Until Tuesday, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was a near-unknown figure. Now that the Minnesota governor is the subject of 24-hour news interviews and viral videos, he's also earned himself a new nickname: Enter “Tampon Tim,” a conservative response to a 2024 state law signed by Gov. Walz that requires public schools to provide menstrual products in student bathrooms.

But this doesn't feel like a done deal. Periods have been a mainstream public policy priority for much of the past decade, and California has been at the forefront. Since 2017, the state legislature has passed a series of laws, including one to abolish periods. State sales tax Mandating the provision of menstrual products in all states Public school toilets For students in grades 6 through 12 and California State University students, County and State Jails Providing free tampons and pads to people in prison.

California too Proposed legislation This initiative is especially timely given recent headlines about improving public health disclosure requirements for ingredients in menstrual products. University of California, Berkeley Several big-name brands of tampons have been found to contain toxic chemicals, including lead and arsenic.

California is a leader, but by no means an exception. 30 states Texas recently joined several other states that have repealed their “tampon taxes” over the past eight years, with Republican Governor Greg Abbott signing a bill that garnered bipartisan support. Nationwide, 28 states It also requires public schools to provide sanitary products. 25 states We demand the same in prisons and jails.

In an era of often intractable political polarization, menstrual policy has proven to be something of a unicorn. Though it's rarely joked about, “menstrual equality” A bipartisan agenda The two major political parties found common ground on this, agreeing that it is common sense to ease the economic burden and stigma surrounding menstruation.

So why did the Tampon Tim frenzy happen? It was mainly because language Minnesota's law requires that menstrual products be available in “all menstruating students” and “restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4-12,” but does not limit the products to “women's restrooms.” An amendment to change the language was defeated, but it did not spark a culture war or stymie support for the bill. Republican Rep. Dean Urdahl said: It pointed out“Just talking to my wife and family, they felt this was an important issue that I should help with.”

Turning periods into an internet meme seems doomed to backfire now. Besides, who else but a stupid pre-teen would do something like that? As Waltz says, it's just plain weird.

Second, recent elections and polls have revealed that reproductive health and rights are extremely popular among voters. As a presidential candidate, Kamala Harris has been a strong and consistent voice, including on a range of relevant issues, such as menstrual literacy and the need for data protection on period tracking apps. White House debate I spoke with her about these topics after the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Republicans know their position on reproductive rights is out of sync with public opinion; they barely spoke about it at last month's national convention. They'll have to do more substantive damage control for their running mate. J.D. Vance's controversial comments on “childless cat women” and assisted fertility treatments may be trumped by his own voting record in Congress, which also includes…wait for it…granting reproductive rights. Menstrual cycle monitoring And let's not forget Trump's own crude comments on the matter. On August 8, 2015, he called news anchor Megyn Kelly “a racist, racist, racist slanderous ….Blood is coming out of her everywhere.”

Gone are the days when periods were a joke. In 2024, they may become the most powerful political slogan. Posted by Hillary Clinton “It's great to have Governor Tim Walz helping to promote his compassionate and common sense policies,” the Trump campaign said this week.

She added: “Let's do this everywhere.” I agree.

“Jennifer Weiss Wolff, executive director of the Birnbaum Center for Women's Leadership at New York University School of Law, said:Going Public with Your Period: Standing Up for Menstrual Equality” and the upcoming book “Periods. The Full Stop. The Politics of Menopause.”