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FACT BRIEF

Did Tim Walz sign legislation requiring female hygiene products to be installed in boys' bathrooms?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in May 2023 signed legislation requiring public schools to provide free menstrual products to “all menstruating students in restrooms regularly used by students in grades 4 to 12 according to a plan developed by the school district.”

The Minnesota Education Department told Wisconsin Watch: “Each school district should have its own plan to comply with the legislation. (The department) has not directed schools to provide these products in boys’ bathrooms.” Some schools have stocked them in unisex bathrooms instead.

Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, echoing fellow Republicans across the country, claimed that Walz signed the legislation “to force women’s feminine hygiene products to be installed in boys’ bathrooms.”

Walz has signed bills that made Minnesota a refuge for youths seeking gender-affirming care, bar libraries from banning LGBTQ books and ban conversion therapy.

Editor’s note: This fact brief was originally published Aug. 8, 2024, and rated Yes. The brief was revised on Aug. 21, 2024, after the Minnesota Education Department provided additional information.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Minnesota Department of Education Correspondence
Minnesota Legislature HF 2497 Status in the House for the 93rd Legislature (2023)
Minnesota Legislature HF 2497
New York Times Trump Campaign Criticizes Walz for State Law Providing Tampons in Schools
ABC4 News State rep argues 'not all students who menstruate are female' in fight to put period products in boys bathrooms
The Hill Why Trump supporters are calling Walz ‘Tampon Tim’
Google Docs Ron Johnson WisGOP press call on Tim Walz and bathrooms 8/7/24
Out Magazine Kamala Harris picks Tim Walz as her VP — but how pro-LGBTQ+ is he?
The Hill Tim Walz helped make Minnesota an LGBTQ ‘refuge.’ Could he do the same for America?
Education Week States That Require Period Products for Free in Schools
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.