That's right, I'm talking to you. So can you say vagina? It seems that at Saint Mary's, not only can we not say the word vagina, but we had better not talk about our vaginas or anyone else's either.

On a campus that has 1,565 students with vaginas, you might wonder why we are experiencing this vagina prohibition. Let me explain. Last year, as part of a nationwide movement on college campuses to raise awareness about violence against women and generate dialogue about women's sexuality, the nationally acclaimed play "The Vagina Monologues" was presented at Saint Mary's on the same day as at other colleges. When student organizers wanted to perform the play this year, it seems that alumnae and community members put pressure on the appropriateness of performing the play on a Catholic campus, namely Saint Mary's.

My concern is that these individuals protesting the presentation of the "Monologues" at Saint Mary's may not realize what it is really all about. It's not a smutty, made-for-the-stage porno. Rather, it is the culmination of hundreds of interviews by the playwright, Eve Ensler, with old, young, married, single, lesbian, heterosexual, CEOs, actresses, health workers, and women of various religious and ethnic backgrounds about what they think about their vaginas, issues of sexuality, and violations of their bodies.

Other "Monologues" include one about a Bosnian woman who experienced violence and was raped during the war in her country. Another deals with the idea that women are not supposed to talk about their vaginas and media portrayal of women and vaginas. Yet another tackles a woman coping with sexual abuse by relatives and how she was able to reclaim her body after the experience. The play also encourages women to celebrate their bodies and features a "Monologue" with a scene from a room where a woman is giving birth.

By not allowing the "Vagina Monologues" to be performed at Saint Mary's, it is sending a message for women to talk openly about their body and their sexuality is shameful. Prohibiting the "Vagina Monologues" sends a message loud and clear that there is no place for dialogue about violence against women. This is an abomination. Women should be encouraged to talk about their bodies and violations of their bodies and recognize that we need to celebrate our bodies.

Encouraging women to talk about their bodies is a step toward empowering women. By not allowing women to talk about their bodies and sexuality, it leaves the door open for society and the media to define what is and is not appropriate for women in regard to their sexuality. If women can't define their sexuality and talk about their anatomy, they have to accept what society and the media gives them. This leaves women voiceless and unable to send a message to the media and society that they do not want to be treated only as sexual objects. If women can't talk about their vaginas, how can a message be sent that violence and rape against women — a direct violation of their body — is unacceptable?

As a woman, I think it is of utmost importance to be able to talk about, understand,and celebrate what it means to be a woman.

It's time to talk about our vaginas.

• Can you say vagina?