Menstrual Equity— Coming Soon
2023-2024
School lunch or tampons? Diapers for your child or pads? No menstruator should have to choose, but in NYC, many still do. Our program would ensure all schools, government buildings, jails, and workplaces have solutions to provide free access to menstrual products, void of bias.
Menstrual Equity
in NYC—
Brooklyn—Queens
Manhattan—Bronx
Staten Island
Menstrual products are not a luxury—access to free or affordable products is a matter of social and economic justice. Those who are unable to afford tampons and pads are at risk of isolation, infection, negative impacts on mental health, and even missed days of school and work.
These issues are well-documented worldwide. But sadly, it's no different here in NYC. Despite NYC being a predecessor for the Menstrual Equity Movement when they passed a bill in 2016 requiring free menstrual products to students grades 6-12, people served by homeless shelters, and those incarcerated, the laws don't see through the implications.
As NYC was the predecessor of menstrual equity laws in 2016, it should set the standard for implementing them.
Fundamental changes must be made from the ground up to improve the lives of people experiencing these inequities.
We aim to partner with partners like DOE and DOH to create a checklist of flexible guidelines that implement the law effectively. We also aim to source budget-friendly products and secure corporate donations for schools, shelters, and jails—Advocate S5913A for nonpublic schools and colleges. Introduce NYC business methods for free menstrual products.