Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota governor Tim Walz signed a bill requiring schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms.
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Context
Though the legislation did not specifically mention boys’ bathrooms, Tim Walz indeed signed a bill in 2023 that required Minnesota schools to stock free menstrual products in restrooms regularly used by students in grades four through 12. The language of the statute was gender neutral and therefore compelled schools to apply it to boys’ bathrooms used by transmasculine (trans boys and male-presenting) students, should the schools not provide gender-neutral bathrooms.
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After Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris nominated Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 election, rumors began circulating online that Walz had signed a law requiring Minnesotan schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms (archived):
The claim appeared several times on X, Reddit, and Facebook. The posts had accumulated tens of thousands of views as of this writing and earned Walz the sarcastic moniker “Tampon Tim” (archived):
Menstrual Products for ‘Menstruating Students’
In 2023, Walz signed a school funding bill into law containing a provision that guaranteed access to free menstrual protection to Minnesota students from the fourth through the 12th grade. This legislation required all school districts and charter schools to stock menstrual products, and the language of the law was gender neutral. It read (emphasis ours):
A school district or charter school must provide students with access to menstrual products at no charge. The products must be available to all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district. For purposes of this section, “menstrual products” means pads, tampons, or other similar products used in connection with the menstrual cycle.
While the law did not specifically mention boys’ bathrooms, it also did not restrict the rule to female or girls’ bathrooms. Paired with the laws protecting children’s access to gender-affirming care, schools that do not provide gender-neutral restrooms would have to stock boys’ bathrooms with such products to allow transmasculine students — that is, students who are either trans boys or students born female whose gender expression is masculine — to access them. Therefore, the claim is true.
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‘Tampon Tim’ Goes Viral
Megyn Kelly, the conservative television show and podcast host whom former U.S. President Donald Trump once attacked for having “blood coming out of her wherever,” embraced the monicker “Tampon Tim” as criticism of this and other of Walz’s policies (archived):
But in 2024, talk of menstruation was no longer taboo in the public and political sphere. Far from putting people off, the fact that Walz supported such a law was, to many, a demonstration of empathy and good judgment, including from former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (archived):
Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards helped Minnesota to tis second straight berth in the NBA West … More finals. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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The Minnesota Timberwolves already have made franchise history. They are using that as a starting point.
“The stomach is not full,” center Rudy Gobert said. “Not at all. It’s just one step.”
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The Timberwolves made the Western Conference finals for a team-record second consecutive season last week after finishing off the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors in five games, giving them five days’ rest before meeting the Oklahoma City-Denver winner in the West finals that begin Tuesday.
The next step is to avenge a loss to Dallas in the West finals a year ago.
The T-Wolves’ repeat trip seemed almost inevitable once the Warriors lost Curry in their Game 1 victory. They won the final four games of the series by an average of almost 12 points.
“We were the better team,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “We felt we were the better team. We just had to go out and play like it every night.”
The Wolves similarly punished the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, winning four of five while outscoring LeBron James, Luka Doncic et al by an average of almost nine points a game. It was especially satisfying, inasmuch as Doncic was the ringleader in Dallas’ series win a year ago.
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No. 6 seed Minnesota did not have home court advantage in either of its first two 2024 playoff series will not have it in any round this year.
A Denver series would be a rematch of the 2024 West semifinals, when the T-Wolves overcame a 15-point halftime deficit Denver for a 98-90 Game 7 victory.
The Wolves’ made history then, too. They had the largest the comeback in an NBA Game 7, and the series win seemed to solidify their status as a continuing title contender.
“It’s to make it to the (NBA) finals,” Jaden McDaniels said of the mission. “I think we’re super confident. We’re all together, being a good team, and we’re just ready for whoever we play next already. We just got to stay the course.”
Renewing the legacy of Kevin Garnett
In one way, these Wolves have taken the glory days of the Garnett Era one step further.
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The Garnett-led teams of the late 1990-early 2000s made seven straight playoff appearances but only one trip to the conference finals, at the end of the run in 2004. These Wolves are on a four-season playoff run.
The current franchise turnaround began in 2020, with a succession timely of front office and player personnel decisions after an ugly stretch in which they had 15 losing seasons in 16 and played under nine full-time or interim coaches.
It began with a bit of a break in the 2020 NBA lottery, when they won the first overall pick despite the third-worst record in the league and a 14 percent chance at No. 1.
Anthony Edwards, prize of the 2020 draft
The Wolves took Anthony “Ant” Edwards, considered the consensus best player in the class, with first pick. He has become the face of the franchise and is closing in on being the new face of the NBA with his combination of skill and exuberance.
Edwards’ scoring average has increased in every season, to 27.6 points per game this year, fourth in the league.
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Minnesota also acquired McDaniels in a three-team trade two days after the 2020 draft, and both he and Edwards have been cornerstones of the resurgence as McDaniels — always a long, athletic defender — has honed offensive game.
The front office makeover began shortly thereafter. Finch replace Ryan Saunders as head coach in February, 2021, and general manager Tim Connelly was hired from a similar position in Denver in May of 2022.
Less than two months later, Connelly acquired defensive presence Gobert, a decisive move that still resonates. While much of the league was trending small, Connelly added Gobert in a massive trade package that sent five players and four first-round draft picks to the Utah Jazz.
Gobert and all the right moves
Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, has averaged a double-double for the last nine seasons, and his length in the paint keeps opponents wary. He had nine blocked shots in the Warriors’ series and has averaged 2.4 blocks per season in his career.
Veteran point guard Michael Conley and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker were acquired in another three-team deal involving Utah late in the 2023 season.
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Connelly put the finishing touch on the roster over the summer, when he traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo Randle has averaged 23.9 points per game in the playoffs, five points above his regular-season average, and like Towns has the green light from three-point range.
With Edwards, DiVincenzo and 2019 draft pick Naz Reid doing much of the work, the Timberwolves made 37.7 percent of their three-point attempts, fourth in the league.
The Wolves got this far a year ago, and Finch has counseled them to remember what happened in the West finals then, when they lost all three three home games.
“It’s about staying level-headed,” Gobert said. “After a win like we had last year against Denver in Game 7, I felt like you get the whole world praising you. We weren’t mature enough to handle that yet.
“This year, we’re mature enough. I feel like we understand where we’re at. That’s the lesson. It’s about us and our approach. It’s not about who we face. It’s about mindset, our work, our attention to details. When our level of urgency is right, we know we can play with anyone.”
She looked like she belonged on the floor, comfortable in her role, though she definitely noticed the step up in the speed of the game, the shorter nature of the shot clock. The pace of everything. “And then there’s a level of physicality, of course,” she said. “That’s a level up from college. The size at that [guard] position is a little bit different.”
She flashed some speed early, getting Lynx guard Karlie Samuelson on her heals before darting to the hoop. But the shot didn’t fall, something Bueckers was still thinking about long after the game.
“I should have made the first one,” she said.
She had four points, two boards and a block in the first quarter. She had only two turnovers in 30 minutes.
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There was a moment, coming out of a timeout, when she and Napheesa Collier, both former UConn players and once teammates on a Team USA 3×3 team, talked on the court. Collier said she was just congratulating Bueckers on having arrived in the league. Bueckers called it an old, friendly UConn chat.
The Minnesota Timberwolves don’t know who they’re playing in the Western Conference Finals yet, but they do know when the games will be played. The Wolves will start the series on the road in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
The Timberwolves await the winner of the Oklahoma City-Denver series. That series is tied at 3-3 with Game 7 being played on Sunday at Oklahoma City.
On Thursday night, the NBA announced the following schedule for Western Conference Finals (Best-of-Seven):
Game 1: Tue, 5/20 – Minnesota at OKC/DEN – 7:30PM
Game 2: Thu, 5/22 – Minnesota at OKC/DEN – 7:30 PM
Game 3: Sat, 5/24 – OKC/DEN at Minnesota – 7:30 PM (on 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS)
Game 4: Mon, 5/26 – OKC/DEN at Minnesota – 7:30 PM
Game 5*: Wed, 5/28 – Minnesota at OKC/DEN – 7:30 PM
Game 6*: Fri, 5/30 – OKC/DEN at Minnesota – 7:30 PM
Game 7*: Sun, 6/1 – Minnesota at OKC/DEN – 7:00 PM
