Students Suspended For Saying ‘Vagina’ During ‘The Vagina Monologues’
March 7th, 2007 by gordo
Principal Richard Leprine of John Jay High School
Three honor students at a public high school in suburban New York were suspended when they disobeyed school officials by saying the word “vagina” during a reading from The Vagina Monologues. Megan Reback, Elan Stahl and Hannah Levinson took turns reading a selection from the play, then this passage together:
My short skirt is a liberation flag in the women’s army. I declare these streets, any streets, my vagina’s country.
The reading was part of an event sponsored by the literary magazine at John Jay High School in Cross River, NY. The event also included original works by students and a Shakespearean recital by the football coach.
Principal Richard Leprine said that the girls were punished not because of what they said, but because they disobeyed orders not to say it. Leprine added that the event was open to the community, including children, and that the girls had been told when they auditioned that they could not use the word.
Witnesses said that no children of less than high school age attended, but that’s beside the point. If the issue was saving the children, then Leprine could have warned the community that there would be a reading from The Vagina Monologues when the event was announced. The real issue is that Principal Leprine is that by banning the word “vagina,” Principal Leprine effectively bans The Vagina Monologues.
For the uninitiated, The Vagina Monologues is the product of a series of interviews that playwright Eve Ensler conducted with women on the subject of their vaginas. Through stories and a series of rants that are both funny and angry, women of all sorts talk about their vaginas, and in the process shed light on how they view their own womanhood. One of the central themes of the play is that many women have been made so ashamed of their own sexuality that they feel they are being vulgar just for talking about it.
Society reinforces the notion that women’s sexuality is shameful by stigmatizing the word “vagina”, which is precisely the reason that Ensler put the word in the title of her play. It’s the reason that the puritans who want to tell us what we can read and watch, and who want to run our schools, raise such a fuss whenever Ensler’s play is presented on a high school or college campus. They want women to continue to be ashamed of their sexuality.
Unfortunately, the puritans usually get their way. Through distortion and half truths, they can usually create the impression that works like The Vagina Monologues are pornographic, or at least shocking to people of normal sensibilities.
The outrage industry, composed of tabloid newspapers and TV shows, Fox News, right wing websites, and talk radio, can amplify the concerns of one or two parents to the point that their voices drown out those of hundreds of parents who would prefer that their children receive a well-rounded education. And as long as the outrage industry retains the ability to cow spineless school principals, students like Megan Reback, Elan Stahl and Hannah Levinson will occasionally be caught up in the crossfire.
(cross posted at appletree)
March 7th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Bullocks!
March 7th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Shorter Leprine: “Oyyyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiieeeeeee! They talked ’bout ‘giners!”
March 7th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Likely would have been OK had they said, “cunt”.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
Like Ann Cunter and Micunt Savage?
March 7th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Penis, vagina, clitorus, scrotum, testicles, pubic hair.
March 7th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
the vagina is a zionist conspiracy to rule the world
March 7th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
Sky-Ho–
Ironically, there is a long section in The Vagina Monologues that deals with the word “cunt”. Ensler’s point is that there’s nothing wrong with the word if you’re talking about a vagina, and not a woman. It used to be the standard colloquial term for “vagina”, but it was corrupted by people who used the term to reduce women to the single one aspect of womanhood that is of interest to sexists.
Unfortunately, that misuse of the term has turned “cunt” into a vulgarity, and we’re forced to make do with the overly-clinical “vagina” and various childish terms, like “pussy.”
March 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
PENIS PENIS PENIS!
March 7th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Curious how the exact word usually used by American parents to explain the female sex organ (when they muster the courage in this bizarre place to explain anything about sex) to children when they are deemed ready to hear the information is somehow, I don’t know, dirty? Bad? It’s a bad word?
March 7th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Reminds me of what my daughter’s grandmother said when she learned that we say the V-word in our house…
What if she says it in public?!?!?!
Um, see, grandma, IT’S NOT A BAD WORD.
APS
March 7th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
One more reason for comprehensive sex ed! Talk to your kids, people–they clearly aren’t getting it at this school!
March 7th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Makes me think of a Beavis and Butthead episode. They are told by the principal that if they laugh in class again they will be punished. During their health class, which is taught by the drill sergeant-like phys ed teacher, the teacher proclaims to the class that they are going to learn about sexual reproduction, and he shouts at B & B that they are going to hear words like penis, vagina etc. Beavis and Butthead valiantly strive to suppress their laughter. Then it cuts to outside of the school with the bell ringing announcing the end of the day, and Beavis and Butthead burst out of the door with purple faces and start gasping for air.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Okay, so I’m just gonna throw this out there: if this were about penises, and called, “The Penis Monologues,” I think it’s safe to say it wouldn’t get any playtime either. Prooooobably even less than The Vagina Monologues.
I think a better case to be made is not that frank explorations of womanhood are being muffled (SO TO SPEAK!!!)–of course they generally are–but that frank explorations of gender and sexuality, in general, are routinely silenced. I’m not sure I’m ready to file this particular story under “repression of female expression.”
Just sayin’.
March 7th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Also, to be fair to the principal: he *did* order them not to use the word vagina, and they *did* violate that order, fully knowing there’d probably be consequences.
So one can assume that they accepted this and decided it was worth accepting the consequence. My question is: what’s the big freaking deal?
In high school, I (and many other students) walked out of class and marched to City Hall to protest budget cuts to the school system. We all knew we’d be suspended–and we were–so we walked out believing that what we were doing was worth accepting consequences for.
We all know that there are rules and laws that *should* be broken. And we know that breaking them will bring negative consequences, but often that is the nature of doing what is right.
Also, it’s very easy to criticize the principal in this case, but it is *not* easy being a principal or teacher, and not easy making unpopular decisions. I disagree with what the guy did, but I doubt he’s a puritan jerk, and I doubt that he deserves to be villified.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:09 am
[…] == UPDATE: The following bloggers have taken the Vagina Challenge: Dave Rosie Nicole Tanya Meghan Liberal Avenger […]
March 8th, 2007 at 12:10 am
No wonder he’s sensitive if his name is Principal Dick Leprine.
March 8th, 2007 at 12:12 am
I would just like to take this opportunity to note that I find the bolded first letters of Gordo’s posts somewhat distracting.
Not the one at the first paragraph — that’s common enough to be familiar and not draw attention for being out of place. But all the subsequent ones.
It makes it slightly hard for me to read.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:18 am
Fuck that shit! The guy fucked up and he needs to pay, big time. We need to make an exemple out of these Western Talibans. They need to be shun from society. I want his seed to be damned till the next millenium.
March 8th, 2007 at 4:02 am
In Biology, I remember the word invagination meant something so general and innocuous as ANY cavity forming on at the surface.
I think…
March 8th, 2007 at 6:21 am
Christian–
Here’s what you’re missing. There’s no need for “the Penis Monologues.” A large amount of pop culture is nothing more than an exploration of the topics of male sexuality. If you want the equivalent of “the Penis Monologues,” just listen to a top 40 station for a couple of hours.
Also, I don’t think “it’s tough being a principal” cuts it. It’s not so tough if you always take the easy way out, instead of asking yourself what’s best for the students. Hiding behind “children might theoretically be exposed to a single utterance of ‘vagina’, if any children had actually attended the event” is just weak. And so is hiding behind, “I made a completely unreasonable ruling, which I must now enforce.”
March 8th, 2007 at 6:37 am
I’ll bet Kraftwerk are ashamed of all the people who rip their innocuous poppy electronic music off.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:46 am
shorter BRT -
March 8th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
sirkowski:
You’re kidding, right? You sound just as reactionary as the other side. I mean…you have no idea who this guy is. He could be as pro-sexual liberation, choice, and anti-war as the rest of us, for all you know. The role of an administrator in the public education system is always a difficult one, and sometimes wrong choices are made. Suspension is basically…I mean, who cares? These kids can wear the suspension like a badge of honor, and rightfully so!
gordo:
You make an excellent point, but the one I was trying to make was more about the use of particular language. I think we can all agree that “The Penis Monologues” would’ve been shot down as well, because our culture is by and large afraid of sexuality, regardless of gender.
I can understand the principal’s concern, even if I don’t agree with it–not everyone is as (usually) sensible or progressive as we are. But the major thing that lead to their suspension is that the students agreed not to say the word “vagina.” As the article says, if the school wanted to put on a performance of the play in its entirety, it’d probably have been no problem (meaning that the principal isn’t, in actuality, anti-woman). But the students chose to break an agreement they made with the principal, and I think that’s great under the circumstances, but of course there is a consequence to breaking a rule to which one has explicitly agreed.
In the end however, this will all look great on their college applications!
March 8th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Oh…Herwitz is me, by the way.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
I still think Tommykey’s Beavis & Butthead example was the best.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
I think any example–of anything–with Beavis and Butthead is the best.
March 8th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
“We don’t need TV to entertain us.”
“Huh-huh-huh. He said anus.”
March 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
So? I should give this idiot a free pass just in case he’s anti-war? If he is, he can join the Republican party for all I care. It takes a special kind of moron to take the word vagina out of the the “vagina monologues”. There’s no excuses.
And since when is it reactionnary to be outtraged about censorship? wtf
March 8th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
sirkowski, I would call this reactionary:
Not only is the grammar and spelling atrocious (obvious reactionary hallmark–you weren’t really thinking through what you were writing), but you sound kinda…raving. Reactionary is demanding a punishment that far outweighs the infraction.
I just think that some deeeeep breathes need to be taken here. This was a great exercise in civil disobedience, and I think that’s awesome. Done and done.
March 8th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Uh, no, what he did was beyond belief, his punishment should be beyond belief as well.
March 8th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Here’s my idea:
Make him recite the Vagina Monologues in front of Beavis and Butthead.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
sirkowski:
Beyond belief? Uh…you might want to put some perspective on your…yeah, your thoughts and opinions. Beyond belief is like…Darfur. A principal suspending kids for saying the word “vagina”…that’s an administrator’s lapse in judgment rooted in our entire society’s fear of sexuality (and maybe womanhood, although I’m not convinced of that in this particular case). This guy is not a monster.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Again:
Make him recite the Vagina Monologues in front of Beavis and Butthead.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
He’s not a monster, but we need to throw racks at him.
March 9th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Christian–
Aren’t you the one who proposed killing conservatives on another thread? And now you’re going to get all high and mighty about sirkowski’s alleged extremism?
Or maybe it’s a sign that he’s a francophone.
And as far as Leprine goes, there really is no excuse. You’ve conceded that there is no need for a “penis” equivalent of “The Vagina Monologues”, but you continue to assert that it’s OK to ban readings from the play, as long as Leprine would ban readings from “The Penis Monologues” as well.
Here’s the thing: that’s a very one-sided form of censorship. It’s like saying that laws forbidding gay marriage aren’t discriminatory, because they also prevent straight people from entering into gay marriages.
Do you wonder what they say in biology class there at John Jay High? Do they say, “pregnancy can occur when a man puts his ding-a-ling into his wife’s hoo-ha”?
March 9th, 2007 at 1:52 am
gordo:
Of course! It seems to me that Leprine isn’t a conservative, and I find his actions misguided, but not reprehensible.
That’s right. I appreciate a consistent ideology, whether or not I agree with it (I happen to think opposing philosophies are good for the learning process). In this case, I don’t, and I think his actions were indicative of a man who caves to the status quo. But I don’t blame him: a public administrator is expected to do so. Obviously, I blame our society-at-large, and I see Leprine as an unwitting bureaucrat.
Again, I have great sympathy for those who work in public education. If he’d fully endorsed the students’ recitation of The Vagina Monologues, I’m sure conservatives would be down his throat right now. He was damned if he did, damned if he didn’t, and I feel for him. Frankly, I think he made the decision that would piss off the least amount of people, and I don’t blame him for that.
But why is no one asking why the students made an agreement that they had no intention of honoring? Why were they not forthright? I’m sure they could’ve protested the assembly and made just as much of a point by doing so that way.
I disagree. I believe that his form of censorship would affect everyone, not just a specific group of people.
Ha! I’m sure you don’t believe that. Am I the only one who read the article? I should reiterate that if the students had wanted to put on a run of The Vagina Monologues, it would’ve gone forward unhindered. This is not a principal or a school that is worthy of condemnation! There are many worse offenders, and I think we’d all be wiser for choosing our battles more particularly.
March 9th, 2007 at 1:56 am
Also, my apologies on insulting sirkowski, if indeed he/she isn’t a native English speaker. But still, I don’t like his/her reactionary tone!
March 9th, 2007 at 1:56 am
Or…he/his, that is.
March 9th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
I think we should all go to CPAC next year wearing t-shirts with the words VAGINA and PENIS prominently displayed.
March 9th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
More PENIS than VAGINA shirts though…wouldn’t want to give ourselves away by being hetero.
March 9th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Or even better yet, we should go wearing fake army and marine uniforms so that we can trick Michelle Malkin into getting photographed with us.
March 9th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
“I think we should all go to CPAC next year wearing t-shirts with the words VAGINA and PENIS prominently displayed.”
No problem TK. The bats would probably scrawl the words “Vaginyer” and
“Peenuss”
The uniform thing won’t work either. Michelle can smell a moonbat a mile away…
March 9th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Oh yeah, then why didn’t she “smell” Mike Stark and the gay porn star Bedrock?
That’s two guys she got duped into being photographed in one convention. Get your facts straight before making an assertion like that?
March 9th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Oh yeah, then why didn’t she “smell” Mike Stark and the gay porn star Bedrock?
That’s two guys she got duped into being photographed in one convention. Get your facts straight before making an assertion like that.
March 9th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
And I have to eliminate question marks from sentences that are not questions before I click post!
March 9th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
They weren’t wearing “Peenuss” signs TK.
Besides “shiny things” like useless controversies over gay porn and “Vaginyers” keep moonbats occupied while we get the job done in Iraq.
March 10th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
If BRT is scared of spelling vagina correctly, no wonder he’s scared of everything else.
March 10th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
BTW, Calling All Wingnuts is functioning again.
March 12th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
BRT–
“We”, huh? I certainly hope that we moonbats aren’t keeping you from your vital combat duties.