Name: Io Weintraub

Social Justice Group: Menstrual Health

Date of Fieldwork: January 19, 2018

Name of Organization: Commission on Gender Equity

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Sara Shoener

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did:

We visited City Hall to meet with the Commission on Gender Equity, Sara Shoener. We asked questions like if she knew about the tampon tax and if she knew why not to say the phrase “feminine hygiene products”.

What I learned:

Sara Shoener did not know much about the topic but she was interested in learning so she could inform others in the future. She was especially interested in why not to say the phrase “feminine hygiene products”. It is because the word feminine implies that all people who menstruate are female but there are transgender and gender non conforming people who menstruate as well. Also, the word hygiene implies that periods are dirty or impure. I think that she was interested in this because it related more to her area of expertese, Gender Equity.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

I learned that many people do not know about menstruation and why it’s a social justice issue. It’s important that we are doing this topic because it is so tabooed. Maybe if we spread awareness to the 7th graders, they will do this topic and they will educate further generations about menstruation. Taboo is a big issue in menstrual equity.