Comments | robynchick: Go activists!

robynchick

Go activists!

Apr 23, 2005 13:06

Go sign this petition (Just started) to support a young woman who wore a vagina monologues "I <3 my Vagina" button to school. The principal and administration have threatened to expel this honor student for not removing the button ( Read more... )

Comments 6

quixote322 April 23 2005, 20:43:58 UTC

Wow. That's really irritating. Thanks for posting this. I'll follow suit.

austenthegirl April 23 2005, 22:15:09 UTC

Sweetness. I've signed.

thimk April 24 2005, 22:20:26 UTC

Althought free speech is protected, profanity is not. School just isn't an appropriate place for a button that has an ambiguous statement such as that. That could be interpreted as a number of things, and as a guy, the first thing that comes to mind isn't, "Hey! She must have seen The Vagina Monologues!"
The school is really covering itself in this instance. If they neglected to do anything and someone was offended, the school could be liable for a sexual harrassment lawsuit.
This honor grad really just sounds like a daft prick that got spoiled as a child.

i love my private parts too... however.... firechild369 April 25 2005, 00:32:49 UTC

in some ways i agree. i mean, what if a guy wore an "i love my penis" button? i really don't think that would go over too well either... and if he can't wear that button, then it's sexist if the girl can wear hers even if it's for the "vagina monologues." (which is great by the way). i support that girl's support for the vm, but she has to consider the equality both ways- especially at school. i wouldn't be suprised if that specific girl would have been offended by an "i love my penis" button- then again i shouldn't be assuming anything... but it's still a really good point to consider.

robynchick April 25 2005, 18:46:43 UTC

I'm afraid I disagree...
The phrase has been strongly associated with the show and with human rights.
Neither the word vagina, nor the word penis are profane in and of themselves. The young woman in this situation was not making an attempt at calling attention to herself. As the local article said, students have been allowed to wear articles of clothing touting hitler and making statements like "I got lucky in Kentucky". Certainly these are more vulgar than a woman positive statement like "I <3 my vagina".

thimk April 26 2005, 23:57:32 UTC

It may have been strongly associated with the show and human rights, but not everybody is in the loop, and certainly would not conceivably connect the two. Penis and vagina aren't profane in themselves, but a statement proclaiming one's love of their tool seemingly alludes more to masturbation than female empowerment.
Statements like "Getting lucky in Kentucky" are rather ambiguous, and easily have several meanings. "I <3 My Vagina" is much more to the point though, and that is precisely what makes it inappropriate.
As for the touting of Hitler, you didn't specify what was actually said, so that makes it impossible to argue, it's rather like a blind man trying to box.