Text by AJIN JEONG and ANDREW XUE
UNWRAPPING
PERIOD
STIGMA FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCT BILL SPARKS CONVERSATIONS
Photo by Ajin Jeong
18 NOVEMBER 2021
$
20 A MONTH. $240 A YEAR. $18,000 over the course of a lifetime. That is how much money an average female spends on feminine hygiene products, according to the National Organization for Women. This life necessity can be an expensive investment for low-income people, especially students who may have trouble accessing menstrual products. Until the Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021 was signed by Governor Newsom on Oct. 8, existing laws required public schools with 40% of students below poverty threshold to stock restrooms with free feminine hygiene products. The new bill requires public schools with students grades 6-12, California State Universities and community college districts to stock the schools’ restrooms with free menstrual products in all women’s restrooms, all-gender restrooms and at least one men’s restroom regardless of poverty threshold before the start of the 2022-23 school year. Palo Alto High School administrators have already made plans to install more menstrual products in female and gender-neutral restrooms on campus. “We met with the district last week and did a tour of all the bathrooms, and I had to order six of those dispensers,” Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said. “So we were two days ahead of the state.” Easy access By stocking menstrual products in bathrooms, Paly administrators and health professionals aim to increase access to menstrual products for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds, regardless of their gender identity. “I think it will be very helpful to those young women [who come from low-income families],” campus Health Technician Jennifer Kleckner said. “I have known students in the past who found it very hard to have access to those [menstrual] products, and it can be humiliating to not have them.” Gender studies teacher Jaclyn Edwards said she believes that widespread accessibility to menstrual products across the school campus reduces the stigma surrounding the use of menstrual products for non-female students. “It’s not about if a girl needs it and a man doesn’t,” Edwards said. “It’s acknowl-
