Some universities in the USA have begun stocking their men's bathrooms with tampons in order to better cater to the needs of trans men on their period.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison recently announced that that they would be providing sanitary products to students for free, stocking several of its campus bathrooms - female and male - with pads and tampons.
Spokesperson Steve Wagner told the The College Fix that “Menstrual products will be available in all of the bathrooms of the Red Gym so that they are available to any student who might need them.”
Katrina Morrison, who initiated the scheme, noted that sanitary products can be costly, calling them “an unnecessary burden", adding that “having them be free and readily available in campus buildings is definitely a necessity.”
But installing a tampon dispenser in the men's room often comes with challenges, as other US universities have found.
Bowdoin College in Maine reported that despite being met with a "generally positive reception", there was at least one incident where “someone defecated in the receptacle intended for used products”.
They also reported that “all the tampons and pads in the men’s restroom… were thrown away unused several times”.
Ivy League college Brown University is also introducing tampons to its men's rooms, with student president Viet Nguyen saying: “We wanted to set a tone of trans-inclusivity, and not forget that they’re an important part of the population.
“I’d be naïve to say there won’t be push back. I’ve had questions about why we’re implementing this in male bathrooms as well. It’s an initial confusion, but people generally understand when we explain it.”
