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MENSTRUAL EQUITY October 2019

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MENSTRUAL EQUITY October 2019 Policy Pack II.IX MENSTRUAL EQUITY October 2019 PLATFORMWOMEN.ORG @PLATFORMWOMEN MENSTRUAL EQUITY Table of Contents Letter from Platform 1 Lingo- Definitions of key acronyms, phrases, and words 2 The Rundown- A breakdown of the issue at hand 3 Numbers You Need to Know- Pressing statistics 6 All that Governs 8 Who’s Saying What?- Excerpts from the national conversation 10 Recent Legislation 12 What States Are Doing 13 Stories- A peak into the lives of people impacted 14 Think On It- Guide to continue your own research and understanding 15 On the Table- Discussion questions to aid your dialogue 16 Do Something- Steps to turn the conversations into action 17 MENSTRUAL EQUITY Letter from Platform Dear Platform Community, I remember wanting to shrink inside myself the day I got home from school and saw the red spots down my jeans. I remember stocking shelves at the market and the boys refusing to stock the tampons (read: refused to touch a cardboard box full of wrapped pieces of tissue) so I threw the boxes at them instead. I remember starting birth control and the relief of not having to wear two pads and a tampon at once. I remember interning in an all-woman office and the freedom of not having to whisper, "anyone have a tampon?" and that changing when it was no longer 'just us girls.' I remember finally not giving a damn and leaving my tampons at the top of my bag in my office only to be told, "put that away, that's dirty." I remember co-hosting a Period Party, a night of talking openly about menstruation and still guests saying, "I'm here for Period Party," in hushed tones until they were safely inside. What amazes me most about these mundane moments, is how acutely I remember them. I don't remember the times I got a cold. I don't remember the days my height or shoe-size grew. I don't remember most of the changes that happened to my body (though I remember being told it was time for a bra and that was...fun) or the ways my body reacted to those changes. Yet every instance of this natural, bodily occurrence is seared in my mind and every instance is wrapped in a cloak of shame or daringness, never just being. And I was lucky enough to get the American Girl Dolls "Caring and Keeping of You" book before puberty even set in and knew pads and tampons were always within reach. For too many, this monthly, natural occurrence leads to a choice between food or menstrual hygiene; missed school or work; bullying; anxiety; "pain more severe than a heart attack;" not getting to visit a loved one experiencing incarceration; a questioning of self; and so much more. Understanding this, delegates at our 2018 National Convention called on Platform to take action for equity for ALL menstruators. They made clear it was time for full access to menstrual products in schools, in prisons and jails, in the workplace, and in bathrooms for all genders. Our delegates' leadership brought us to the table with Congresswoman Meng's staff where we added our voice to the conversation on her Menstrual Equity for All Act. We, along with our incredible partners at De Lune, called for explicitly gender-neutral language and affirmed our support for comprehensive efforts to end period poverty. A year, a Period Party, and a ME4All lobby day later, we are thrilled to play our part in the movement for menstrual equity. We are grateful to learn from the organizations leading the way, because this is a movement long-fought but sure to be won. And we cannot wait to show up in solidarity for PERIOD's National Period Day on October 19. See you there. In sisterhood and progress, Jen and The Platform Team 1 MENSTRUAL EQUITY Lingo Endometriosis- The uterine lining is located on other organs in an individual’s body, typically within the lower abdomen and pelvis. While some people with endometriosis may not experience symptoms, endometriosis can cause lower abdominal pain, incredible period pain, painful sex, and challenges getting pregnant. 1 Dysmenorrhea- Put simply, dysmenorrhea is menstrual cramps. However, there are two types that lead to drastically different pain levels. Primary dysmenorrhea is cramping, whereas secondary dysmenorrhea is the result of a disorder in reproductive organs (including endometriosis). 2 Menorrhagia- Very heavy menstrual bleeding. 3 Menstrual Hygiene- “Menstrual Hygiene is vital to the empowerment and well-being of women and girls worldwide. It is about more than just access to sanitary pads and appropriate toilets – though those are important. It is also about ensuring women and girls live in an environment that values and supports their ability to manage their menstruation with dignity.” 4 Period Poverty- Period poverty is what happens when we treat menstrual products as a luxury. It is the inability to access menstrual products as they are needed, and has pervasive consequences for all menstruators from missed school and work to unhealthy solutions. Toxic Shock- The result of bacteria producing toxins in the skin or on the mucous membranes. It is rare, but can be found in both menstruators and non-menstruators. The bacteria may be trapped in the vagina as a result of tampon use and can even grow on tampons, particularly when they are not changed properly or on superabsorbent tampons during a light flow. Tampons may cause small cuts allowing the bacteria to enter the blood. As a result, one may experience nausea or vomiting; fever and chills; peeling skin; diarrhea; rashes; and more. 2 MENSTRUAL EQUITY The Rundown “Suppose that we had a menopausal woman President who had to make the decision of the Bay of Pigs or the Russian contretemps with Cuba at the time? Such a president could be ‘subject to the curious mental aberrations of that age group.’” Period shame predates modern politics, but in 1970 Dr. Edgar Berman, a member of the Democratic Party’s Committee on National Priorities declared that because women are subject to “raging hormonal imbalances,” women cannot lead. Fortunately, there is truth to the “period power” notion, and the late U.S. Representative Patsy Mink forced Berman’s resignation. 5 While nearly humorous today, this display of period shame and ignorance is but a small piece of the inequity bound up in menstruation. At the core of this inequity is period poverty, or the inability to afford menstrual health products. Period poverty is what happens when we treat menstrual products as a luxury. It is the inability to access menstrual products as they are needed and has pervasive consequences for all menstruators from missed school and work to unhealthy solutions. Today, about one in five girls in the United States have either left or missed school because they didn’t have access to menstrual products. Students should not need to worry about affording or accessing menstrual hygiene products in order to stay in school and stay healthy. Students’ educational opportunities should not be limited because of menstruation. Just as students are missing school, period poverty and shame leads to missed work days, which takes a toll on everyone. For those without access to paid sick leave, having their period could mean losing pay. The treatment of menstrual hygiene as a luxury is apparent in 35 states across the country, which classify menstrual products (including pads, tampons and menstrual cups) as non- essential items and are resultantly subject to states’ sales tax. State sales taxes may be as high as 7 percent and a box of tampons can cost at least $7.00 pre-tax, for a total of $7.49 per box. 6 The federal minimum wage is $7.25, so for many menstruators in the low-wage workforce, they will spend well over an hour every month working just to be able to afford menstrual hygiene products. That estimate does not account for whether there are other family members who menstruate that need to be provided for or whether one box will provide the right number of tampons in the sizes the menstruator needs. The majority of menstruators will use an average of 9,120 tampons in their lifetime. In a state with 7 percent sales tax and $7 per box of tampons, that is $1,897.50 menstruators are spending on tampons alone. 7 These numbers have even deeper impacts for the 25 million women living below the poverty line in the U.S who cannot use their food stamps to purchase menstrual products 8 and the roughly 16 percent of transgender men making less than $10,000 a year. 9 For those living below the poverty line and experiencing homelessness, access to products is not the only problem. “Customer only” rules mean homeless individuals may not have access to a sanitary or private restroom. As one homeless woman testified, “The worst thing about being female and homeless is being on your period… Nobody here lets you use the bathroom. You have very few locations where you can change your tampon, where you can get pads … it’s really hard for females, especially at that time of [the] month.” 10 3 MENSTRUAL EQUITY The Rundown (cont'd) Period Poverty is also prevalent for indigenous people living on reservations. On reservations, like Pine Ridge Reservation the degrees of isolation and poverty are so great that period poverty is rampant. Eva Marie Carney, founder of the Kwek Society as well as member and representative of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, cites the average per capita income on the Pine Ridge Reservation to be $9,150, and the nearest Wal-Mart is an hour away.
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