UVA installs tampon dispensers in men’s restrooms, students call move ‘absurd’

Students at the University of Virginia (UVA) are raising concerns over why tampon dispensers are present in men's restrooms on campus, with some calling the move "absurd" and a waste of resources.

The dispensers, which offer free tampons and pads, have appeared in campus buildings, according to students.

"Whenever the dispensers are in male restrooms, I just think it is a waste of university resources," a student in the commerce school told Campus Reform in a May 4 article. 

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The availability of feminine hygiene products in men's restrooms has become a divisive issue on college campuses. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket/Getty Images and Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/picture alliance/Getty Images)

"Instead of focusing on rising costs like tuition and food, the university is pursuing policy initiatives that don’t meaningfully help the student body," the student added.

A public policy student in his fourth year at UVA said he noticed tampon dispensers in a men’s restroom in Old Cabell Hall, where the university's Department of Music and the Music Library are located, which also happens to be the location of the school's main lecture and concert hall, and said he "thought they were odd."

A freshman told Campus Reform that having tampon dispensers in male restrooms on campus didn’t make sense, stating, "I think seeing these in a men’s restroom is weird, totally unnecessary, and absurd."

A UVA sophomore told Campus Reform that the only place that tampon dispensers belong is in women’s restrooms.

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Sink and mirrors in a bathroom. (Sylvie Bouchard/iStock)

"They shouldn’t be in the men’s bathroom because such a device is to be used by women — who already have their own, separate bathroom," the student said.

Another student, in his third year at UVA, called the presence of tampon dispensers in the men’s bathrooms "insulting to God." 

"I’ve seen them. I find it both gross and insulting to God," the student said. "Men will never be able to menstruate, and we need to stop playing pretend and get real. It is common sense to get rid of silly policies such as tampons in men’s restrooms. Overall, society should return to respecting and honoring the inherent biological differences between men and women."

The "Free Period Products" page on UVA Health's website says that the institution provides "complimentary period products to employees, recognizing that access to these products is integral to health and wellness."

Recently, the Maryland House of Representatives considered legislation, the "Public Health - Public Buildings - Hygiene Products," sponsored by more than 10 Democratic delegates, which would require "public restrooms in public buildings to provide an adequate supply of certain hygiene products; and generally relating to hygiene products in public buildings." 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a university spokesperson said that "the University makes emergency feminine hygiene products available in academic buildings across our Grounds as part of a student-focused initiative to make them available for those who may need them. The overwhelming majority of these dispensers are in women’s restrooms in academic buildings."

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Urinals hang on a wall in a restroom. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

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The spokesperson continued that UVA "installed dispensers in a handful of men’s restrooms located in buildings where gender-neutral restrooms are not available."

The spokesperson added, "As a reminder, the University remains bound by Fourth Circuit precedent which requires that the University allow individuals to use restrooms which correspond to their gender identity consistent with the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX.  Grimm v. Gloucester County School Bd. (4th Cir. 2020).  In that respect, although the University’s current practice was not implemented for legal reasons, it does demonstrate compliance with principles established in Grimm for equal protection. To be clear, these dispensers are not present in all — or even most — men’s restrooms, and the ongoing costs associated with the program are minimal."