Eastern Michigan University canceled a production of The Vagina Monologues because it was not inclusive enough. Students protested that transgendered people were excluded from the production.
Eastern Michigan University canceled a production of The Vagina Monologues this week after the community claimed that the show was not inclusive enough. Students specifically felt that the show was inappropriate because it does not include transgender women.
In a statement, the university’s Women’s Resource Center said that the show was canceled because of the group’s commitment to empowering minorities on campus.
“We feel that making this decision is in line with the WRC mission of recognizing and celebrating the diverse representations of women on campus along with the overall mission of the Department of Diversity and Community Involvement, in which the WRC is housed, of supporting and empowering minoritized students and challenging systems and structures that perpetuate inequities,” the statement read. “We truly believe that it is important to center our minoritized students and this decision is in line with this mission driven value.”
The statement went on to question the need for The Vagina Monologues. In fact, Eastern Michigan University isn’t the first school to ask this question. Several universities have canceled productions of the show over its lack of reference to transgender individuals.
“This created a need to ask the question: Do we still need ‘The Vagina Monologues?’ And, are ‘The Vagina Monologues’ still relevant to next generation feminists?” the Women’s Resource Center statement argues.
“The Vagina Monologues” was written in 1994 by Eve Ensler and features a series of stories from women about their life experiences. When it was first performed, the New York Times called it “the most important piece of political theater of the last decade.” Since then, it has faced criticism on a number of fronts, including from those who believe that it should include a segment about the transgender experience.