Tampon Tim: A Flex, Not An Insult

Julia Nikhinson / Associated Press

While the Trump-Vance-MAGA-Project 2025 camp tried to distance themselves from the accusations that they are “weird”… they sure have chosen a weird way to go after America’s favorite Democratic VP-pick Tim Walz: by calling him Tampon Tim.

Let’s get into the context. Last year as the governor of Minnesota, Walz signed a bill requiring public schools — to provide menstrual products, including tampons — to all students grades 4 through 12. To avoid any confusion, here is the text of the bill, which is part of the state engrossment and is short and sweet:

“Section 1. Access to Menstrual Products. 

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.”

So there you have it. Any public or charter school student gets access to free menstrual products when they need them, no questions asked. As a pediatrician, I can say with confidence this is outstanding public health policy that benefits children and harms no one. The ultimate win/win to address period poverty. 

If you’re hearing the term ‘period poverty’ for the first time, it refers to a lack of access to menstrual products or a lack of education on how to use those products. Most studies find that nearly a quarter of U.S. teenagers experience period poverty — an astounding number when you consider there are roughly 21,000,000 menstruating adolescents in our country, meaning approximately 5,000,000 teens are impacted by this struggle.

So then, why the heck are conservatives lauding the name “Tampon Tim” as some kind of inspired insult? Well, because they are creepily obsessed with transgender kids.

Yep, once again conservatives are grinding their teeth because some transgender teenage boy might need to use a tampon or pad in the privacy of a bathroom stall. They pass right over the fact that thousands of the girls they claim to support now don’t have to worry about menstrual product access. And as a pediatrician who has cared for youth facing food insecurity and housing insecurity, whose parents have to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet, I can assure you period poverty is a real thing. Free tampons in public school restrooms means my patients don’t have to choose between missing school 3-5 days a month or bleeding through their clothes in front of their peers. 

You see, at its best, this law ensures that any student who menstruates has access to menstrual products at school at no cost. The potential negative consequences of this law are … what exactly? Nothing. The presence of tampons in a restroom harms no one. Will some teenage boys inevitably stick tampons in their nostrils and pretend to be saber-toothed tigers? Affirmative. Will they also probably put them in friends’ water bottles as a prank? Most certainly. (This was a mainstay April fools joke in my generation at least).

I love Tampon Tim. Tampon Tim’s bill ended period poverty for Minnesota teens in public schools. Tampon Tim’s bill had inclusive language so that a tiny population of trans teens could also benefit from the bill. Tampon Tim’s bill made menstrual products available to all students, so Susie’s boyfriend Bubba could grab her an extra tampon while she frantically studies for a rumored pop quiz. 

Whew. You get the point. Tampon Tim rocks, and tampons in bathrooms don’t hurt a single child. Period.