Gov. Whitmer Repeals Pink Tax for "People with a Period," While Gas Prices Soar

Gretchen Whitmer bragged a few days ago on Tiktok about signing a bill to repeal the “Pink Tax,” meaning the 6% sales tax off of menstrual products now won’t be a problem, if it were ever a problem, to begin with. Feminists have been pushing to get rid of the pink tax for years, stating menstrual products are a basic health necessity that is only a burden to one gender. In a practical sense, that’s not true. When my mother purchased pads for herself and six daughters’, it was on my father’s dime. Many men know the horror of sales tax. But what’s puzzling is the new woke ideology’s refusal to acknowledge only women have periods. Even Whitmer used careful language, “people with a period.”

Ryan Kelley, a hopeful Republican challenger, corrected her on the app. “They’re called women, Gretchen. Show a little respect for the ladies. Would you, please?” His clap-back received more than fourteen thousand views and was boosted by local Tiktok influencers.

If gender is a construct, and men can have periods, it undermines that menstrual product prices are discriminatory against women. Transmen who haven’t had bottom surgery still have periods, and even some transwomen claim to have periods due to experiencing tummy cramps. Of course, men cannot have periods. You cannot shed the lining of a uterus without one.

The repeated need for gender identities to claim biological realities—such as pregnancy and periods—only undercuts their argument. Sex and gender have different meanings, but they are undoubtedly intertwined and useless without the other.

Governor Whitmer should know this, but truth isn’t more important than pandering to her base.

While some Michiganders are celebrating the small monthly savings, if you couldn’t afford the sales tax of tampons, you most likely still cannot afford the product itself. Inflation is hurting the pockets of everyday Michiganders, for products purchased weekly and daily. The Detroit Free Press reported, “the state's average for regular unleaded gas is $3.42 per gallon. That's 17 cents more than this time last month and $1.43 more than this time last year, according to an AAA Michigan news release.”

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm shifted the gas price blame to OPEC, which is following the lead of President Biden, who is requesting they produce more oil. It’s curious that Biden prioritized hindering American energy independence by halting pipelines.

Granholm also expects a rise in energy costs this winter. "We have the same problem in fuels that the supply chains have, which is that the oil and gas companies are not flipping the switch as quickly as the demand requires."

Perhaps promoting the former democrat governor who presided over the “Lost Decade” in Michigan, wasn’t the best idea for the Biden Administration.

Michigan workers, fighting for their bodily autonomy regarding vaccine choice, would also appreciate if Whitmer directed her heroic efforts toward protecting them rather than fighting for tax-free menstrual products. Several attorney generals from across the country have taken legal action against Biden’s executive overreach through OSHA. Republican states have led the way, but total partisan politics don’t have to hinder Governor Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel from standing up for Michiganders. Democrat AG of Iowa, Tom Miller, also acted.

Overall, Michiganders are always happy to pay fewer taxes, even on items like disposable menstrual products, which are considered a luxury to women who use more environmentally friendly options like cups or cloth pads. Michiganders can only hope Whitmer continues cutting taxes on items like diapers, food, or gasoline. But while Michiganders continue to pay gas prices that haven’t been this high since the last time Biden was in the White House, we can take comfort in knowing where Whitmer’s priorities lie.