In a stunning display of stupidity, a New York school has suspended 3 honour students for using the word vagina. Oh did I mention it was during a reading from the Vagina Monologues?
The excerpt from “Monologues” was read Friday night, among various readings at an event sponsored by the literary magazine at John Jay High School in Cross River, a New York City suburb. Among the other readings was a student’s original work and the football coach quoting Shakespeare.
The girls took turns reading the excerpt until they came to the word, then said it together.
“My short skirt is a liberation flag in the women’s army,” they read. “I declare these streets, any streets, my vagina’s country.”
snip
But Principal Richard Leprine said Tuesday that the girls were punished because they disobeyed orders, not because of what they said.
The event was open to the community, including children, and the word was not appropriate, Leprine said in a statement. He said the girls had been told when they auditioned that they could not use the word.
Reback said Tuesday that no one in the audience was younger than high school age. “What did we do that was so wrong?” she asked. “We were insubordinate, but the reason we were insubordinate was that we talked about our body.”
Now granted they ‘only’ received a one day in school suspension.
More importantly, they received a monumental life lesson on what it means to be born with a vagina.
Incroyable. Great photo.
Shouldn’t it have one of those little bars, or an X over it?
Just, wow and at John Jay Highschool, named for a US founding father…ironic.
Holly,
I think it should have the word “Mattel” etched across is.
I don’t want to argue moral equivalence or anything, but recently a book was banned because it contained the word “scrotum.”
There’s an article about all this stuff here:
[edited to remove URL which now contains malware]
I’m thinking of doing a blog posting on this. I’m fascinated by the contradictions: think, for example, of the Janet Jackson episode.
we’re discussing that on Bread and Roses as well.
Seems people are always either over-sexualizing or de-sexualizing kids.
What they need to just to be accepted and allowed to accept themselves.
You beat me to writing about this, so I’m encouraging people to link to your summary, and put the word “vagina” into a blog post title on their site today in protest.
Imagine the interesting hits we’ll be getting. đ
I made a post because Saskboy asked me to.
Then I had to go back and add the word vagina in the title to appease him.
I also included a joke I found amusing.
Have a good day
I vagina’d my blog too. People have to stop being scared of them. I totally agree with the oversexualizing and desexualization of children. Children are sexual beings. They are curious. There is nothing worse than feeling ashamed about perfectly normal feelings. A good parent will help their child feel secure about their body but at the same time recognise their boundaries.
Ahh, but “the reason we were insubordinate was that we talked about our body” isn’t really that good of a reason. Lots of things that have to do with “our bodies” are not appropriate for a school setting. If some young boys decided to talk about “smacking around some fine assed bitches”, they’re merely “talking about their bodies”.
Or, come to think of it, had some of the boys in the class stood up and stated that their urinals were symbols of man’s country, and that urban streets at night “belonged to the penis”, there would be guidance counsellors brought into the picture. Which is what probably should have happened here. Megan Reback’s mother certainly is a lousy example of one.
“If some young boys decided to talk about âsmacking around some fine assed bitchesâ, theyâre merely âtalking about their bodiesâ.
That would actually be talking about assault on another persons body.
If you don’t know the difference one wonders if you are perhaps posting from one of our fine institutions.
Urinals ARE a sign of mens country leastways I have never seen one in a ladies room. What a lame fucking argument.
If you are so concerned that the poor penis is being put upon why don’t you go support the above mentioned book? Now there is an actual incident to be concerned about.
Oh right! That doesn’t involve denigrating women so where’s the fun in that.
I was directed here from Saskboy’s blog, and I’ve taken up his challenge. I’ve linked back here to you as well because not only is this a geat post and an excellent blog, that picture is worth more than a thousand words!
I bookmarked your blog.. I like your analysis of Harry Potter for one
Seesh if the word vagina makes the school staff that uncomfortable and they associate it with being dirty maybe it is time that they talked to a professional about it. I have linked to your blog and used vagina a few times. I have also used the word penis often on my blog too.