“Let’s talk sense to the American people.” Adlai Stevenson (2 – time Democratic Presidential Candidate)

I may end up offending someone with this post, but I can’t help but say something.

Travel has a way of surprising me, even when I thought I’ve seen just about everything.  Airports are especially good at surprising me.  In 1988 or 1989, I saw two guys kissing in Key West’s airport after we made an emergency landing, after an engine failure on the plane. It was the first time I had seen such a public display of affection. Today, you can walk through one terminal and see every kind of person, every kind of fashion choice, every kind of family situation, and every kind of modern social change all packed into one crowded terminal.

On a recent trip through SeaTac Airport, I stepped into the men’s restroom and noticed something I never expected to see there: a free tampon dispenser. I even took a picture of it and sent it to my brother.  He pointed out that it looked like a face.

I was amazed, but I cannot honestly say I was shocked.

In today’s world, especially in public spaces like airports, schools, government buildings, and large businesses, many things that once would have seemed unusual or out of place are now becoming commonplace.  Some people may see that as progress.  Others, like me, may see it as another example of society moving too fast without stopping to ask whether common sense can be included in the conversation.

From a conservative standpoint, I found myself asking a simple question: Why are free tampon dispensers being placed in the men’s restroom? If a female identifies as a male, and still has a need for feminine hygiene products, she is still a female.  That is common sense and there should really be no debate on that subject.

I understand that public facilities want to be inclusive.  I also understand that airports serve thousands of travelers every day, including people with different beliefs, needs, backgrounds, and situations.  I know there are times when females need access to these types of products, but the keyword in this sentence is “females.”  There is absolutely no other explanation for having these types of products available in a men’s room other than to be politically correct.

But I also believe public policy should be guided by practicality, cost, tradition, and especially common sense.  Restrooms have traditionally been separated by biological sex for a reason.  Women’s restrooms have long been the place where feminine hygiene products are offered because women are the users of those products.  That is not hateful.  That is basic reality or biology or the truth.

The bigger question is not whether someone might need a tampon in a men’s restroom.  The bigger question is whether every public institution now feels pressure to redesign normal spaces around exceptions instead of general needs.  That is where many conservatives stop and pause.  Today, I flew with a person behind me who had her pet dog with her in a carry-on kennel.  I understand her rights to travel with her pet, but this was not a service animal and who is to say I am not allergic to dogs.  I have a niece who is deathly allergic to pet dander.  Where are her rights?  This should be a question that airlines ask about before sealing a person who has a condition like this inside a 100-foot-long metal tube for several hours with a pet.  Just last week, I flew with a cat howling someplace in the rear of the plane, for three hours.  (This is another topic I could go on about, but back to the tampons)

Airports already charge high prices for parking, food, drinks, luggage, and almost everything else.  Nothing in an airport feels free.  So when I saw free tampon dispensers in the men’s restroom, I not only wonder WHY they are there, but WHO is paying for them.  The answer, in one way or another, is likely the public, the traveler, or ME the airport customer.

That does not mean the cost is huge.  It may be very small.  But small decisions add up, and they also say something about the priorities of public spaces.

Still, I try not to travel with anger in my suitcase.  Travel teaches you to notice things, think about them, and sometimes laugh a little.  I did not walk out of that restroom offended.  I walked out shaking my head, thinking, “Well, this is what we’ve come to.”

SeaTac gave me a reminder that modern travel is not just about planes, gates, delays, and luggage.  It is also a front-row seat to cultural change.  Sometimes that change is helpful.  Sometimes it is questionable.  And sometimes it shows up in the men’s restroom in the form of a free tampon dispenser.

Amazed? Yes.

Shocked? Not anymore.