Moscow’s vagina warriors

Alex Aguirre

V-Day is a global activist movement that, through the arts, media, word of mouth and the incredible dedication of people around the world, has reached an audience of billions. Participants in the movement have collectively raised over $85 million for local beneficiaries, in support of ending violence against women and girls.  Since the movement’s inception in 1998, participants in V-Day have informed audiences and have generated awareness about local and global issues that women face on a daily basis.

The University of Idaho Women’s Center helped celebrate this year’s V-Day with their fourth annual production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” The Women’s Center put on three benefit performances that took place at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center. Proceeds support Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, a group dedicated to ending sexual and domestic violence as well as promoting peace, equality and justice for all on the Palouse.

Lois Wright Descault closes the performance with this year's spotlight monologue "Portauprincebukavuneworleans"

Amber Evans Pinel, a UI freshman in theater and “Vagina Monologues virgin,” said she had seen the production for the first time last year, which is what compelled her to participate this year. Pinel said she plans to become a scriptwriter and that scripts like these are just the kind she wants to write, scripts that empower, inform and send a message.

Lois Wright Descault, sorority house mother and fourth-year Monologue veteran, said the production is, “everything you want and need to know, whether you know it or not.”

The Vagina Monologues – Coming Soon!

Kenworthy Theater, downtown Moscow

The Women’s Center is presenting its 10^th annual V-Day benefit production of Eve Ensler’s celebrated play, The Vagina Monologues, Feb. 2-4 at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre in downtown Moscow.

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. The campaign includes the performance of creative events such as plays, readings, documentary showings, and educational “teach-ins” to increase awareness, raise funds, and revitalize existing organizations that advocate for an end to gender-based violence.

What’s in our feed

• Three women have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts toward women’s rights and peaceful political activism. The first female to occupy the head of state position in Africa, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was awarded for her efforts to sustain peace in the war-torn country of Liberia. Another Liberian woman, Leymah Gbowee, received the award for her encouragement of peaceful female activism. The final recipient is an Arab journalist – Tawakul Karman – is the head of the organization Women Journalists Without Chains and has played a large role in protests against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
• Due to extreme budget cuts, the city of Topeka, Kansas is considering a bill which would decriminalize domestic violence. An article by Forbes magazine said the county has already turned away at least 30 domestic violence cases.
• The Dr. Pepper Snapple group has released a version of Dr. Pepper they call Dr. Pepper Ten, with the tagline ”It’s not for women.” Filled with “10 manly calories,” the drink is being marketed exclusively to men, and women have been advised to ignore the drink and pay attention to their “romantic comedies and lady drinks.” Jim Trebilcock, the man in charge of the beverage’s marketing, attempted to avoid backlash by saying “women get the joke.” Feministing  has posted a full article on the subject.

Victims of sexual abuse stand up to the Vatican

Tanya Bingham

An event with monumental implications has taken place. The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI has been held accountable for his knowledge of Catholic officials sheltering sexually-abusive priests. This is evidence that no one is untouchable when it comes to accountability for heinous acts against the human body and spirit.

The Center for Constitutional Rights in conjunction with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests submitted a 20-page document to the International Criminal Court, implicating Pope Benedict. He was named due to his former position with Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a church group, which in 2001, was assigned the position to oversee all abuse cases. Other cardinals named in the complaint are: the current head of Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal William Levada, the current secretary of state Cardinal Angelo Sodano and former, Pope John Paul II.

Help put a stop to sexual violence

Ashley Centers

Program coordinator for the Women’s Center Lysa Salsbury, said somebody is sexually assaulted every two minutes in the United States but only 40 percent of these crimes get reported to the police. Nearly 250 women get sexually assaulted or raped on the University of Idaho campus every year.

“Fear of not being believed, emotional and physical trauma from assault, societal victim-blaming, inadequate prosecution laws that mean that almost 94% of perpetrators will never spend a day in jail for their crime,” Salsbury said.

Students can increase prevention and awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence on campus by participating in ‘Take Back the Night’ at 8 p.m., Thursday in the Agricultural Sciences Building auditorium, room 106.

Take Back the Night

Erin Fenner

Marchers for UI's 2011 Take Back the Night

Over 300 people marched against violence on Thursday for the University of Idaho’s annual Take Back the Night. Marchers carried signs, and many smiled while they chanted.

Lysa Salsbury, the program coordinator for the Women’s Center and an organizer for this event, said that Take Back the Night is designed to be an empowering statement for women and other marginalized groups to demand their right to safety.

“It’s just promoting the idea that people should feel safe to move freely without fear of attack,” Salsbury said.

Here are some of the voices from the event:

She said the march also functioned as a way to encourage survivors of assault to use their voice. That’s why, by the end of the march, people were encouraged to give testimonies about their personal experiences with assault. Several people did get up and tell their stories – demanding an end to sexual violence, and demonstrating solidarity.

“I’m in awe, and touched and moved that so many people came up on the stage and talked about what happened to them,” she said.

Salsbury said she wanted the march to create an awareness that would encourage bystander intervention “against a culture that still accepts or trivializes assault.”