Sign Now: Tell 2020 Presidential Candidates to Act Now on Period Poverty

2020 Presidential Candidates

Access to period products determines a person’s freedom to work, study, and move about the world with basic dignity. However, in the United States, period products are treated as luxury items, making them inaccessible to the people who need them most. It’s time for the needs of people with periods to come first. Our elected officials must directly address this public health crisis in our country.

Our institutions have historically considered the biology of white, cisgender men as the default, and this assumption has lasting systemic consequences. Schools, prisons, jails, shelters, and public restrooms overwhelmingly fail to provide free and easy access to period products. As a result, a large sector of the population is unsupported when confronting the consequences of period poverty: physical health risks, social and psychological effects, and for students in particular, educational fallout.

Progress has to start somewhere. In this case, progress can be as simple as stocking free, accessible period products in all public restrooms, and advocating for proposed legislation like the Menstrual Equity for All Act. Every person should be empowered to reach their full potential — to be seen, supported, and uplifted by their representatives. Our elected officials need to prioritize the needs of every American.

To: 2020 Presidential Candidates
From: [Your Name]

Periods are not partisan—after all, people have them across party lines—but in the US, the basic hygiene needs of people with periods are still not met in most public spaces. Schools, prisons, jails, shelters, and public restrooms should be stocked with accessible period products, and health policy should reflect the needs of every person. That’s why we’re calling on each 2020 presidential candidate across the political spectrum to outline a plan for combating period poverty, promoting body literacy, and developing a more inclusive health policy. It’s time to end to period poverty and achieve menstrual equity.