How a new California law reduces the stigma of periods and helps students focus on school
Two months into the COVID-19 lockdown, I was reading “Period Power” by Nadya Okamoto when I decided I would call my county supervisor and my congresswoman to ask for help on a new project. It would come to be known as the Period Equity Project, an initiative to bring free period product dispensers to high school bathrooms in the Bay Area. Now a new state law is taking the same principle statewide.
After a year and a half of planning, virtual meetings and grant proposals, the Period Equity Project is in full effect at three high schools in San Mateo County. That means that students on these campuses have access to free period products in girls’ and gender-neutral bathrooms.
Students at these schools told me that as a result of new bathroom period product dispensers, they found themselves more able to focus on school because they weren’t preoccupied with how to handle their periods.
“It’s kind of like a sigh of relief at not having to worry about it all the time,” San Mateo student Ruhi Putta said. “You don’t have to walk across campus to the nurse’s office in the middle of class to get a tampon.”
Students also said their outlook on menstruation has become more positive since the new dispensers were installed. San Mateo student Samhida Mishra said the dispensers make periods “seem a lot less taboo.” Other students shared similar sentiments, saying the presence of the dispensers on campus dispelled the shame and stigma surrounding menstruation and helped them talk openly about periods.
Before installing the dispensers in school bathrooms, we surveyed 694 menstruators from San Mateo and Jefferson high schools. Over 32% reported that they would leave school early if they unexpectedly got their period and didn’t have period products with them.
One semester in, the two-year pilot program has revealed that students who menstruate are more equipped to focus on their education because their schools are providing them with the resources they need. At the same time, these dispensers have helped students embrace an aspect of their bodies that society has taught them to hide and be ashamed of.
Collaborating with officials in San Mateo County empowered me to expand the project to UC Santa Cruz, where I am now a student. I have worked with the dean of students’ office to gradually stock bathrooms with free dispensers while participating in a statewide coalition to pass a menstrual equity bill in California.
Assembly Bill 367, the Menstrual Equity for All Act, was passed by the state Legislature with overwhelming, bipartisan support and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October. As of the 2022-23 school year, it will require public middle and high schools, community colleges and CSU campuses to provide an adequate supply of free menstrual products in bathrooms. UC campuses and private higher education institutions will be encouraged to do the same.
After AB 367 became law, the Period Equity Project pivoted to helping local schools meet the state requirement. Additionally, I will be continuing to work with the coalition behind the bill to develop a plan for schools across the state to do so.
Although California’s new law is cause for celebration, we can still expand and improve upon the limited number of similar laws in place across the country and the world as we continue to fight for menstrual equity.