At Brown University, Viet Nguyen and six other student government representatives visited several bathrooms throughout the campus to load them up with free tampons and pads for students to use for free. Since the students were aware of the controversial topic of the “tampon tax,” they decided to be one of the fist universities to make the first move. Nguyen stated, “We thought we could be that tipping point, pushing conversation to action.”
As a female student that is currently forced to pay the taxes for my feminine products, I find this act extremely admirable. What I don’t understand is why people still find it necessary for females to pay taxes for feminine products that are an obvious necessity rather than a luxury. We cannot control our bodies. We cannot control getting periods. There are people out there that cannot afford to pay for these costly products. Why should we be forced to pay for something so essential to our bodies? According to newsweekly, only eleven states don’t have a tax on tampons. In my opinion, that number needs to be raised.
What baffles me the most is that some people truly believe tampons shouldn’t be counted as a “medical necessity.” Yes, perhaps our bodies aren’t going through an emergency medical process, but do people seriously believe tampons really aren’t necessary? Would they rather have free flowing messy liquids everywhere?
On top of Brown taking necessary action, what also makes me very pleased is that the student behind this, Viet Nguyen, is a male. It isn’t often that you see men being the ones to take action on the behalf of women.
Action is finally being taken for these types issues. This makes me feel as though our world is finally moving toward a positive light. Even if this isn’t considered a “pressing women’s rights” issue, it’s gratifying to know our world is making another small step toward equal rights for both genders.
Supplying free feminine products on a college campus may not sound all that great (especially to males that don’t use them), but this is an astounding accomplishment. One step at a time, our world can move in this better direction for all.
