Groups clash over 'Vagina Monologues'

 by Emma Breysse
 published on Thursday, February 28, 2008

John Battaglia / THE STATE PRESS

VERSUS V-DAY: Christina Hoff Sommers speaks out against the popular feminist theater production “The Vagina Monologues” at Lattie Coor Hall on Wednesday.

"The Vagina Monologues," commonly viewed as a feminist play, is actually toxically anti-male, according to feminist speaker Christina Hoff Sommers.

Sommers spoke to an audience of more than 40 students and community members, including some who support "The Vagina Monologues," about what she perceives as the lack of healthy debate in feminism represented by the play.

The play will be performed at ASU on Saturday and Sunday.

"Masculinity is seen in this play as toxic," she said. "In the play, the vagina's like a crime scene when men get near."

Sommers also said she objects to the sorts of activities that usually accompany a performance like the Vagina Monologues as part of the much-publicized V-Day campaign.

"I have no objections to the funds that are raised for a good cause," she said, acknowledging the money V-Day raises to end domestic violence. "But you can raise funds for a good cause and still have a twisted philosophy."

A group of V-Day "Vagina Warriors," who are involved in presenting the play at ASU, were in the audience. Industrial design senior Tiffany Duening was among them.

Duening said Sommers' remarks focused too much on radical campaigns in other parts of the county, rather than on the overall goals of the movement.

"I really appreciate that she came," she said. "But I think that the things she said about the Vagina Monologues don't properly represent the V-Day movement. I just think she doesn't understand the point of our show."

Duening told Sommers that she was focusing on just the negative side of the play and movement.

"A small little part of my brain understands your argument," Duening told her. "What I object to is the way you are characterizing the V-Day campaign."

Sommers said the play is representative of what she calls "gender feminism," or negatively stereotyping men.

And she supports what she calls "equity feminism," which she said she sees as a return to the original goals of the women's movement by empowering women and men equally.

"Yes, make a place for the radical voice, but also make room for the moderates and, heaven forbid, the conservative voices," she said.

Fred Zlaket, a microbiology sophomore, was one of nearly 20 men who attended the lecture. Zlaket said he liked Sommers' version of feminism and her speech.

"I thought it was very informative," he said. "It's true that feminism was originally aggressive for equality and getting things on an equal plane — not 'Men are bad.' "
Sommers was invited to ASU by the Network of Enlightened Women, a group that club president Catherine Smith said exists to take back feminism from the radicals.

Smith, an English linguistics junior, said though she and her fellow members do not support "The Vagina Monologues," they hope to allow students to make informed decisions of their own by inviting Sommers.

"Our main reason in inviting her was to start debate on campus so students could logically reason whether they wanted to support 'The Vagina Monologues,' " she said. "I think empowering women is a great purpose but I think ['The Vagina Monologues'] go about it the wrong way."

Reach the reporter at: emma.breysse@asu.edu.