Menstruation: it’s sort of the elephant in the room for many, with a definite presence but little to no acknowledgement, despite its regularity. Brown University is attempting to change that in a big way.
Spearheaded by the Undergraduate Council of Students and representative Viet Nguyen in particular, Brown is not only going beyond addressing the elephant in the room, but normalizing it for anyone who wishes to do so. As outlined in a Washington Post article, Nguyen and fellow representatives stocked all bathrooms on campus with feminine products, including male and gender-neutral restrooms.
In a letter to the student body explaining this decision, Nguyen said, “Tampons and pads are not luxuries, but necessities, and should be treated as such.”
Nguyen then outlined the precedent for why this is such an important move.
“We also hope to set a more inclusive standard for this issue moving forward, both in terms of the language used and how future initiatives will be implemented, keeping in mind that menstruation is experienced by more than just those who identify as women and that not all people who identify as women menstruate,” Nguyen said in the letter.
This move highlights two key issues in today’s approach to menstruation and gender identification, and how the two are intrinsically intertwined.
We have already established that feminine products are as necessary in a restroom as soap and water and should be treated as such, but their accessibility regardless of gender identification is a step further, one which Nguyen and Brown University should be applauded for.
Though Boston University does not currently stock its bathrooms with tampons or pads, BU Student Government launched a petition this spring to do so. By considering the experiences of those who do not identify as female but still menstruate, BU SG would be taking a step toward destroying the gender binary. Menstruation is already seen as awkward and uncomfortable, and could only be exacerbated for those who do not feel comfortable using a female restroom. He or she or they should not be focused on whether or not resources necessary for normal day-to-day existence are present in a safe space.
This issue highlights the fact that tampons are not readily available on campus. It seems that condoms are a dime a dozen, with student groups even passing them out for promotional reasons, but tampons are only available in a small jar at the Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism. Condoms are in vending machines, so why can’t feminine products also be in vending machines?
Of course there will always be those who are uncomfortable with having feminine products in a male restroom. They haven’t always been in restrooms, let alone male restrooms, and their presence acknowledges something distinctly associated with traditional femininity. However, tampons signify something bigger than a product. Restrooms are battlegrounds for combating stigmas, traditional and otherwise, and tampons are merely another front. Intentionally placing them in male restrooms is another step in the direction of acceptance and inclusiveness.
Bathrooms are, first and foremost, a safe and private place. The least that can be done is to provide resources for the most comfortable experience possible while on campus.
