Gender-neutral restrooms offer tampon dispensers

COD leaders say move to gender-neutral bathrooms will include tampon dispensers

PALM DESERT —College of the Desert is currently in the process of converting all single-use restrooms to gender-neutral restrooms. Part of this initiative involves providing menstrual products to marginalized students who want to receive menstrual products in a more discreet way, public relations specialist Isabela Veloro told Uken Report.

Additionally, the College is in the process of installing signage stating “ALL GENDER TOILETS”.

“We offer free menstrual products at our health center,” Veloro said. “However, placing these menstrual products in these gender-neutral restrooms allows our students to obtain these products more discreetly rather than traveling to the health center to receive them. »

The college purchased 94 tampon dispensers at about $300 each, she said. All dispensers should be in place by July 1. The purchase was discussed at joint cabinet level and will be presented to the full board in the coming months.

Based on the feedback we received, not all of our students feel comfortable coming to the health center, said Nicholas Robles, public information officer.

“Some of them might identify as non-binary and present as male, but might still be menstruating,” Robles said. “That’s one of the reasons we put them in gender-neutral bathrooms so they can access them discreetly.” And like Isabela said, long term we want to make them free in gender-neutral bathrooms, but we’re still working on it because this is like the initial pilot launch to put them in there, and so now we are trying to find out how to make them free? »

As part of dispenser prototyping, the new gender-neutral toilets will require a quarter to access the products. Based on the Joint Cabinet’s feedback on the pilot project, we are actively looking for ways for distributors to provide the products free of charge in the near future, he said. Once we have confirmed this detail, we will communicate with students. The long-term goal is to make these products freely available to students. As a reminder, free products are now available at the Student Health Center, but the vending machines are for those who want more discreet products.

This decision follows a February 23, 2023 Academic Senate resolution that called on College of the Desert to include gender-neutral restrooms in all new construction plans and provide feasible ways to mitigate the effects of already existing construction work. completed. She also asked the COD to ensure access to menstrual products in all restrooms, regardless of the gender identity of that space.

On January 1, 2022, AB367, Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021, took effect and requires California State University and each community college district…to stock an adequate supply of menstrual products, available and accessible , free of charge, at no cost. less than one central designated and accessible location on each campus and to post a designated notice, as provided.

Students wanting to use the machines currently have to pay 25 cents, Robles said. “We are working on a way to have a ‘permanent quarter’ or ‘token’. We’re still trying to figure this all out and finalize a system that would work.

There is currently an ATM in the Bursar’s Office and efforts are underway to install more in other locations for students. This is all a work in progress.

Veloro said the College is not breaking any laws because it offers free menstrual products to students at the health center.

The Student Health Center is located on the main campus and summer hours are Monday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is closed Friday, according to the College website.

Robles said COD provided students with free menstrual products before the dispensers were installed and continues to offer them for free.

“The reason we thought about putting them in the gender-neutral restrooms is for our marginalized students who want to receive them more discreetly,” she said. “They may not want others to know they need these products. So, being in the restroom is another option they have to access these products privately.