Woman Fired For Having A Period At Work--Now The ACLU Is Taking On Her Case
Liz Posner
September 17, 2017 4:26 am
This summer, the ACLU announced it is taking on the case of Alisha Coleman, a woman who was fired for bleeding onto her office chair while menstruating at work. The case effectively brings the ACLU into a broader movement known as “menstruation activism,” which includes a number of writers, lawyers, artists and speakers who are campaigning in many ways to change the conversation around women’s periods. The overall goal is to remove barriers that disadvantage and even punish women simply for having a basic biological function.
The ACLU decided to take on the case in the spirit of its women’s rights project, founded by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which has been involved in all major Title VII cases, including those involving pregnancy discrimination. “The court found in Coleman’s case that heavy menstrual period is not covered under Title VII,” said Galen Sherwin, a senior attorney at the ACLU. “That just seemed so wrong and outrageous. It’s a case of essentially being penalized while female. The workplace needs to make space for women’s bodies, including having a period, having babies and breastfeeding.”
“Workplaces pretend that women don’t get their periods,” Sherwin added. “It’s not talked about. There have been pushes over time to have workplaces provide free sanitary products for example, but it’s never taken off. It’s still very taboo.”
Not surprisingly, those most affected by menstruation discrimination are women of color and poor women, who often work at places that force their employees to take a limited number of bathroom breaks at fixed times throughout the workday. Access to often pricey sanitary products can be a major barrier for women who don’t have much disposable income. Tampons and pads have historically been taxed as luxury items, a practice activists have pushed to end. New York City has made some progress, as have other states and cities that have repealed the “tampon tax.” Women in prison, who often make a few cents per hour, are some of the hardest hit by these prices. On the legislative front, the movement is getting traction: Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris introduced a bill this summer that would provide incarcerated women with free menstrual products.
more
http://www.nationalmemo.com/woman-fired-period-work-now-aclu-taking-case/
= new reply since forum marked as read
that we women aren't just locked up from the moment we start having periods until menopause sucks us dry. That way they could breed us and not have to be bothered with us in any other way. 
Working hard on keeping my sanity sarcasmo. 
I had uterine fibroids. At one point I bled steadily for 45 days. I hadnto carry a change of clothes with me everywhere. I could bleed through a tampon maxi pad and 2 pairs of panties just by standing up.
You better believe I was in the bathroom frequently. I had that ability, fortunately.
This makes me so angry.
I hope she wins millions.
Response to DonViejo (Original post)
...a human being is more important than an office chair.
