Life & Work with Claire Cox
VoyageATL interviewed Georgia STOMP Chair Claire Cox about her menstrual equity advocacy.
—
Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Cox.
Hi Claire, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Beginning in January of 2017, I became an outspoken advocate in middle Georgia politics, working with others to found an organization that addressed the protection of civil liberties, fair and representative elections, public education, access to affordable healthcare, and protection of the environment. During five years of leading that organization as President, I helped steer the group through its formational process and the numerous tasks of establishing a new organization. It grew to more than 1500 followers during my tenure.
In early 2017, a member of that organization brought forth the idea of eliminating the state sales tax on menstrual products in Georgia. After reviewing her research, we adopted sales tax elimination as a mission. Successful meetings with Rep. Allen Peake (R) – Macon and Rep. Debbie Buckner (D) – Junction City led to the introduction of HB731, a bill to eliminate state sales tax on menstrual products in Georgia.
Although the bill’s original signers were proportionally bipartisan, it never progressed out of committee. 2018 was nevertheless a successful year in that as we worked to get the bill passed, we forged a network that soon became Georgia STOMP. Advocates across the state learned of the bill’s existence through the media and joined the effort. The founding members of what became Georgia STOMP were Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us), Junior League SPAC and YWCA – Greater Atlanta. Adele Stewart, now co-chair of Georgia STOMP, was a member of The Junior League of Savannah at the time and through that local unit introduced the work to the statewide Junior League State Public Affairs Committee (SPAC).
In the months between the 2018 and 2019 Georgia Legislative Sessions, connections were made to individuals and groups throughout the state and nation — calls or emails were sent to anyone who might have knowledge about or interest in period-related issues. Additionally, a large group of legislators and coalition partner leadership was convened for two working summits. Biennial Summits continue to be a core aspect of Georgia STOMP’s connection across the state.
Serendipitously, in October of 2018, the Alliance for Period Supplies scheduled the first national conference on Period Leadership in Atlanta. Members of Georgia STOMP attended the conference, and it became a turning point for the coalition. With leaders from all over the country present, coalition attendees were challenged to look beyond the tax elimination issue to numerous areas of menstrual inequity.
Today, the growing statewide coalition educates and advocates for the provision of products in schools, state-run incarceration facilities, and following natural disasters. We are 37+ organizations with a geographic reach across the state and more than 85,000 connected individuals.
We have ensured a bill to eliminate the discriminatory sales tax on menstrual products (MDCDs – menstrual discharge collection devices) has been active in the state legislature every session since 2018. We have also been successful in obtaining funding in the state budget to provide MDCDs in Georgia’s public schools and via our local county health departments. We have encouraged policy changes at the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) and Georgia’s Department of Corrections.
In 2021, when the coalition formalized, seated its first Board, and became a 501c3, I was elected the inaugural Chair and for the last three years, I’ve led efforts in Georgia to ensure the efficiency, continuation, and growth of these successes. Seeing Georgia become the 30th state to have no sales tax on menstrual products remains the primary focus of our work.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I started this work, I had very little knowledge of what happens at our state Capitol, how bills are filed and eventually become law, the political realities in our state, or a host of other pieces of practical information that I needed to begin this journey.
Seven years in, I realize how extensive, and when leadership wants it to be, how convoluted, the lawmaking process is, and how much power one person can exert. I’ve sadly also learned those who don’t want your bill to become law can make you spend a lot of time chasing “red herrings” or having to address arguments that are not based in fact. Just as distressing is how the voice of those who support a cause can be silenced under the dome.
On the positive side, nothing is more satisfying than when common ground is found by individuals who might seem to have nothing in common. An additional uplifting aspect of this work is all the amazing people across the state who have coalesced around the need for menstrual equity in our laws and policies and the individuals and business leaders who are learning from the menstrual movement and making changes in the spaces in which they have influence.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Georgia native with a Chemical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech. When my husband gave me my engagement ring, I was wearing blue jeans, a flannel shirt, and steel-toed boots. I’ve worked in Georgia’s kaolin and paper industries as well as had responsibilities for a large power-producing plant.
Early in my career, the needs of my children led me to become a full-time mother, volunteering in Bibb County Public Schools and leading various ministries at my church.
When my husband opened his law firm, the need for that work coupled with my desire to learn, meant a return to college and a combination IT/Accounting degree earned from Macon State College during the days when my girls were in school.
The acquiring of responsibility for family-owned land meant another opportunity for learning. In 2015, I became a land manager for 850 acres, establishing a longleaf pine tree farm and restoring its accompanying habitat in Dodge County, Georgia.
My husband, Charlie, and I are lovers of live music. We spend our recreational hours attending concerts and promoting Macon’s long and rich music history. We were co-leaders in establishing the Macon Music Registry, documenting historic Macon music related locations with informational plaques, which is now housed at Visit Macon.
All of these “hats” are a part of who I am and what I do — lifelong student, advocate, accountant, tree farmer, wife, mother, and music lover. In no particular order, that is who I am.
What matters most to you? Why?
I think what matters to me most is the ability of everyone to live their life without fear, discrimination, or undue hardship. We need to value every life and every life choice, creating a community that respects and supports the rights of all to work, to worship, and to love.
