By Jami Thall, Reproductive Justice Task Force Co-Chair
Toilet paper is a no-brainer, along with hand soap and paper towels. Accessible personal hygiene is essential as we move through our daily lives. Period products are also essential, but nowhere near as accessible. Why not?
Well, for many years menstruation was stigmatized, whispered about, not a topic for discussion. But as UU’s with our proud history of AYS and OWL, we know that periods are a normal, natural part of life.
So why don’t we have period products in our restrooms? Perhaps because no one asked the question.
Now, we are asking. Let’s make sure that all of our restrooms in all of our congregations have period products available for all. Let’s be mindful that if your congregation has gender-specific restrooms, they should all have menstrual products available. Questions about this? Check in with your OWL team.
Menstrual Equity is one of our UUFA Reproductive Justice Task Force goals. “Support legislation and initiatives that seek to help different populations afford and access needed menstrual products within our state’s public institutions. This includes schools, colleges, universities, detention facilities and shelters. We will also work within our own congregations to ensure that free menstrual products can be provided to all members who visit our meeting spaces.
Let’s make period products accessible to everyone in our congregational spaces. Period.
⬇ Join us: Sign on with your congregation below. ⬇
I would prefer that we had unisex restrooms, but with specific men’s and women‘s rooms, I don’t see the need for these products in the men’s room, but certainly having them accessible in family, unisex, and women‘s rooms makes sense. I do remember pay machines in women’s rooms in the past; interestingly, they seem to have become less common.
Hello, Sally! Thank you for reading and commenting. The primary reason for including period products in men’s restrooms is to welcome and affirm trans men who could use these products. Even if current church members don’t have use for these products, setting out the basket today is a simple way to build accessibility & inclusion structures in anticipation of welcoming new members tomorrow. 🙂 Setting out period products in these spaces can also help to normalize menstruation.
When providing “check one” options, please consider congregations that are small and meet via zoom or rent and have little say over their environment.