A Northern Kentucky University organization is bringing “The Vagina Monologues” to campus to try and remove the stigma attached to the word vagina. Leaders of Students for Choice say people treat a vagina as something to be ashamed of and something to ridicule.

“What’s so sad is when people hear the word vagina, they get scared, especially girls who have them,” said Kellie Peyton, co-president of Students for Choice. “They don’t know what it is.”

Students for Choice is a pro-feminist, pro-women, pro-choice group that focuses on educating women about their own bodies and the many forms of birth control available to them.

“The Vagina Monologues,” a play written by Eve Ensler in 1996, is a collection of monologues about vaginas in relation to sex, menstruation, masturbation, rape, birth, orgasm and various other topics.

The production has a student cast of 18 telling various stories that Ensler documented relating to women taking back power in the word vagina. These monologues, based on 200 interviews Ensler conducted, cover women from many races and age groups. “The Vagina Monologues” focuses on giving the power back to women.

“Eve took back the word vagina. She said, ‘Don’t be scared, this is something that’s great about you,’” Peyton said.

Ten percent of the proceeds go to the V-Day Organization, a group that focuses on stopping violence against women and girls. Another 10 percent of the earnings from ticket sales go towards a local organization, The Women’s Crisis Center.

The show will open at 1:30 p.m. on March 17 in the Otto Budig Theater. Two other showings will occur at 7:30 p.m. on March 18 in the Student Union in room 102, and at 7:30 p.m. on March 19 again in Otto Budig. Doors open a half hour before each show. Ticket prices are $5 for students and $8 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the Students for Choice table in advance (one week before shows begin) in the Student Union.

Story by Shawn Buckenmeyer