Queen’s Period and Menstrual Equality
Written by: Alyssa Comfort
According to the United Nations, “menstruation is intrinsically related to human dignity — when people cannot access safe bathing facilities and safe and effective means of managing their menstrual hygiene, they are not able to manage their menstruation with dignity”[1].
Did you know that Canadians who menstruate spend up to $6000 throughout their lives on period products [2]? This number is almost double in remote and northern regions [2]. According to Plan Canada’s 2019 recent study, more than 1/3 of Canadian women and girls surveyed reported that they had to give up something else from their budget to afford menstrual products [3]. Almost 2/3 had skipped an activity because they were worried they wouldn’t have access to clean facilities and/or menstrual products [3]. Reducing financial barriers by having free or low-cost access to menstrual products is essential to achieving menstrual equality [2].
Here at QWHA, we wanted to spotlight the work being done within our local community in this field. We “sat down” with Renée Davies, co-chair of Queen’s Period, to learn more about the club and what they are doing to promote menstrual equality at Queen’s University and beyond. Here’s what we learned from our Q&A with Renée Davies, Queens Period Co-Chair*.
What was the motivation to start the club?
Queen’s Period was founded in 2018 as a chapter of the Period The Menstrual Movement, an American organization. Although we have since decided to leave the organization and stand on our own, we continue to strive for menstrual equality.
Our organization’s overall goal is to improve the lives of menstruators at Queen’s and in Kingston. We use events like period product drives to raise awareness and educate our local community on the challenges menstruators face daily and the financial burden of buying period products.
We read that you were involved in getting period bins in the washrooms — what kind of process was involved?
In the fall of 2019, our club established a partnership with the AMS, who really helped us connect to the University on the administrative side. We started by evaluating the work of other universities on their road to menstrual equality. Take-one leave-one bins were then installed in the female and gender-neutral washrooms in the JDUC and Queen’s Center and stocked with menstrual products from a product drive. We were able to use the bins as a trial run and collect data which was presented to the University along with the results of a survey regarding student opinions on menstruation.
The University administration was very receptive to the idea of installing period product dispensers on campus and announced their commitment to a trial run in select locations. These dispensers located at Stauffer Library, the Queen’s Center and the JDUC allow students to access period products on campus free of charge. We strongly believe that menstrual products are a necessity and that they should be made available in all bathrooms, just like toilet paper.
Are there any other past accomplishments that you want to talk about?
In the past, we have worked with ResSoc on an educational campaign aiming to reduce period stigma in residence and on campus. We created informative posters that were provided to dawns [the floor leaders in Queen’s University residence buildings] and displayed in the hallways of many residence buildings.
The campaign aimed to educate first-year students from all backgrounds, no matter the level of sexual education they received in high school. We wanted to reduce the stigma surrounding period products as things meant to be hidden and normalize menstrual pads, tampons and cups as everyday items.
How did you adapt/change/grow because of COVID?
Like most clubs on campus, we were not allowed to hold organized events in person. However, we were able to shift our sanitary product drives from on campus, to drop off bins at businesses in Kingston that were open. Our first drive was held at the Queen’s Street Fitness gym, and together with donations from individuals in the Queen’s community, we were able to donate over 1700 period products (around 105 period packs) to two shelters.
In collaboration with QHO, QFLIP and Hillel Queen’s, we donated over 3000 period products to Fort Providence in the Northwest Territories. And during March, we made educational materials from young menstruators with the help of Indigo Girls. Altogether we were able to donate 4466 period products during the 2020–2021 school year! We partnered with other Queen’s University clubs throughout the year, allowing us to expand our reach to even more people.
What do you want to accomplish this year?
This coming year, we hope to hold period product drives and donate to local shelters and women’s shelters in Kingston. We are looking forward to returning to campus and hosting events to bring together the Queen’s community, like a screening of the award-winning short movie Period End of Sentence.
We would like to expand our reach to young menstruators in the Kingston area through educational classes for those who don’t feel comfortable asking questions at school or at home. We also want to offer first-time menstruators period kits that they can carry with them if their period comes unexpectedly.
In the coming years, we would like to see Queen’s University expand the free menstrual product dispensers to all bathrooms on campus. We will continue to advocate for the University to provide at-cost period products to students just like they sell at-cost sex toys that are non-essential items.
Is there anything else that you want to highlight about the club?
We accept donations of loose or boxed products, as long as their individual seals haven’t been broken and we do door-to-door pick up within the proximity of the University.
If you have switched to sustainable menstrual products and have disposable ones leftover or maybe just bought the wrong kind, please consider donating.
We also accept financial donations, which in most cases go to buying additional products and, in some cases, help pay for operational costs.
How can people get involved?
We will be hiring new executive members to fill vacant positions come September and hope to bring back our volunteers that help with drives and packaging parties.
You can follow us on social media (Instagram: @queensperiod; FB: Queen’s Period) to stay up-to-date on events, learn when we are running a period product drive, and make a donation.
Thanks so much to Renée for the time and information. We look forward to following Queen’s Period and watching the club’s progress throughout the year!
*The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity in some instances
References:
- United Nations Populations Fund. (2021, June). Menstruation and human rights: Frequently asked questions. https://www.unfpa.org/menstruationfaq#Period Poverty
- Blackmore, L. & Lusson, E. (2021, May 28). Improving access to menstrual products in Canada. Library of Parliament. https://hillnotes.ca/2021/05/28/improving-access-to-menstrual-products-in-canada/
- Plan International Canada. (2019, May). Female and male views on menstruation in Canada. http://plancanada.ca/periods-matter
