{
"type": "rich",
"version": "1.0",
"provider_name": "Action Network",
"provider_url": "https://actionnetwork.org",
"html": "",
"author_name": "YDSA at Georgia State University",
"author_url": "https://actionnetwork.org/groups/ydsaatgsu",
"title": "Free Menstrual Products For All",
"thumbnail_url": "https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/509/181/normal/fembanner.png",
"description": "GSU needs to do better with supporting their female and assigned-female-at-birth students. With such a large population of these students being low-income people of color, and given the fact that students of color are disproportionately more likely to experience period poverty, there is absolutely no excuse for the complete lack of consideration for their needs. As of right now, the only school sanctioned way for women and femmes to get access to menstrual products is to include them in their orders from Panther Pantry. This service, while commendable, is incredibly limited in scope and can only be ordered once a week, which is not nearly enough to address year-round needs. The student organization Project FLO has also been instrumental in addressing this issue by stocking bins with pads and tampons in the bathrooms on campus. However, these bins are often empty and are seldom restocked, showing that the demand for these products far exceeds their current capabilities as a student organization. In a study conducted by and published by Forbes, over 19% of female college students feel as if they have to choose between purchasing menstrual products and paying for other essentials like rent and food. That same study shows that nearly half of all female college students struggle to access the products they need on a daily basis. The effects of not having security during your period can be devastating to mental health. When pads and tampons are not easily accessible, menstruating students are put into situations that force them to miss class, endure prolonged discomfort until they can find products, and deal with the inconvenience of having to ask friends or even strangers for assistance. The cycle is incredibly dehumanizing and adds further stigma to a process that should be normalized. OUR DEMANDS: Pads and tampons be made available in every academic building on campus, including Langdale, Classroom South, Petit Science Center, Sparks Hall, and Urban Life Center. Additionally, we urge the health clinic to provide these products free of charge to any patron in need. This campaign is supported by a broad range of groups on campus. Here’s a list of our partners: Alliance at GSU Planned Parenthood Generation at GSU WHO ARE WE: YDSA at GSU is an autonomous and democratically organized branch of the Young Democratic Socialists, the student and youth wing of the Democratic Socialists of America. Members of YDSA at GSU are students and members of the broader campus community at Georgia State University organizing to build a better world. We aren't like your Young Democrats or College Democrats; we fight for the immediate needs of ALL workers and students while building our capacity to fight for more radical and structural changes. Our mission is to educate and organize students and young people and to play a helpful and principled role in the movement for social justice. Within and throughout this struggle, we will articulate and defend the idea that true human liberation is impossible under capitalism. We seek social change which extends democracy into all aspects of life -- social, political and economic. This is the struggle for democratic socialism. Our vision of socialism is profoundly democratic, feminist, and anti-racist.",
"url": "https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/free-menstrual-products-for-all"
}