Several female Michigan legislators are taking back the Capitol Monday night for a special performance of “The Vagina Monologues,” after a state representative was silenced after using the word “vagina” during a House of Representatives session.
The event will begin with a rally at 5 p.m. on the Capitol steps, followed by the play at 6 p.m.
Rep. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, was revoked of her speaking privileges after making a passionate speech opposing a bill regulating abortions.
“I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no,” she said last week.
Several legislators with opposing viewpoints spoke on the bill, but Brown’s comment was met with applause from other legislators.
The bill ultimately passed 70-39 with one abstention.
Brown and Rep. Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, have been at the center of controversy after speaking out against the bill. Both women were silenced for their behavior in the House of Representatives, which was likened to a “temper tantrum.”
Eve Ensler, creator of “The Vagina Monologues,” also will participate in the performance along with legislators including Brown, Byrum and Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing.
“The Vagina Monologues” is an episodic play of several stories relating to the vagina, including sex, menstruation, mutilation or rape. It usually is performed by many women who each take on a different persona in the play. Ensler said she created the play to “celebrate the vagina.”
Since the play’s first performance in 1996, it has been performed all across the U.S. and in 77 countries. Some notable performers in the monologues are Alanis Morissette, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey.
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