The struggle of the issues with gender has been brought into the spotlight. “The Vagina Monologues” enlightened Sonoma State students in a movement to end gender violence with an open mind that embraced the feminist ideal. 

Last weekend, Sonoma State Vagina Monologues embraced and supported V-Day, the global movement seeking to end violence against women and girls. 

Together, they incorporated a creative way to spread awareness, raise money and continue to fight against female injustice.

Such violence happening to females worldwide includes rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery.

Other issues include the treatment of women including inequality in clothing, jobs, inability to express sexuality and difference in treatment of women and men.

V-Day is also a chance to bring realization to all sexualities and genders such as straight, bisexual, homosexual and transgender. “The Vagina Monologues” brought up all these issues by bringing students together in the Cooperage to put on this event and perform monologues.

They pulled at the audience’s emotions by going back and forth with the monologues from serious to lighter issues in society: forcing the audience to feel and think about the serious ones, then, minutes later, creating laughter that echoed in the room.

“It was a really good blend of funny and informative,” said sophomore Simone Solar. “The sad one really made me feel the pain people went through.”

“The Vagina Monologues” not only brought awareness to students, but the money earned from tickets was donated to Verity, a 24-hour rape crisis line (714-545-7273) to offer assistance to help with injustice.

Verity provides compassion, safety and support for crisis intervention as well as referrals, advocacy, legal and medical accompaniment. They also offer support groups, in-person counseling and prevention education.

A crowd and personal favorite was the monologue “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” starring sophomore Mary-Madison Baldo. 

She came across “The Vagina Monologues” on a poster advertising auditions and was intrigued.  Despite never having any acting experience, she was a natural on stage.

She brought laughs for many members of the audience and fully embraced her monologue. She left all she had on stage and, once the event was over, people were complimenting her left and right.

This event discussed vaginas in ways people aren’t used to in society. It pushed comfort zones and brought to realization of how these issues or topics, even in light conversation, is uncomfortable to address.

Participants compared vaginas to the Bermuda Triangle, because everything seems to disappear. In today’s society it’s a forbidden place and topic that people are uncomfortable talking about, therefore many women feel ashamed, which should not be the case.

“The Vagina Monologues” addresses this issue in a way where the audience is open to what the monologues say as they are performed in an entertaining, empowering movement.

“Pussies Unite” is a saying these feminists embraced as they talked about the horrid experiences some women go through. 

One story they spoke of was a time where a woman hated her body image, including her vagina, after a man put her down.

She later dated a guy who did not bring much interest to her until they made it to the bedroom where he only wanted to sleep with her. She was uncomfortable, but this empowered her to be comfortable with herself.

Sonoma State Vagina Monologues showed the diversity of the issues women go through every day. 

Anyone who is interested in participating in this experience and passionate about any of these issues is encouraged to audition next year to help bring acceptance to all females.