Vagina Banned Throughout Nation

Every year the University hosts a production of Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues for V-Day: a globalized movement stopping violence against all females. The production helps raise funding for anti-violence groups and educational programs to raise awareness towards the brutality among affected women.

The Vagina Monologues consists of a variety of witty, humorous, dramatic and heartbreaking stories of the lives of women and their vaginas. Following 200 interviews with women from around the world, Ensler created a two-hour production dedicated to prevent violence toward women.

The University has never seen a protest or a complaint about the play, but for some institutions the production has been banned.

In the last year, many schools have outlawed Ensler's play based on their views about the feminist agenda. John McAdams of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, said "We personally don't favor banning any production, no matter how hateful, but then we don't favor banning a Klansman who might want to speak on campus. The feminist Vagina Monologues types, of course, would ban anybody they thought guilty of 'hate speech' in a second. So we shed no tears when they get the same treatment they would happily mete out to others." In direct relation to this statement, Marquette University denied a student theater group's application to perform The Vagina Monologues because, "it was against the Catholic ideals of the school," according to the Feb. 23rd, 2006 in the Marquette Tribune's.

After four years of running the production, Providence College, another Catholic institution, barred the play for being "morally objectionable" after four years of running the production. A newly elected president, Rev. Brian J. Shanley said, "A collection of women's stories about their experiences of sexuality and abuse - raises important issues about violence against women, [but] it has no place on a Catholic college campus." Rev. Shanley has never seen the play.

Senior Erica Rioux, director of the show said, "I feel very upset about it. I just feel this really sets a negative precedent for women at PC." She continued, "On a Catholic campus there is a fear about talking about sex. We don't have a woman's center and the other workshops that address assault are ineffective."

For some colleges the production of the play is fine on their campus, however, choice scenes have previously been altered or excluded because of the content.Robert Swoop, contributor to The Hoya, Georgetown University's student run paper said, "In past years, some sections of The Vagina Monologues have caused embarrassment to the organizers and university officials who have backed V-Day performances. The script has been changed."

The monologue "The Little Coochi Snorcher that Could", which refers to relations between a 13-year-old girl and an older woman, is one of the speeches the edited version omits.

Ensler responded to this editing, which can in some cases come under scrutiny of copyright laws. "You must use the version of the script of The Vagina Monologues that is included in the Performance Kit that you will receive. No other version of the play is acceptable for your production. Do not use the book of the play or versions of the script from previous College Initiatives. The new script must be followed."

Because the show began in New York starring many well-known actresses, it is interesting when a prominent New York institution is one of the many banning the show.

St. John's University has recently decided not to allow the play to be performed on campus. James J. Maher,St. John's vice president of student affairs, said ''We fully support the value of raising awareness and education on systematic violence against women. As part of our obligation to the entire university community, we also reserve the right not to support student life activities that we deem inappropriate."

Senior Alisha Brizickly was planning to present the play in February with three performances for the V-Day College Campaign. Brizickly has been told she cannot perform on campus. In response, Brizickly will be performing on an off- campus site.

The V-Day College Campaign is a worldwide event colleges and universities choose to participate as a means to raise money for the education and awareness of violence against women. The money raised from each performance is given to the V-Day fund.

The University has been closely involved with the production since 2004 when the documentary, Until the Violence Stops, was screened at a private party hosted by Pace the law school's Women's Justice Center. The center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the training of lawyers and the representation domestic violence victims. Since then, the University has been active in the participation of V-Day. Senior anthropology and theatre major Ashley Marinaccio and union history and women's and gender studies major Regina Gennari are co-directing this year's production. "Yes, it is controversial, but it is so important," Gennari said, "It's anti-violence, anti-abuse, anti-hate and that's why we need to show it."

The production is slated for performance on March 6th and 7th. Auditions will be open to all students, faculty and staff whom would like to participate.