Dear Editor,

I am a junior voice performance major at Loyola University of New Orleans. Lately my school has been involved in a large amount of drama about a student production of The Vagina Monologues. Yes, Loyola is a catholic university. But everyone is missing the main word in that title: UNIVERSITY. We, as a place of higher learning, have a responsibility to educate ourselves in as many ways as possible. Yes, The Vagina Monologues presents material that goes against catholic teachings. As freshmen we are required to take a course in world religions, and the majority of that class is spent learning about things that go against catholic teachings. Loyola does not endorse the beliefs of those other religions we learn about and they do not endorse all of the actions talked about in The Vagina Monologues. What they do endorse is the necessity to learn as much as you can about as many subjects as you can. As an artist, especially one who has to perform pieces that were written hundreds of years ago, I am confronted with the problem of offensive texts on a fairly regular basis. Some of the things in The Vagina Monologues are shocking and offensive to some people. However, when Loyola put on its production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute it was only met with praise. No one questioned the performance, even thought the plot of the opera revolves around women being spiritually weak, irrational, and deceptive. Does that mean that Loyola faculty believes that women are deceptive or weak? No. Of course it doesn’t! But the good things in The Magic Flute over power the bad. Obviously the administration at Loyola is not saying that they condone the seduction of minors by adults. But, they are finally saying that they encourage women to have a voice.

My last point would be that it was one performance of a small student production to raise money for a charitable institution. Anyone who was offended by the play was not forced to go. The Vagina Monologues was not forced on anyone. The sad problem is that the beliefs that The Vagina Monologues are trying to break down are forced upon women every day. Young girls are taught that even the name of their body parts are taboo. In the US a woman is raped every 90 seconds (according to the US department of Justice, 2000). If a production of this play can help even one woman to stand up against injustices to women, then the world is better for it.

Sincerely, Sarah Stickney, ’06