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A US POLITICIAN who was silenced after using the word ‘vagina’ during a political debate is to take part in a performance of The Vagina Monologues later this evening in protest.
Almost 3,000 people have signed up on Facebook to attend the event ‘Vaginas Take Back the Capitol‘ on the steps of the main government building in Michigan tonight.
Playwright Eve Ensler, who wrote The Vagina Monologues, is flying to Michigan to take part in the performance, along with 11 politicians from the state.
During a heated debate on abortion rights last week, state senator Lisa Brown told the chamber, “I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no”.
Brown, who is a Democratic senator for the state of Michigan, was ruled to be out of order when she tried to protest that she wasn’t allowed to speak on the bill, and was not allowed to speak in the chamber on any issue the following day.
Another state senator supported the decision. Mike Callton said:
What she said was offensive. It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company.
The Detroit Free Press reports that a spokesman for the Speaker of the House said that Brown’s censure was nothing to do with her use of the word ‘vagina’ and was because of the use of the phrase ‘no means no’, which the spokesperson said was comparing the legislation to rape.
Brown has said that she wasn’t talking about rape and that she doesn’t believe the explanation.
The bill sought to ban abortion after 20 weeks and introduce new regulations on abortion providers.
“I was either banned for being Jewish and rightfully pointing out that House Bill 5711 was forcing contradictory religious beliefs upon me and any other religion. Or it is because I said the word ‘vagina’ which is an automatically, medically correct term. If they are going to legislate my anatomy, I can see no reason why I cannot mention it,” said Brown.
(Video via ProgressMichigan/YouTube)
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Oh for gods sake. They’d really need to get a grip in America. The porn capital of the world and you can’t use the word vagina without shocking “mixed company”.
Vagina. Vagina. Vagina.
Penis. Penis. Penis.
Might as well shock them all. :-D
It wasn’t because she said “vagina”, it’s because she said “no means no”, which has to do with rape?! I think they orginally That country is bonkers. Oh by the way, Vulva.
Cicciolina for President!
Ms Cronin, you’re a disgrace, won’t be able to look you in the eye next time I see ya :P
PENIS!
America, home of the free…
and pizza is considered a vegetable in the states. they make worldclass TV the yanks but they have the thickest politicians in the world behind our lot of course
The whole pizza thing is not really accurate. The new guidelines were saying that for tomato sauce to be considered a serving of it would have to be 1 cup. There is no way you could/would have 1 cup of tomato sauce on a slice of pizza so all they did was say that the tomato sauce did not have be measured. They did not actually define pizza as a vegetable.
RDX682, tomatoes are a fruit so they’re even wrong there too.
Gavin, the word vegetable is not even in the bill. See the (1) line below. This is the bill that allows schools to continue to serve pizza. Notice there is no mention of pizza or vegetable anywhere.
““Sec. 743. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement an interim final or final rule regarding nutrition programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) that–
(1) requires crediting of tomato paste and puree based on volume;
(2) implements a sodium reduction target beyond Target I, the 2-year target, specified in Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, ‘Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs’ (FNS-2007-0038, RIN 0584-AD59) until the Secretary certifies that the Department has reviewed and evaluated relevant scientific studies and data relevant to the relationship of sodium reductions to human health; and
(3) establishes any whole grain requirement without defining ‘whole grain.’”
Is it appropriate to say the Republican party contains a lot of knobs?
I see the puritans are still running the show. I thought they had a constitutional amendment. regarding freedom of speech, obviously it doesn’t apply to naming body parts. I fail to see how they find it offensive, there are a lot more offensive terms to describe the vagina than the use of it’s proper name. Wake up America!
Why would anybody outside of Michigan care what happens in the Michigan House of Representatives?
@RDX862 Because it’s hilarious.
It wasn’t in the Michigan House of Representatives, it was said by the Michigan senator in the US House of Representatives.
Killian, no it is the Michigan House of Representatives (even you can see that in the video) and all these people involved are STATE politicians.
My apologies if it is but the article makes it seem like it was said in Congress
Lisa Brown
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 39th district
Mike Callton, D.C.
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 87th district
Political correctness gone completely mental…..!!!!!
That’s not political correctness.
Surely that should be political correctness with mental health issues.
Is it not Anatomically correct not Automatically? also… yeah.. she said nothing offensive…. bullcrap
That quote by Mike Callton is hilarious. Can’t say vagina in front of a person who has one! How do they come up with these rules?
This is why we can’t have nice things >_<
Well, the Vagina Monologues is pretty nice, so I guess it evens out?
They’re all a bit immature if they can’t talk about the human body like adults without getting bashful about it.
VAGINA!! great word.
Id pay to see the Muppets perform The Vagina Mnamnalogues.
Down with this sort of thing
Careful now
the freakin FCC song from family guy comes to mind!
The D**k van D**e show!!!!
She should have used Fanny or Muff or Minge
The hairy axe-wound is my favourite…
Counter-rustling the jimmies rustler. I like their style.
a TD, cannot describe another TD as a chancer in the Dail, even if he is one
have your say