Period Action Day 2023

Georgia STOMP hosted an empowering celebration of Period Action Day on Saturday, October 14, 2023. Founded in 2019 by PERIOD.The Menstrual Movement, this global day of advocacy highlights the monumental strides of the menstrual equity movement. The porch of Urban Pie Atlanta was standing room only as those gathered discussed progress made across the country and work done in Georgia. The celebration highlighted Georgia’s leadership as the the first state in the nation to put money in its state budget for the purpose of buying period products in schools and at local county health departments, but also focused on Georgia’s lack of movement to eliminate the state sales tax on period products, something 29 other states have done.

This event brought together state legislators, school nurses, and prominent leaders working at the forefront of menstrual equity in Georgia. House sales tax elimination bill (HB123) sponsors, Rep. Debbie Buckner, Rep. Kim Schofield and Rep. Rhonda Burnough brought greetings. Senate tax elimination bill (SB51) sponsor Sen. Nabilah Islam and bill champion, Sen. Nan Orrock, also challenged the crowd to get involved.  Rep. Buckner stated “this is an unfair tax on a necessity. Period products are federally designated medical devices and such medical devices are already tax exempt in the Georgia Code. Period products should be as well.”

Lynne Meadows, Director of District Health Services for Fulton County Schools and Georgia’s first National Association of School Nurses’ Fellow, spoke as a nurse on the frontline of period product provision in schools. “Having products has been incredibly helpful and addresses a critical need. Students do not have to worry about or be embarrassed to ask for products, and school nurses do not have to struggle to find funding to purchase products.”