For Kitty Taylor, change started with a fairly simple question: if toilet paper, soap and water are freely available in public bathrooms, why are period products not?
17-year-old Northern Beaches local Kitty Taylor has spent the past year turning that question into action. Through her initiative Free2Bleed Northern Beaches, Kitty is campaigning for free period products in public bathrooms, after first bringing the initiative to her former school, Mater Maria Catholic College.
How Free2Bleed Started at Mater Maria
Kitty’s campaign began as a Year 10 philosophy project, where students were asked to create an initiative that would make a positive difference. While others suggested fundraising projects, Kitty wanted to tackle something she felt was being overlooked.
At Mater Maria, period products were available, but students had to collect them from the office. For someone already embarrassed or caught short, that could mean walking through school asking for help.
“I was sick of hearing stories of my friends and myself having to wrap their undies with toilet paper, and I thought, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” Kitty says.
She collected more than 300 signatures, attended meetings and made presentations before the school eventually approved free dispensers. The products were installed in May this year.
But Kitty was not finished.
“I knew I had to do more work; there are so many people struggling on the Northern Beaches who could use these products.”
Why Period Poverty Matters Across the Northern Beaches
Through campaigning, Kitty has learned just how widespread period poverty can be, including the lengths people may go to when they cannot afford period products.
“People don’t realise what they take for granted is an impossible dream to afford for many,” she says.
For Kitty, the issue comes back to one everyday comparison: toilet paper is free in bathrooms, yet period products are not. That belief has now taken her campaign beyond the school gates, with a petition calling for free period products in Northern Beaches public bathrooms.
A Council Win, With More Work Ahead
After months of campaigning, Kitty’s focus eventually moved beyond the school gates and towards Northern Beaches Council, where she began advocating for free period products in public bathrooms.
When the motion came up for a vote, Kitty was anxiously waiting to hear the outcome. The news that it had passed was a huge moment for the campaign.
“I was ecstatic; I almost screamed,” she recalls.
For Kitty, it was an exciting step forward, but not quite the finish line. The motion is now up for further consideration, when the future of the trial will become clearer.
And Kitty is already thinking beyond the trial. She hopes to see free period products become more widely available across the Northern Beaches, with the possibility of taking the idea even further in the future.
She is also encouraging locals to support ‘Share the Dignity’s’ period product drives, giving the community another practical way to help people experiencing period poverty.
Image:@free2bleednb
A Young Local Making Her Mark
When Kitty first launched the petition, she never imagined how much local support it would attract. With 392 verified signatures and counting, she is now well on her way to reaching her goal of 500.
The saying “Leave every place a little better than it was when you got there” has been what she holds onto she says, and she’s glad that people are responding so positively.
“People do care as much as I do and want the change,” she says.
Story by Evie Scully
Free2Bleed
Instagram: @free2bleednb
Petition Website: https://www.change.org/p/free2bleednb-free-period-products-in-northern-beaches-public-bathrooms
