This is such a fantastic response to a mind-numbingly stupid controversy. For those of you who aren’t up to date, Michigan legislators barred Rep. Lisa Brown (D) from speaking in the House after she used the word “vagina” during a debate on an anti-abortion bill. Yes, people are losing their shit over the word “vagina”:
“That comment would be very inappropriate,” [Rep. Rick Johnson (R)] said. “You have young children? Is that something you want them to hear from your state rep?”
Actually, yeah, I wish young children had comprehensive sex education and didn’t respond to the medical terminology for a body part the way you do. Heaven forbid they know about vaginas in addition to arms, stomachs, brains, eyeballs, and what have you. Heaven forbid little girls know about their bodies! Why, we can’t have that – they may start touching their vaginas then! APOCALYPSE!
“What she said was offensive,” said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. “It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company.”
Uh…does this guy realize that (most) women have vaginas? I think this says it all:
But female Michigan legislators have come up with a wonderful idea to protest this puritanical nonsense. On Monday they’ll be performing the Vagina Monologues on the steps of the Michigan capitol building, led by Eve Ensler herself (who wrote the play). The legislators include Senators Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing), and Representatives Barb Byrum (D- Onondaga), Stacy Erwin Oakes (D-Saginaw), Dian Slavens (D- Canton Township), Rashida Tlaib (D- Detroit), Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield), Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills), Joan Bauer (D-Lansing).
This is such a fabulous idea. If you’re in Michigan, check it out and email your legislators messages of support (or messages of anger, depending on their stance).
This is post 11 of 49 of Blogathon. Donate to the Secular Student Alliance here.
Oh someone PLEASE livecast this, for great justice!
That is the most beautifully, perfectly stupid quote I have ever heard in my life. It’s like a pure, crystal moment of utter incompetence.
“You have young children? Is that something you want them to hear from your state rep?”
Does this dewd actually think young children eagerly follow every word of every state legislator? (Never mind; only the first five words of my question were necessary.)
Vagina isn’t a bad word. It’s just the technical term for that part of the anatomy. If the law debated it gonna be clear, we would need to use that term.
Apparently they weren’t upset that she said ‘vagina’, they were upset because she said ‘no means no‘.
For some reason that doesn’t make me feel any better about it.
These people are grown fucking adults. It would literally be more mature of them to pass a resolution declaring representative Brown a doody-head. Michigan needs to grow the fuck up.
tangenal, but… anyone hear about the new approach? Yes means Yes. Its seems they (the great amorphous they) want to teach the idea of get a yes. Sounds like a good idea to me, if a bit unromantical.
Anyone who objects to saying “vagina” shouldn’t be allowed to make laws about them.
yay Michigan women!! And high-five to the rep. from Saginaw!
Just when I think Republicans can’t get any nuttier about sex, they prove me wrong.
There’s no bottom to that pit.
Great to see your post on r/feminism – hopefully a longer & more widespread action can grow out of this event!
“It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women.”
Yes, the continued belief that women are delicate flowers who must be protected from hearing certain things. It doesn’t matter what the “offensive” phrase is, this attitude has got to go.
This is such a ludicrously awesome response that I have a paranoid feeling that today is actually April 1st.
This is fantastic, and one of my friends thought of something that would cap it off in grand fashion:
I emailed them too!
Yes! Please!
A word he wouldn’t use in front of women? Does he not say PENIS in front of men? Keep the sense of humour flowing, it’s the only thing sustaining us.
Dear Mr. Callton
I am outraged that you would try to silence anyone for the proper and appropriate use of the term vagina, or penis or testicles or uterus or any other anatomical term in a frank and open discussion. As a high school teacher I am always encouraging my students to use proper vocabulary when discussing any type of issue. Apparently you do not watch much television or you would be very familiar with detailed discussions of products like Vagicil and it effectiveness at stopping the symptoms of vaginal itching or the hazards of using Viagra with its possible side effects of erections lasting more than four hour. These and may other advertisements beam into our homes along with the evening news and are aired at times when young children are watching family oriented programing. Where is your outcry to silence these billion dollar companies for their detailed and descriptive use of anatomical terminology over the public air waves every day. Mr Callton you need to come down out of you ivory tower and if you can not handle an open and frank discussion of reproductive body parts then you have no business writing, discussing, and or passing legislation that infringes upon a woman’s reproductive freedoms.
Sincerely,
Allen Harrington
“You have young children? Is that something you want them to hear from your state rep?”
I hope to heaven this man doesn’t have a daughter. What do you suppose he’d tell her that part of her body is called? “Down there”?
I wish the Republican female legislators would take part in this just to let the men know that the women stand together on this. Maybe they are and only the Democrats are listed?