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Emerson College will provide menstrual products in all its bathrooms – including men's and gender-neutral restrooms – in response to lobbying from a campus group that, in its own words, fights "for inclusivity, menstrual equality, and the de-stigmatization of menstruation and periods."
A Change.org petition started by the group Emerson Flows in April 2022 called for the change to take place before presenting the approximately 400 signatures the push had amassed to Vice President of Student Life Jim Hoppe.
"We are Emerson Flows, an advocacy and education based organization dedicated to fighting for inclusivity, menstrual equality, and the de-stigmatization of menstruation and periods," the petition reads.
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Emerson College approved an initiative to add menstrual products to all bathrooms, regardless of gender affiliation. (iStock)
It continued, "Menstruators cannot control when and where their periods occur; it can happen anytime, anywhere, and it will not help them any if the nearest bathroom to their classroom is a bathroom that does not dispense period products. But while they cannot control this, the Emerson administration has control to house period products in all Emerson bathrooms to avoid a situation like this from ever happening…"
The petition, near its end, read: "We need YOUR help! We are asking you to sign Emerson Flows’ petition which implores the Emerson administration to supply period products in all bathrooms on our bathroom campus."
Hoppe approved an initiative to allocate $7,000 per year for menstrual products to go in all bathrooms across the institution – regardless of gender, according to a report from The Berkeley Beacon.
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As of Sunday, the petition, which also outlined plans to combat "period poverty" or, in other words, "inadequate access to period products" remains at just above 400 signatures.
The fight to bring the products to all bathrooms started years ago, however, when members of the group first demanded access to menstrual products be expanded to all restrooms.
The institution started a pilot project to expand access to the products shortly after, but failed to expand it for some time, according to The Beacon's report.
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Emerson Flows, a group at Emerson College, pushed for menstrual products to be added to all restrooms. (iStock)
Emily Lang, president of Emerson Flows, said the initial push led to the products being offered in only 30% of women's restrooms across campus, but her group felt access should be extended to all restrooms regardless of gender affiliation.
"While I understand that the majority of the menstruators at this school are cis[gender] women, we should still treat men who also menstruate with the same level of respect," she said, per The Beacon's report. "You get period products just like everyone else, and you get the same amount, because you’re just as valid."
The initiative to bring the products to all restrooms is set to take effect in July.
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