Student Organization JUSTICE Denied Permission to Sponsor “Vagina Monologues” On Marquette Campus

When the leftist student organization JUSTICE recently asked for permission to sponsor “The Vagina Monologues” at Marquette, they had to know that the play has been highly controversial on Catholic campuses, with its explicit sexual language, rejection of Church teaching on sexuality, and even a scene in which a lesbian seduces a teenage girl.

Yet the play has been presented on numerous Catholic campuses, so it seemed worth trying.

Yet just a few days ago, after three weeks of consideration and negotiation, Fr. Andy Thon, Vice President for Student Affairs, delivered the verdict: the play cannot be performed.

Leading the campaign against the play has been the conservative Cardinal Newman Society, whose web page keeps tabs on the policies of Catholic colleges and universities. According to the Society:

Steven Frieder, assistant to the president, has assured CNS that Marquette will not allow students to present the V-Monologues on campus.

Reaction so far has been subdued, perhaps because the decision was only recently announced to JUSTICE.

But Dominique George, a member of JUSTICE who was involved in the process, strongly supports the play. “I think the play itself is very important for allowing women to create a community in which to talk about sexuality,” she told the Marquette Warrior.

The play was to be performed with volunteer student actors. No University money was involved, although had the performance been approved, JUSTICE quite likely would have asked Marquette Student Government for money for publicity.

According to George, JUSTICE will now work to publicize other area performances of “The Vagina Monologues.” The organization also plans to sponsor a focus group of students to discuss issues of sexual violence on campus.

[Update: The GOP3.COM blog broke the story about Marquette’s policy banning “The Vagina Monologues”]