http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspxThis morning we tackled a recent controversy out of John Jay High School in Cross River, New York.  Three girls performed a poem from Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" at an open mic night and got suspended for sayingen-USCommunityServer 2.0 (Build: 60608.1)http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85870Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:34:18 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85870Lisa, Mapleton MNSome things are meant to remain private, and I believe vagina is one of them. I also believe that the girls do deserve punishment from the school for directly disobeying the principal. Save the 'Vagina Monologues' for a time when they are advertised as such and people can make a choice whether to attend or not.http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85878Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:38:40 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85878Shelli Miller, Andover, MinnesotaI emailed this to the Today Show, too, but I thought that I would leave a comment here also. I just have to say that I totally respect those girls and I am sure there are other mothers and fathers out there who feel the same as I do. Like Eve said, "elbow, hand, vagina". To punish these girls because they said the word vagina (especially when someone else wasn't punished for saying the F-word) is devaluing to women and girls everywhere. The vagina brings forth life. Why is that too "dirty" to say out loud in front of a crowd? It tells us women that our reproductive organ is dirty and shameful. I think they did the right thing. You go girls.http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85896Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:41:54 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85896Kristin Robinson, Tyler, TexasThe problem is not that parents don't want small children to "know" their body parts, the problem is small children don't have a brain-to-mouth censor that knows when it's appropriate to use a certain word or phrase. Small children don't know that it's inappropriate to tell a stranger "You have a vagina." It's not just about the word "vagina," it's about the whole piece the girls were quoting. The principal did the right thing. This is not really a censorship issue, it's an authority issue. And, by the way, NO! Parents of small children do NOT use the word vagina around the house for the reasons stated above. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85907Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:47:50 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85907Josa, Streator, IL You go girls!  If three boys had wanted to say the word penis in the show, would they have been allowed to?  Vagina is the name for a body part and should not be banned from free speech.  Our society is too puritanical and that is not doing our young people any favors.  Kudos also to the school board president who also appeared.  I hope that they can come to a resolution to this issue that does not involve punishing young people who are trying to express themselves freely.http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85915Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:50:51 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85915Henry S. Bromley,III ; Ardmore PennsylvaniaHow by all that is holy do we teach young people to be proud of their bodies if they cannot use the proper names for their body parts. We in the USA have such a "poo-poo-tinkle syndrome" that it is considered "dirty" when the proper name is used when are we ever going to GROW UP !http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85923Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:53:49 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85923Dionna Morris, Wentworth, MissouriI have 2 daughters ages 10 and 7, they have been taught the correct terms for their body parts, including vagina, we have never called it anything else but what it is. Our 14 year old son has also been taught the correct terms for his body parts as well. Still, most people I know do not say vagina, they call it something else. Educating people is important, but we need to get it together when it comes to parts of the body. It's okay to say vagina. That is what it is.http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85929Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:57:26 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85929Julie, Cincinnati, OHI found it interesting that the President of the Board didn't outright support the principal in the interview today. As a high school English teacher, I understand both sides of the issue; however, I think the School Board is "throwing the principal under the bus" if they don't support the decision that has been made. On the other hand, I think the principal was wrong in his decision, but because he asked the girls not to go ahead with their plan and the girls did, they should be given some sort of punishment for being insubordinate. I don't think a suspension is appropriate.http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85946Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:08:56 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85946Lori Twohig, Sioux City, IowaI am a big believer in teaching children anatomically correct names for their body parts. I a mother of 5 children – 4 of which are girls, complete with vaginas. I taught them to call their genitals penises and vaginas. That being said, I will add that my children don’t speak publicly about their genitals – mainly because there is really not a good reason to do so. They also don’t talk about their elbows, spleens or forearms – again because these body parts rarely come up in a natural conversation. I am not quite sure what Eve Ensler was trying to do with her “The Vagina Monologues,” though I resent that she alludes that anyone not wanting to talk about vaginas in public is less enlightened than her. I will gladly talk about vaginas when I encounter a conversation in which the subject comes up, but to speak about them simply for the sake of speaking about them seems rather silly actually. And why do people like Eve Ensler have the power to say it’s wrong for people to want to keep these things private? There is nothing wrong with using discretion. As far as the girls and the open mic night, I think it’s yet another step in the direction of making sure nothing is left private of human sexuality. And yes, I do believe talking about vaginas is related to sexuality – it is the female sex organ after all. I do talk openly with my children about sex, but I try to impress on them that it is something sacred between partners, not something to be taken casually. Talking about these topics in public cheapens sex and takes a loving act that is special between two people and makes it merely about physical pleasure available to anyone at anytime. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85953Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:11:21 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85953Cathy Grier, New York, NYBravo Eve, and Bravo John Jay High school students for standing up against this kind of crazy censorship. Bravo Today Show for making it a newsworthy subject. Eve Ensler has done so much to awaken the world's consciousness over violence towards women- starting with the brilliant Vagina Monologues and continuing with her V-Day organization to end violence towards women. Trying to silence 3 girls for talking about their bodies is an injustice. Thank you for bringing them on the show! Eve Ensler is a major force, a tireless leader and a hero for us all.http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85990Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:28:05 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85990Mike Harris, South Salem, New YorkHi. My name is Mike Harris. I live in South Salem NY which is the next town over from Cross River. I am a 9th grader at John Jay High School. I think this whole thing is crazy. I just don't know what to say about it. And I don't want to anything wrong. But I want to congratulate The Today Show crew for covering this story. They covered all sides of the story and gave all the opinions and didn't miss a thing. I can't wait to see how this story unwinds...http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#85995Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:32:15 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:85995McKay Hall, Hurricane, UtahI am intrigued by issue of the implied agreement of the girls informing the principle they would perform. The segment made it sound like they determined on an option C but did not inform the principle that there was such an option. That situations sounds to me misleading. It appears the principle was attempting to work with the students to do what the principle believed was best for the school. Regardless of those efforts the girls did what they wanted. It seems that society, or a portion, feels that the students should do what they want regardless of what the school feels should be done. At the same time, we as a society pass legislation that requires the school to make the students do certain things regardless of the wants of the students. It seems to me there is a disconnect here. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#86023Fri, 09 Mar 2007 15:42:47 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:86023Laura, Chicago, ILThe girls were not given an "Option C" from their school principal. They made their own "Option C", did not notify the principal and went ahead with their plans. This is not the way to negotiate, get what you want, or even come to a comprimise. This is insubordination. They must receive some sort of consequence for disobeying their principal. This is truly not an issue of wanting to say the word "vagina", but an issue of defiance. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#86154Fri, 09 Mar 2007 16:51:22 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:86154Patti, New Milford, CTI applaud these girls and think they did the right thing. Well, okay I think they should have been upfront with the administration and told them what they planned to do before the show BUT I also think that the administration needed to be more open minded about it, which was obviously not the case. In my opinion the girls had every right to read what they chose but sadly they met up with an unmoving administration. I am the mother of 5 (soon to be 6) children. All of my children, from my teenage son down to my 4 y/o son (including my daughters in the middle) know the word vagina and what it is, what it means. We taught them the proper name for things, just like we taught them all penis and not "pee pee" or anything else ridiculous like that. They learned hand, eye, nose, penis, vagina, finger, toe, elbow, etc.. Why in the world would I not teach them the proper name for things? http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#86196Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:20:17 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:86196C. L. L. Western New YorkI agree that being punished for using an anatomically correct word is ridiculous. However, I am familiar with The Vagina Monologues and I do agree that the school had a right, if they felt the poem was too explicit, to pull the plug. Let me ask you this: if three boys did a poem about talking about their penises, do you think that would have flown? Just because something is taken from a successful play doesn't mean it's appropriate for a high school sanctioned event. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#86200Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:22:10 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:86200Julie Thorn, Highlands Ranch, CO My husband and I both decided when our son was born that we would teach our children the correct names for all body parts.  We have a boy and a girl and we feel strongly that they both should not be ashamed of their bodies.  However, that is our choice as a parent to teach them these words.  I agree with the principles decision that the girls should not say the word “vagina” in a community forum.  If someone chooses to go see The Vagina Monologues they know what they are getting into.  That is fine if these three girls want to talk about their bodies and I applaud them for their confidence about who they are, but I feel it shows a lack of respect for authority in that they disregarded the principal's words.  I think the point here is insubordination and not “women power”.  There are other ways of getting our point across ladies rather then teaching teenage girls total disregard for authority.  http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/03/09/85815.aspx#86414Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:24:31 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:86414Patrina Harding, Phoenixville, Palast weekend i had the amazing opportunity to perform in the V-Day benefit of "The Vagina Monologues" in the small town of Skippack , Pa, and the responses were overwhelming! These young women had every right to perform that piece AS WRITTEN by Eve Ensler and furthermore, the slang words used in our culture only serve to undermine women in our society...i hope these girls continue to stand up for their rights as strong, empowered women!!