In 2023, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz signed an education finance bill requiring public and charter schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms. This legislation mandated that schools provide free menstrual products for girls and boys who identify as girls and use the boys’ bathrooms.
The law stated that “products must be available to all menstruating students” in grades 4 through 12 and required every district to stock pads and tampons in bathrooms “regularly used” by both male and female students. This law went into effect in January 2024.
This policy is part of Walz’s broader plan to support transgender rights in the state. He declared Minnesota a “trans refuge” state for minors, meaning that if a minor came to Minnesota seeking medical transition procedures against their parents’ wishes, the state would not return the child to a state where access to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgeries would be denied.
Rep. Sandra Feist (DFL-New Brighton), the bill’s sponsor, co-authored an op-ed titled “Menstruators Deserve Equity at School,” urging legislators to reject Republican amendments that would require menstrual products only for female students. During the debate, Feist stated, “Not all students who menstruate are female. We need to make sure all students have access to these products.” She added that biological males “face a greater stigma and barrier to asking for these products,” according to Alpha News. The bill was projected to increase spending for K-12 education by 10.2 percent over two years, with about $2 per student going toward supplying free menstrual products for both male and female students.
On Tuesday, Walz was selected to be the running mate in the 2024 presidential election for Vice President Kamala Harris.