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Emerson College has been in the news after announcing that they will provide menstrual products in all its bathrooms - including men's and gender-neutral ones. However, this piece of news did not go down well with social media users and they started questioning the new gender-inclusive announcement by Emerson College. One person even reacted to the news and stated that it was a "waste of funds."
Emerson College recently made the decision to provide menstrual products in all the bathrooms. The decision came after a campus group lobbied to fight for inclusivity, menstrual equality, and the de-stigmatization of menstruation and periods.
In April 2022, an online petition was filed on Change.org by a campus group called Emerson Flows. The petition 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.
The petition said that the group was an advocacy and education-based organization that was dedicated to the aforementioned cause. They said that they aimed to fight for "inclusivity, menstrual equality, and the de-stigmatization of menstruation and periods."
The petition further read that people who menstruate can't control when and where they get their periods as it can happen at any time anywhere. It added that it wouldn't help them if the bathroom closest to them didn't dispense sanitary products. The petition continued that while menstruators cannot control their periods, the administration at the university can add sanitary products to all Emerson bathrooms to avoid such situations.
Later, Hoppe approved an initiative to allocate $7,000 per year for menstrual products to go in all bathrooms across Emerson College – regardless of gender. Emerson College has decided that menstrual products will be provided to all the restrooms from July onwards.
Social media users called out Emerson College for providing menstrual products in all the restrooms
Several social media users were displeased with the college's decision and said that it is a pure waste of menstrual products. Some users said that the college is choosing stupidity over science.
While some also called the decision a joke, others said that adding sanitary products was "enabling cult behavior."
A trans masc model smashed the taboo around trans men and non-binary people who have periods
Recently, trans masc model Oscar McGregor said that there is still a way to go before trans men and non-binary people who bleed feel truly included.
He said that the narrative around menstruation is very feminine, and since he is someone who doesn't recognize himself in the gendered language, periods can be a challenging experience. McGregor believes that the period industry can be a guiding force in creating wide change.
While the college has made the decision to add period products to all bathrooms, with the backlash it is receiving, it remains to be seen what they plan to do next. As of writing this article, there has been no statement from either Emerson or Jim Hoppe regarding the backlash.
