Listen • 4:28
The pandemic has caused huge revenue shortfalls in state budgets across the Mountain West and the country, renewing heated debates over taxes. That's true in Wyoming, too, though one tax issue before lawmakers is "still something that, you know, gets whispered about."
So says Jen Simon, and she's talking about periods. Simon is with the Wyoming Women's Action Network, and she says cultural stigma prevents important public policy discussions around, for example, the affordability of feminine hygiene products.
"If you can't actually afford products, you might not go to school on those days, so you might miss out on part of your education," she says. "You might not be able to go to work on those days, so you might work to miss out on income. And it's really incredibly problematic."