California
Push for menstrual equity legislation part of youth movement in California politics
In abstract
Latest grassroots campaigns to extend entry to menstrual merchandise are a part of a rising push by younger, numerous communities in California to interact with the legislative course of and create legal guidelines that span race, gender and sexual orientation.
Visitor Commentary written by
Esther Lau
Esther Lau is the coverage director for Technology Ratify California. She is a senior in highschool.
Fiona Lu
Fiona Lu is the coverage director for California Excessive Faculty Democrats. She is a senior in highschool.
We frequently consider political leaders as previous, wealthy white males however that stereotype is altering. As two younger girls of shade from low-income California households, we’re already writing laws that scores victories for our communities.
A largely youth-led motion is now reshaping California politics.
We all know we are able to do it because of the trailblazing California girls who got here earlier than us, but girls nonetheless maintain solely 42% of seats within the Legislature.
Younger girls from our technology don’t at all times see ourselves as political, at the very least at first. We see the problems exhibiting up in our communities and ask how they took place. That’s after we begin to see the insurance policies that formed these points, and who was on the desk once they have been written.
California is a rich state producing large earnings from the tech trade and extra. But households like ours stay cautious about making purchases due to the worth.
As younger girls, we additionally understand that many social points demand an intersectional method. Poverty reveals up as one issue, alongside race and gender, to work towards folks from reaching their full potential. That impressed us final 12 months to advocate for Meeting Invoice 367, which ensures entry to free menstrual merchandise in public faculties. We have been happy to see the passage of AB 150 two years in the past, which completely exempted diapers and menstrual merchandise from taxation. And we have been delighted when AB 1287 grew to become legislation, abolishing gender discrimination in pricing, also called the pink tax.
State Senate, District 20 (Van Nuys)
State Senate, District 20 (Van Nuys) Time in workplace
2022—current
Background
Non-profit Program Director
Former State Meeting, District 58 (Corona)
State Meeting, District 16 (San Ramon)
State Meeting, District 16 (San Ramon) Time in workplace
2018—current
Study extra about legislators talked about on this story
Nonetheless, we should take additional motion on menstrual fairness. Presently 1 in 3 low-income girls miss faculty or work as a result of they lack menstrual hygiene merchandise, based on the Alliance for Interval Provides. We’re pursuing a brand new legislative modification, Senate Invoice 260, that may give low-income people who find themselves menstruating (the coverage additionally advantages transgender and nonbinary folks) a month-to-month stipend to pay for them by increasing the California Work Alternatives and Duty to Children, or CalWORKs, program. Finances consultants say these merchandise price about $20 a month.
By pushing for menstrual fairness, we’re sending a message. Analysis reveals girls in public workplace are likely to suggest extra gender parity laws. But it surely additionally tends to die in committees at twice the speed of their male colleagues. That’s why we’d like extra younger girls to become involved within the political course of. We have to construct a pipeline of would-be leaders who’re prepared, prepared and capable of step up.
We’re fortunate – neither of us have skilled any apparent sexism in our political careers thus far. That’s partly as a result of we’re working in broad youth-led coalitions in California. Our management is numerous, thriving and intentional about broad empowerment. However we’re conscious that individuals ask younger males extra usually to step up and think about management seven instances extra usually than girls. That form of gender imbalance is, partly, what results in an absence of parity and extra reggressive insurance policies.
On the nationwide stage, a altering of the guard is going on for ladies in American politics. As key trailblazers like Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Nancy Pelosi step down from workplace, new doorways are opening for the following technology of ladies in public life. In 1992, there have been solely two girls within the U.S. Senate when Feinstein first ran for workplace. There are 24 immediately, however it’s nonetheless removed from an equal steadiness. Feinstein and Pelosi deserve credit score for his or her half on this tradition shift.
That’s additionally why we’re happy with our invoice writer, state Sen. Caroline Menjivar of Van Nuys, who’s a member of the Latino, LGBTQ+ and girls’s caucuses and represents the trouble to pioneer intersectional feminism.
Right now’s political leaders might be younger girls, girls of shade, queer, trans girls and extra. They’ll come from poverty or working-class households. They are often disabled. They are often open about their challenges with psychological well being. As a reimagine American politics, we have to think about all types of range.
There may be nonetheless loads of work to do, and we’re wanting to do it.