Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (pictured left) and A tampon machine as seen in a boys' restroom at Kelly High School in Brighton Park. | JB Pritzker (Facebook) | Chicago Contrarian (X, Formerly Twitter)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (pictured left) and A tampon machine as seen in a boys' restroom at Kelly High School in Brighton Park. | JB Pritzker (Facebook) | Chicago Contrarian (X, Formerly Twitter)
A recent post on X by The Chicago Contrarian has ignited conversation over a tampon machine spotted in a boys' restroom at Kelly High School in Brighton Park.
The post sarcastically referred to the installation as part of a larger trend at Chicago Public Schools (CPS), highlighting the machines' presence in male bathrooms.
“Your eyes do not deceive you,” the Chicago Contrarian said on X. “This is a tampon machine in a men's bathroom at a CPS school.”
“CPS: Where the test scores are down, but male hygiene is up.”
“Thanks progressives!”
Sources report the tampon machines were introduced to boys' bathrooms across the school district, which is the second largest in the United States with 325,305 students enrolled in 634 schools, in Sept. 2024.
Tampon machines in boys' bathrooms date back to a law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021 after the General Assembly passed a bill requiring schools to provide menstrual products in bathrooms, including boys bathrooms, for students in grades 4-12.
At the time the move sparked strong opposition.
In debate on the House floor, State Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) argued that tampons should not be placed in male bathrooms, stating that it is unnecessary and confusing for young boys.
"There are only two genders,” Chesney said at the time. “To put female products in a male bathroom is not only confusing to a sixth-grader but completely inapplicable. So as a male who did go to a public high school, as a male who went to bathrooms from sixth grade to 12th grade, I can promise you not one of my male friends ever needed these.”
In 2022, a tampon and sanitary napkin dispenser was ripped off the wall of a boys' bathroom at Lyons Township High School and stuffed in a toilet.
"It has come to my attention that tampons were put in the boys bathroom for some odd reason. Boys don't menstruate, so they would have no use for a tampon," local resident Jonathan Koeppel said at a school board meeting following the incident. "I don't think you should lie to kids. You have biological males, biological females. One has ovaries, one has testicles."
In 2023, activist Chris Rufo released a video exploring the role of Pritzker and his transgender cousin “Jennifer” Pritzker, born as James Nicholas Pritzker, in funding the transgender movement, suggesting their wealth has fueled the normalization of "synthetic sex identities" (SSI).
Jennifer, who transitioned in 2013, is a billionaire philanthropist who has donated millions to promote "queer theory" and trans medical practices, while Pritzker has signed laws advancing radical gender theory in schools and directed state funds toward transgender surgeries.
Rufo argued that the influx of cash from wealthy donors, including the Pritzkers, has been central to pushing transgender ideology from the fringes into the mainstream.
The Pritzkers' contributions have also supported gender-related medical procedures at institutions like Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, which has been accused of promoting "gender ideology" in schools.
In the 2024 campaign season, failed vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was given the nickname "Tampon Tim" by critics after he signed a similar law in 2023 requiring public schools to provide free menstrual products to students, including in boys' bathrooms, in grades 4-12.
This has similarly led to backlash from those who view it as part of a broader radical agenda.
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