• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

The Vagina Monologues Ungagged

June 24, 2012 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

It could be a vagina. With apologies to Magritte.

By Mary Jo Melone

Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.

Uterus. Uterus. Uterus.

There. I’ve said those dirty words, and boy, did it feel good. It’s curious what a little free speech will do. It clears the mind.

So here’s the truth about what happened in Michigan to State Rep. Lisa Brown, a Democrat, when she dared to use the word “vagina” during a debate last week about bills that would make an abortion ridiculously hard to get.

florida voices columnists flaglerlive

The Republicans don’t just want to control what women can do with—for delicate readers—their lady parts. The Republicans want to dictate what comes out of women’s mouths.

During the debate, Brown told her colleagues, “I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina. But no means no.”

Brown was then barred from speaking in the House. So was Rep. Barb Byrum, who introduced a bill banning vasectomies unless performed to save a man’s life.

Their words were deemed to violate the decorum of the House. They were accused of being immature – like fifth graders who tell fart jokes.

This isn’t the first time somebody has been lectured to for naming a thing what it is. Like all trends, this one started in Florida. Last year, Rep Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, said that since the GOP was so gung-ho about lifting regulations on business, it would be smart if his wife incorporated her uterus. Then the Republicans would let her do anything she wanted.


Randolph was chastised for violating the decorum of the House. Decorum–the same word that was used against Brown and Byrum. Is this another Republican talking point?

Censorship does not work, of course. It provokes more rebellion. So last February, in Oklahoma, state Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre borrowed a sign from a woman protesting proposed personhood bills. The sign read: “If I wanted the government in my womb, I’d f— a senator.”

God bless the woman who made that sign, and God bless McIntyre. You have to maintain a sense of humor when somebody is trying to take away your most basic right as a woman.

To borrow, sort of, from Mitt Romney, what’s good for the goose is apparently not good for the gander. Republicans use the word vagina all the time, but as part of an adjective, not a noun. They’re all for trans-vaginal ultrasounds, whether women want them or not.

Now I’ll borrow from a wise man, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart. If he were alive today, he’d see right through what the GOP is doing.

Censorship, he said, “is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”

Not democratic, with a lower-case d. Authoritarian.

Like vagina, like uterus, the use of this word makes this battle over abortion plain. I’ll say it loud, say it proud. Authoritarian.

Mary Jo Melone, former columnist with the Tampa Bay Times, is a writer in Tampa.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$7000Raised $5461 towards the $7000 target.$5461Raised $5461 towards the $7000 target.78%
Thank you for being among the 25,000 readers who stop by here every day: You depend on FlaglerLive for reliable, fearless reporting and analysis you cannot get anywhere else. But like freedom, serious journalism depends on its advocates to survive. That means you. That means more than thoughts and good wishes are needed. As a challenging 2024 looms, take a stand for integrity and have a direct voice in fostering serious journalism in your community. As little as $10 makes a difference, or better still, become a monthly donor: Become a Friend of FlaglerLive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. lefty loon says

    June 25, 2012 at 6:29 am

    “Like vagina, like uterus, the use of this word makes this battle over abortion plain. I’ll say it loud, say it proud. ”

    Perhaps human beings object to the lack of dignity towards the office which elected people hold. It’s Ok with me if you use the words honey, it defines who you are and how you degrade yourself and your office. Perhaps the children who preyed on that lady on the bus listened to those words at home or in school and this helped them hone their verbal slash and bash skills.

    Reply
    • Nancy N. says

      June 25, 2012 at 8:50 am

      Would you feel it degraded a doctor to use those terms? Would you prefer that your (or your wife’s if it is more appropriate) doctor use pretty fluffy terms like “happy valley” instead of vagina when discussing serious medical issues? I bet not. That would be degrading to the doctor. So why can’t legislators use correct medical terms when discussing medical issues?

      Or maybe we should start having Knocker Cancer Awareness month because “breast” is a degrading word?

      Reply
  2. Magnolia says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:48 am

    Abortion should be up to each, but please don’t ask me to pay for it.

    Reply
    • another voice says

      June 25, 2012 at 7:04 pm

      Nobody is asking you to pay for it.

      Reply
  3. PCer says

    June 25, 2012 at 11:09 am

    I wish someone in Flagler County would put on a performance of the Vagina Monologues!! I have read it, seen it on video, but would love to see it live!!!

    Reply
  4. Dorothea says

    June 25, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    @ Magnolia,

    Many years ago a law passed that contained an amendment that takes away any fears that you have about paying for other people’s abortions. It’s called the Hyde Amendment and it was passed in 1976. Anyway, this article about the use of words defining a woman’s body parts, not about abortion.

    Reply
  5. NortonSmitty says

    June 25, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    I hate the word. It makes my Wee-Wee hurt!

    Reply
  6. lefty loon says

    June 25, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    “Would you feel it degraded a doctor to use those terms? Would you prefer that your (or your wife’s if it is more appropriate) doctor use pretty fluffy terms like “happy valley” instead of vagina when discussing serious medical issues? I bet not.”

    Context and timing are everything. You bet wrong. Why not just go into more graphic slang term common to most people? Why not go on prime time TV with this stuff? Dignity is what defines us as human beings. You are free to be a monkey in the monkey house and see how much you can throw against the wall while the crowd cheers you on. When the public forum becomes a cesspool then it becomes impossible to act with civility. In private, I don’t care what your doctor says to you or your husband about your happy valley. I don’t want to pay for it. I want you to work and pay for my ……..???? I want all of you to work and give me your money. That’s what this is all about.

    Reply
    • Nancy N. says

      June 25, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      What exactly is uncivil about using medical terms to discuss a medical procedure?

      “I don’t want to pay for it. I want you to work and pay for my ……..???? I want all of you to work and give me your money. That’s what this is all about.” – Who started talking about money? This is a discussion of free speech – or rather, un-American limitations being placed on it because some people don’t agree politically with what is being said – and nothing more.

      Reply
      • lefty loon says

        June 26, 2012 at 12:10 pm

        “Who started talking about money? This is a discussion of free speech – or rather, un-American limitations being placed on it because some people don’t agree politically with what is being said – and nothing more. ”

        Lets have free speech starting right here

        Reply
  7. question says

    June 25, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    I say ‘keep it up’…body part issues. 2 reasons:

    Hear the door creaking open that there are both men & women in State houses all across America. You go girl…State Rep. Lisa Brown! Kinda like the theory…as soon as men can get pregnant and have children, then they can spout off an opinion on what women can and can not do with their own body. Till then butt out.

    Reason 2. Keep it up counting down the clock til Nov 6 on ‘social’ issues…they turn off independents [if there really are such people]. President Obama thanks you.

    p.s. dear god, slipping into Norton-dom world of humor. “No don’t laugh. Stop it. But it’s funny”

    Reply
  8. Will says

    June 25, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    @ PCer

    Ditto…

    A local live performance of the Vagina Monologues is a great idea.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Mark on Palm Coast Pledges ‘Task Force’ Action on Homes Flooding Near New Construction, But Residents Are Skeptical
  • FlaglerLive on Gabriella Alo Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison, Her Brother to 2 in Attacks in Flagler Beach
  • CELIA PUGLIESE on Approval of 205-Home Old Kings Village Delayed as Polo Club West Residents Say Developer Is Not Negotiating
  • Sticky Fingers on Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
  • Dennis C Rathsam on Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
  • Dennis C Rathsam on Palm Coast Pledges ‘Task Force’ Action on Homes Flooding Near New Construction, But Residents Are Skeptical
  • Jim lang on Approval of 205-Home Old Kings Village Delayed as Polo Club West Residents Say Developer Is Not Negotiating
  • Ed on Palm Coast Pledges ‘Task Force’ Action on Homes Flooding Near New Construction, But Residents Are Skeptical
  • Randy Bentwick on Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
  • Dennis Talbot on Palm Coast Pledges ‘Task Force’ Action on Homes Flooding Near New Construction, But Residents Are Skeptical
  • Shark on Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
  • Concerned Citizen on Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
  • John Graham on Approval of 205-Home Old Kings Village Delayed as Polo Club West Residents Say Developer Is Not Negotiating
  • Atwp on Hate Crimes Are Up, But Charges and Convictions Are a Challenge
  • Derrick Redder on Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
  • Tired of it on County May Remove Heather Haywood from Planning Board Over a ‘Lie’ and Refusal to Comply with Record Request

Log in

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$7000Raised $5461 towards the $7000 target.$5461Raised $5461 towards the $7000 target.78%

Thank you for being among the 25,000 readers who stop by here every day: You depend on FlaglerLive for reliable, fearless reporting and analysis you cannot get anywhere else. But like freedom, serious journalism depends on its advocates to survive. That means you. That means more than thoughts and good wishes are needed. As a challenging 2024 looms, take a stand for integrity and have a direct voice in fostering serious journalism in your community. As little as $10 makes a difference, or better still, become a monthly donor: Become a Friend of FlaglerLive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible. Click anywhere in this box and make a year-end gift that supports truth.

All donors’ identities kept confidential.