Another college says ‘Vagina Monologues’ isn’t inclusive enough: ‘Having a vagina and being a woman are not mutually exclusive’

Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, will no longer host "The Vagina Monologues" — all because you don't necessarily need to have a vagina in order to be a woman, apparently.

This isn't a new concept: The university is simply following suit in a long line of colleges changing the production in order to be more sensitive and inclusive to those people who don't believe that their gender is determined by their genitals.

What are the details?

Students opted to focus less on the whole "vagina" concept of the play in favor of featuring more vague language.

The new adaption is called "[Blank] Monologues" and was created with an intent to discuss sex-related issues in a safe space.

The school's newspaper, Student Life, reported that more than 30 student performers performed pieces "centering around sexuality, sexual violence, body image, and more."

For example, sophomore Maia Nagle performed a piece titled "My Angry Vagina."

One student told the paper that the adaptation was important because of its goal of raising awareness.

"I think '[Blank] Monologues' is important because it brings awareness to so many different topics that are often overlooked in day-to-day conversations," sophomore Ava Hansen told the paper, noting that "within just two hours, '[Blank] Monologues' was able to create an environment where experiences surrounding sexuality, body image and vaginas could be freely discussed without judgment."

As Student Life's Leah Hargrove concluded, "Having a vagina and being a woman are not mutually exclusive, and lessons learned during the performance are important for everyone, no matter their gender identity."

Proceeds from the 2019 show are set to go to Metro Trans Umbrella Group, which is a local nonprofit organization working toward cultivating an inclusive community.

Anything else?

This isn't the first time a production of "The Vagina Monologues" has been canned over "inclusivity."

In November, a Michigan college announced that the school would no longer host the production because of its lack of inclusion and diversity.

In a statement, the Women's Resource Center at Eastern Michigan University said:

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 decision came on the heels of a workshop titled, "Not All Women Have Vaginas."

In 2018, American University's Women's Initiative changed the event to the "Breaking Ground Monologues" in order to "broaden the focus from specifically female genitalia to multiple identities and bodies."

In 2015, a Mount Holyoke College student group canceled its yearly performance of "The Vagina Monologues," explaining that the play excluded transgender female experiences.

(H/T: The College Fix)