GOP state lawmaker rips Dems’ push to put tampons in men’s bathrooms as deficit grows

Maryland Del. Kathy Szeliga, R-Baltimore County, is calling on Maryland Democrats to support a bill that would allow tampons to be stocked in men’s restrooms in state-owned buildings — an idea she says is emblematic of Annapolis’ misplaced priorities.

Szeliga said after learning about HB 941, she went to the House to ask which public buildings would be affected. In particular, she wanted to know if the state’s professional sports facilities, like those where the Ravens and Orioles play, would be affected. During her speech, the Maryland Republican congresswoman also questioned the bill’s language mandating that “appropriately sized tampons” be placed in all public restrooms in all public buildings.

“What are properly sized tampons?” “” Szeliga asked, provoking laughter from parts of the House. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. What do you consider appropriate?”

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Maryland Del. Kathy Szeliga criticizes Democrats for pushing tampons into men’s restrooms in state buildings while lawmakers grapple with a major budget deficit. (Maryland General Assembly)

In response, Assemblyman Ken Kerr, of Fredrick County, said the language “simply means that tampons are offered, there is no specific size.” Szeliga countered, arguing that if that was the case, she should say so and not talk about sizing.

Meanwhile, Szeliga then asked Democrats which public buildings would be affected, focusing on the football stadium where the NFL franchise, the Baltimore Ravens, plays and the baseball stadium, Camden Yards, where the Baltimore Orioles play. According to Szeliga, both are owned by the Maryland Stadium Authority.

“If it’s a state-owned building, then yes, it will come in — it’s a public building,” Kerr said of the football stadium, although he declined to answer the question specifically. “If Raven Stadium is a state building, then yes, that would apply…If it applied to Raven Stadium, it would also apply to Oriole Park.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Szeliga pointed out that this latest legislative proposal is not the first time Maryland Democrats have attempted to put tampons in men’s restrooms. She questioned whether being pushed from out of state was a priority.

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“There seems to be an obsession with feminine hygiene products in Maryland, in Annapolis, in the Legislature. It has to come from a national movement, but they tried in the past to make sure there were enough feminine hygiene products, as they would say, but now this takes it to a whole new level,” Szeliga said.

Period products in a bathroom. (Martin Schutt/photo alliance via Getty Images)

The previous bill, Szeliga pointed out, focused on the state’s colleges and universities. She also noted that Republicans were able to amend it, ultimately narrowing the bill so that it only applied to college or university health centers that house students on campus, which she said was already in the works when the law was passed.

Szeliga said that with Democrats’ latest bill to install tampons in all public restrooms in all public buildings, including those for men, the move will encompass more infrastructure, including M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens play, and Camden Yards, where the Orioles play, since they are operated by the Maryland Stadium Authority. She also pointed out that Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport will likely also have to start installing tampons in men’s restrooms, if the bill ultimately passes.

“The fiscal note on the bill said ‘indeterminate’ because there are so many state-owned public buildings,” the Maryland Republican lawmaker said. “And they wanted it to be paid for by the taxpayers.”

Szeliga lamented that even as Democrats prioritized installing tampons in men’s restrooms at an unknown cost to taxpayers, little was done to curb the state’s “massive” budget deficit.

“Even if they decide to pass some of the costs onto the consumer, that still creates hundreds of thousands of dollars in administrative costs for putting tampons in men’s restrooms – just
for administrative costs,” Szeliga stressed, noting that Democrats “couldn’t even figure out how many public buildings this would apply to.”

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WBAL-TV 11 News reported that “several state agencies, without officially opposing the bill, have expressed concerns about the cost of its implementation” and pointed out that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources anticipated initial costs would be approximately $400,000.

The Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis

“This is the kind of thing we see happening in radical Democratic states with super majorities, where they are running out of ideas,” Szeliga concluded. “Instead of tackling real problems like uncontrolled spending and other real problems, electricity bills that people can’t afford, they turn to nonsense like putting tampons in men’s toilets.”

Legislation to introduce tampons in public men’s restrooms was sponsored by more than 10 Democratic delegates and was introduced on February 5. The bill has not yet passed either house of the state Legislature.

Rachel del Guidice of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.