Menstrual Monday: How to Talk About #PeriodPoverty

As you might have seen, HB-8 has been pre-filed in the state legislature! As we all prepare for session to begin this month, we are getting our ducks in a row and making sure our local representatives know the issues we are monitoring. Sometimes, there is a full county meeting to speak with them, and sometimes there’s 60 seconds in an elevator.

So how does one prepare to talk about period poverty when time is of the essence and the topic can be uncomfortable to broach? Here’s our recommended 60-second pitch. Try it out in the mirror, on your friends, on your dog, or on your OB-GYN. Whatever you do, make yourself comfortable with the language – and feel free to send us your questions!

We believe that a general lack of understanding about women’s menstrual needs has led to inequity not just in our tax base, but in institutions and public spaces across the state.

To address this inequity, we:

• are requesting that the legislature commission a pilot project related to period poverty and its effects on education of women in our state’s public schools.
• are working with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to have menstrual products added to their list of basic necessities grant funds can be used to purchase, aligning our state’s agency rules with FEMA.
• are researching and preparing for action related to menstrual products available in prisons.