Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
By Mary Sanchez
Tribune Content Agency
“Tampon Tim” just isn’t sticking as a grade school-level slur on Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The desperate hope of his antagonists is that by attaching a nickname to Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, they can also make his candidacy salaciously about sex, gender, and reproduction.
You know, all the things about human anatomy that simultaneously enthrall and confuse so many of the most vocal far right of the GOP.
Seriously, the Republican party’s hyper-attention to concerns about the bathroom and bedroom habits of Americans is an obsession to behold. It is, as Walz declared, more than a little “weird.”
Now that label, the “weird” taunt, is sticking – for now. But “Tampon Tim” just isn’t. And it’s for all the right reasons. People are beyond such childishness.
The problem is that too many people in America took Biology 101 or were taught some kind of reproductive health class, like in the high school where Walz once taught social studies for 20 years before entering into political life.
Many Americans have sisters who have periods. While in a public restroom, many of us have experienced a stranger desperately asking: “Do you happen to have an extra tampon I can use?”
Believe me, you’re always grateful if you can accommodate. We know the panic when an unexpected period arrives or when it is heavier than anticipated.
So it’s hardly a ding that as governor, Walz signed legislation making Minnesota one of 28 states that provides free tampons and pads to students in public schools. In fact, it bolsters his good-guy coating that he signed this into law, providing menstrual products for grades four to 12.
It’s almost a test these days, a considerate boyfriend checkoff, if in a pinch, a man will purchase that iconic blue box of tampons for his girlfriend, wife, or daughter. Real men do.
Thoughtful governors of more than half the states saw this as the right thing to do for students. And surely, it took bipartisan effort to pass that much legislation.
Moreover, it’s a kind gesture. And it’s a matter of dignity for states to acknowledge that students who can’t afford such necessary health products can miss out on class or unnecessarily suffer through embarrassing situations.
Public bathrooms provide free toilet paper and hand soap. Why not free tampons and pads, too?
Critics should consider that many country clubs or public bathrooms in well-heeled spaces often provide these products, for free.
The cliff that some members of the GOP fell off in this conversation was the bathroom part.
The legislation that Walz signed in 2023 allowed for tampons and pads to be provided in all public school bathrooms, including those used by all genders.
That opened the door for critics to begin ruminating on the possibility that a transgender student could benefit. And then these critics went down the rabbit hole of befuddlement about gender dysphoria, when a biological sex is a mismatch with how a person deeply feels about their gender identity.
There is much about gender identity that the average person wouldn’t understand without some open-minded study of expert opinions and studies.
Stepping back, pausing and being thoughtful is necessary.
The “Tampon Tim” nickname seems silly at best, a bit slapstick, school-yard style.
He has received much attention in his first week in the spotlight for his comedic timing.
His delivery of short quips, little verbal bites and waiting for the applause of a crowd is a skill. But playing the snarky sidekick to Harris is just one of his talents.
There will be plenty of attempts to paint him other than as he sees himself.
“Tampon Tim” is just the first test that he’s passed. There will be more.
Readers can reach Mary Sanchez at msanchezcolumn@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @msanchezcolumn.
©2024 Mary Sanchez. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
