Photo courtesy Canadian Menstruators
It seems that Canadian menstrual activists are way out ahead of those in the US with a drive to eliminate sales taxes on menstrual products. I understand that this issue has come up previously at the Provincial level in Manitoba and British Columbia, but this is a nation-wide drive.
The topic of menstruation is so delicate in the US that it’s unlikely that any party or mainstream candidate would sign on to support a bill to eliminate menstrual sales taxes at any level. It would surely invite ridicule and smarmy commentary from the uptight media pundits and politicians who run rampant over anything having to do with women’s health, especially when it comes to the menstrual cycle.
Yet it’s surprising that, to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a law suit filed on the basis of gender discrimination against state and local taxation of menstrual products since they are a necessity used almost exclusively by women.
Perhaps it’s time for more activists in the US and elsewhere to pick up on the lead of the Canadian feminists and raise a fist clutching a tampon, pad, or cup (whichever one prefers) and demand the elimination of this discriminatory levy. Readers are invited to propose appropriate slogans. And perhaps in Boston in June we could stage a new version of the revolution’s tea party. Boston harbor afloat with tampons! Now there’s an image sure to get coverage.
