Anyone who menstruates is familiar with the panic that comes with starting a period unexpectedly without tampons or pads at hand. Luckily for the IHS community, this panic is merely momentary, due to the consistent supply of menstrual products in IHS bathrooms. Oh, wait. A survey of the women’s bathrooms at IHS (the only bathrooms where period products are currently found) found that many were lacking menstrual products.
As for the pads and tampons that do exist in some of the bathrooms, they are of extremely poor quality, to the point of being barely functional. The small pads are too thin to withstand more than an hour or so of moderate flow, and the papery tampons with cardboard applicators are uncomfortable. Since cardboard applicators are different from the more common plastic ones, posters explaining how to use them would be beneficial. The Tattler Editorial Board asks the school to provide decent, functional tampons and pads for menstruating members of the IHS community to use.
Additionally, there are multiple women’s bathroom stalls in IHS that do not have sanitary trash receptacles for disposing of menstrual products, and none of the men’s bathrooms have any at all. This is an issue regardless of whether someone is using products from home or provided by the school. Without a receptacle, a person is left with several undesirable options: walk out of the stall into a crowd of people to dispose of the bloody pad or tampon (not an enjoyable experience for anyone involved), flush it down the toilet (disrupting the plumbing), stuff it in their backpack (an unhygienic solution), or just leave it on the floor (unfair to janitors). Trash receptacles in every stall are essential in order to keep IHS bathrooms clean and functional.
The Tattler Editorial Board requests that these changes be implemented not only in women’s bathrooms, but throughout all IHS bathrooms to ensure that every menstruating person at the school has their needs met, regardless of what bathroom they use. Menstruation is not unique to cisgender women; people who use the gender-neutral or men’s bathrooms may also menstruate. “It’s irritating having no supplies or stall trash cans in the bathrooms,” said Sky Boyko, an IHS student who menstruates and uses the men’s bathrooms. He went on to explain the awkwardness of walking out of the stall to dispose of menstrual products into “a sea of guys just looking at me. Supplying menstrual products and sanitary trash receptacles exclusively to women’s bathrooms fails to support transgender students at IHS.
Other schools in Ithaca are taking initiative to address these types of problems. As of September 2020, Cornell University provides free menstrual products in every single bathroom, an initiative led by the Gender Justice Advocacy Coalition. A basket with numerous types of period supplies can be found next to the sinks in Cornell bathrooms, including pads and tampons of multiple sizes. There are also informative flyers about the movement to provide all school bathrooms with adequate supplies.
At Ithaca College, similar efforts have been made to ensure access to menstrual products for all students and staff members, regardless of their gender identity. In April 2022, the school’s Student Governance Council passed the Gender-Neutral Bathrooms in All Academic Buildings bill. This bill not only focuses on the creation of gender-neutral bathrooms, but also includes a recommendation for every bathroom at IC to have a supply of menstrual products.
These efforts to make menstrual products accessible to all are exactly the kind of initiatives our own high school should be leading.
As for student participation in leading this initiative at IHS, The Tattler Editorial Board asks that the student body stop wasting menstrual products in an attempt to be funny. It is not unusual to find pads on the wall and tampons in the sinks of IHS women’s bathrooms. Those participating in this act are taking away valuable and vital resources that many students rely on. These types of stunts disproportionately harm low-income individuals, who may not be able to afford to bring their own menstrual supplies to school.
The annual State of the Period survey, commissioned by the period underwear company Thinx and the nonprofit organization PERIOD, studies barriers for student access to menstrual supplies in the United States. The results of the 2021 study found that almost one in four menstruating students in the country experience “period poverty,” a term used to refer to the inability to afford or access menstrual supplies due to low income. According to the Tompkins County Youth Service Department, 17.4 percent of Ithacans under 18 lived under the poverty line in 2021, compared to 16.9 percent of people in that age group nationwide (United States Census Bureau). Therefore, it can be concluded that period poverty is quite common here at IHS.
“So, what if I don’t menstruate?” you may be wondering, “What am I supposed to do?” All students are related to and know people whose bodies go through this monthly cycle. To support your peers’ physical and mental health, you can carry around a pad or tampon in your backpack to give to a friend (or stranger) in need. Unfortunately, there continues to be a societal taboo regarding periods, but you can help break boundaries by offering this simple kindness. Moreover, if you do not menstruate, leave the school-provided products alone. Do not tamper with them or throw them away, as many at IHS greatly rely on them.
All bathrooms in G- and H-building at IHS will become gender-neutral in the spring, and the above changes should be implemented in those bathrooms as soon as they are made available for use. The Tattler Editorial Board believes that a large supply of quality menstrual products in every bathroom—in addition to more sanitary trash receptacles—is absolutely necessary. Those who menstruate should never have to be stuck in a situation where they lack adequate period supplies. When students have what they need, they can focus more on academics, sports, and their social lives. In order to take a stand against period poverty and transphobia, every bathroom deserves period necessities.
