Should there be free tampons in boys’ bathrooms in Massachusetts public schools?
There could be under a new proposal supported by many Democrats on Beacon Hill.
A bill filed by state Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) called “An Act Concerning Disposable Menstrual Products in Schools” (H.690) would expand access to menstrual products in public schools. It would do so by providing them free of charge in restrooms at schools that serve grades 6 through 12.
While some may assume the bill means girls’ bathrooms, it never makes that distinction. And when NewBostonPost asked Roy on Wednesday if the bill would result in menstrual products being put into boys’ bathrooms to accommodate transgender boys — biologically female people who identify as male — he didn’t deny the possibility.
Here is the exact wording of the bill:
Section 1. Chapter 71 of the Massachusetts General Laws is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following section 68A:–
Section 2. For purposes of this section, “disposable menstrual products” means products including, but not limited to, tampons and sanitary napkins for use in connection with the menstrual cycle.
Section 3. All elementary and secondary public schools in the Commonwealth serving students in any grade from grade six through grade twelve shall provide disposable menstrual products in the restrooms of such school building or buildings. Such products shall be provided at no charge to students. Such amount may be adjusted from time to time based on utilization. School districts shall work to ensure that such products shall be available in a convenient manner that does not stigmatize any student seeking such product.
Section 4. This act shall take effect on August 1, 2022.
When NewBostonPost asked Roy for a second time (again, by email) if the bill would result in menstrual products in boys’ restrooms since the bill never specifies which bathrooms the products would be available in, he said the wording of the bill gives a school discretion over that matter.
“The bill only directs that school districts provide disposable menstrual products in the restrooms and that ‘such amount may be adjusted from time to time based on utilization,'” Roy said in the email message. “It further provides that: ‘School districts shall work to ensure that such products shall be available in a convenient manner that does not stigmatize any student seeking such product.’ ”
The first time NewBostonPost inquired on the matter, Roy sent over an opinion piece from Commonwealth Magazine which he co-authored with two others explaining why they support the bill.
It notes the problems women face due to a lack of access to menstrual products, including a study that said that one-in-five female students has missed school as a result of not being able to afford tampons. It also said that most female students in Massachusetts don’t feel as though they have access to free menstrual products at school.
Currently, the bill is referred to Massachusetts House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading.
The bill has 26 co-sponsors. Of them, 25 are Democrats and another is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
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Courtesy of Wikimedia 
