students with access to menstrual products at no charge. The products must be available to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.” The language actually provides schools with flexibility, and nobody is being forced to use any products.

[...]

The shock and outrage over boys as young as 10 coming across a pad or tampon while at school is just a smokescreen for transphobia—because yes, there are most likely nonbinary or trans students, staff, and faculty who now really appreciate having access to health-care products they require. And perhaps, some schools will provide products in their boys’ restrooms, but as the mother of a teen son who “bravely” uses the bathroom in our home with unfettered access to tampons and pads of various sizes, I can tell you that the boys will be alright. Worst-case scenario, these young dudes get some free toys to play with. But best-case scenario, they grow up thinking of pads and tampons as boring and normal—because they are.

In our house, menstrual products aren’t dirty, gross, or shameful, just items needed on occasion. When I asked my son if he had heard of the Tampon Tim nickname, he thought it had actually come from the Harris camp as a positive endorsement, and laughed at the thought of anyone using it to ridicule someone.

[...]

Minnesota is not alone. The state joins Hawaii, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon in providing state-funded, free period products in public schools. Ten other states, along with Washington, D.C., require free products to be available in public schools despite not offering funding, and eight other states (including conservative-leaning ones like Alabama, Arizona, and Georgia) have no state mandates, but do provide funding for schools that want to offer free products. So while online critics may be attempting to attack Walz, more than 50 percent of states are tackling this public health need.

Why are the right obsessed with lobbing tampon attacks against Tim Walz? Their campaign against menstrual equity is part of their campaign of reinforcing traditional gender roles.