Idaho Legislature refused to put period products in schools. Keep pushing for change | Opinion

It’s been just over a month since Idaho’s House of Representatives voted down HB 313, a bill that would have required public and charter schools serving 6th through 12th grade students to provide period products in female and unisex restrooms.

When I envisioned how I would spend my time in college, I hadn’t anticipated the significant amount of time I would spend talking about periods — let alone convincing others they should be talking about them too. I am a junior at Boise State University. I’m also the President of BSU’s Menstrual Equity Club, a group focused on breaking down the stigma surrounding menstruation and raising awareness about period poverty, which describes a person’s inability to consistently afford or access period products.

College students are one of the most impacted groups of people affected by period poverty. To address this, our club hosts a week-long period product drive every fall to collect monetary donations, pads, tampons, menstrual cups and more for the campus food pantry. That way, period products are available whenever a menstruator (an inclusive term for anyone with a period) is in need.

Period product drives happen at high schools around the country, including in our state. These efforts are extremely impressive. However, students should not bear this burden. Menstruation is a basic bodily function that has been overlooked for far too long.

It is time for the state to step in.

House Bill 313 would have created consistent access to period products across the state. So far, the gap is filled by donations — but donations fluctuate, making them a band-aid to this monthly need. The bill allocated $735,400 to the discretionary fund: $435,000 to cover the installation of product dispensers and $300,400 for purchasing tampons, pads, or other menstrual products.

During committee hearings and floor debate, some legislators raised concern for the cost, pointing toward other issues that could use those funds.

Creating competition between issues pulls attention from the matter at hand: menstruation is considered an individual’s burden to carry, plan for and keep to themselves. Meanwhile, sanitation for any other bodily function has been calculated for.

Every restroom has toilet paper, hand towels and hand soap. Schools have bandages for cuts and scrapes. What makes period blood so different? Why is the expectation for students to carry period products at the ready, or risk losing class time to hunt down the necessary hygiene item? For too long women have had to keep periods a secret and support each other. This shouldn’t be the case.

If you menstruate, I’m willing to bet you have been surprised by a period once or twice in your life. My very first period in 7th grade was a surprise. Needing a pad, I had to ask a friend because there weren’t any in the school bathroom. Years later after a high school marching band performance, I couldn’t access any period products. Despite my preparation for such scenarios, as we are told to do, my products were in a locked building. I sat pondering how long I could go without bleeding through my pants.

House Bill 313 would have prevented this fate for younger generations. Providing period products in school restrooms is common sense, and provides a sense of security that students will have the supplies they need, whenever that might be.

Become an advocate for this issue by evaluating how much you understand about menstruation. Do you understand when or why periods happen? Do you know what different tampon sizes are for? (Answer: They’re a range of absorbency levels, not the size of the vaginal canal.)

Note if period products are at your school. Inform your legislators whether your school supplies menstrual products, especially if they don’t! Tell them Idaho must improve access to period products by placing them in schools, at no cost to students. After all, it’s up to us to reshape the conversation about menstruation as the normal process it is — and support today’s menstruating students.

This story was originally published May 7, 2023 at 4:00 AM.