For those who menstruate, the cost and availability of menstrual products should never impact an individual’s health or be a barrier to their educational pursuits. The Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021 (AB 367) aimed to address these concerns and implement requirements for free menstrual products in California schools.
The facilities department has been recently discussing the implementation of signage in compliance with AB 367 at their past meetings. This signage will direct Delta students and staff to where they can find free and accessible menstrual products on campus.
“The recent passage of AB 367 legislation marks a significant step towards menstrual equity by ensuring that menstrual products are now available and accessible, free of cost, to individuals of all genders on our campus,” says the potential signage.
Links and QR codes on the signage direct individuals to both Delta’s Custodial Department’s website, which lists locations to obtain free menstrual products, and to the text AB 367 via the California Legislative website.
AB 367 aimed to highlight the necessity of accessible menstrual products for all who may need them and the need for cost to not be a potential barrier.
“California recognizes that access to menstrual products is a basic human right and is vital for ensuring the health, dignity, and full participation of all Californians in public life,” said AB 367.
The act also aimed to address that menstruation does not only impact cisgender women and girls, but a greater population as well.
“California has an interest in promoting gender equity, not only for women and girls, but also for transgender men, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people who may also menstruate and experience inequities resulting from lack of access to menstrual products,” said AB 367.
There are many locations on campus which have free menstrual products, and the potential new signage will have a link which both lists these locations and provides a visual map of them.
“Currently, the following restrooms have the units: Horton Administration Building first floor, Goleman first floor, Locke first floor, Holt first floor, Atherton Theater (backstage restrooms), Danner second floor, the Forums, Shima first and fourth floors, Holt 204, men’s and women’s locker rooms, Athletics training rooms, the Manteca Farm, and South Campus at Mountain House. The Custodial Department is responsible for restocking the units on campus every day,” said Director of Marketing and Communications Alex Breitler via email.
Many staff and programs on campus acknowledge the need for free menstrual products and the need for discretion when retrieving these products. Two locations on campus that provide free menstrual products for those who need them are the Pride Center located in Danner 202B and the digital media lab located in Shima 146.
“I think it’s really important to have those products available to our students. And we just started doing it just because we felt like how many times has a student needed to just have that there. And so we always let our students know and tell them to let their friends know, if they ever need to stop in and just quickly grab something, they can,” said digital media department multimedia lab tech Leo Marquez.
Ensuring that menstrual products are easily found will help to ensure that students have access in the case of an emergency or when they do not have needed menstrual products on their person.
“I think having them in all restrooms increases accessibility. I know we have the two restrooms here closest to the Pride Center have free mental products in the restrooms, but I’m not, I don’t believe that all restrooms have that across campus and we have them here in the Pride Center. But increasing the accessibility to having them in all restrooms would mean that a student doesn’t have to walk across campus to get something that they might need right then and there in the middle of class,” said Pride Center student worker Hallelu Granlund.