Editor:

As a past president of the drama honors fraternity Alpha Psi Omega, I applaud the recent performance of “The Vagina Monologues” sponsored by the group and the Women’s Issues Organization.

I also support Father Wildes’ statement of support for the production as a means of fostering discussion and breaking down negative stereotypes of women.

For anyone who has ever seen or read the play, it is not simply a means to discuss casual sex and promiscuity as some have charged.

This play has raised awareness of domestic violence and has raised money to aid organizations that support and protect abused women and children.

More importantly, this play has brought together generations of women and allowed them to openly discuss matters, which have been considered taboo.

I first saw “The Vagina Monologues” in Hawaii two years ago. I went with my mother, a Catholic and a more reserved person than I, and a friend of hers. While I do think they were both a little shocked by the language, neither was offended by what they saw.

Following the performance, we had a discussion about societal roles of women and other things I had never spoken with my mother about. It took away some of the discomfort that those topics had had for my mom and allowed her to be more open to things that she might not have thought of before.

Continuing to bar this play from this campus would only continue to objectify women and lessen their experiences.

I have always believed one of the purposes of art, regardless of the form, is to foster debate and discussion. Art does not exist in a vacuum. This production of “The Vagina Monologues” has done more than raise money. It has brought forth a discussion that needs to continue to take place.

Erin Garland, A’01Past president Alpha Psi Omega