Freedom & license

To some people, what ought to be kept behind closed doors, what deserves to be kept intimate, what such words as "discretion," "prudence," "license," "tact," "freedom" and "common respect" mean, remain clear. To others, however, the boundaries have become blurry in this age of tell-all talk shows, "reality" TV, "open relationships," instant anything (think instant noodles, instant messenger) and a general culture where the pleasure-seeking, comfort-loving climate is more pronounced.

Earlier this week, I saw the following at Feminine Genius. On the way home today, I was reminded of it when my eyes rested on a piece of bond paper taped behind the front seat of the jeepney I boarded. On it was an announcement of auditions being held for a forthcoming performance on campus. The title was in English and in the Filipino translation. I can imagine now the feeling of "courage," "liberation" and "freedom" the audition winners would experience when they deliver their lines come performance night.

Read on.

Some people feel passionately that the college ought to sponsor a V-Day production of The Vagina Monologues, and I have often been queried about my position on this matter. To prepare a response, I have carefully read and studied the play. I have met with some of the student leaders of Women’s Will, the main sponsoring group, to listen to their perspective and share some of my concerns. I have pondered their position, discussed the matter with many people, educated myself about what other Catholic schools have done, and prayed to God for guidance. I have come to the conclusion that a V-Day presentation of The Vagina Monologues is not appropriate for a school with our mission. Let me explain why.

The back cover of my paperback edition of The Vagina Monologues asserts (1) that its principal aim is to be “a celebration of female sexuality in all its complexity and mystery” and (2) that it has been “hailed as a bible for a new generation of women.” I would argue that both of these claims are false. First, far from celebrating the complexity and mystery of female sexuality, The Vagina Monologues simplifies and demystifies it by reducing it to the vagina. In contrast, Roman Catholic teaching sees female sexuality as ordered toward a loving giving of self to another in a union of body, mind, and soul that is ordered to the procreation of new life. The deeper complexity and mystery lies in the capacity of human sexuality, both male and female, to sacramentalize the love of God in marriage. Any depiction of female sexuality that neglects its unitive and procreative dimensions diminishes its complexity, its mystery, and its dignity. Moreover, to explore fully the dignity of woman requires not only a consideration of female sexuality, but also of the capacity of women for intellectual, artistic, moral, and spiritual activity; none of these dimensions are featured in The Vagina Monologues.

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