Ball State University graduate Erica Kay Godfrey was the first transgendered woman to take the stage at a Ball State production of "The Vagina Monologues." The production took place in Pruis Hall.
Godfrey said transgendered people tend to stay quiet, even within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) community.
"This is finally a chance to get out and be a part of the community and contribute," she said. "The 'T' is often silent in LGBT."
Godfrey said the transgendered monologue that she performed is an optional piece that is excluded from many productions. She said she hopes her performance will expose the audience to a type of person they may have only heard about before.
"[The audience] will see the face of an individual and start putting two and two together and realize there really are people like that," Godfrey said. "When you see the person in front of you, you have to make it real."
Godfrey's monologue, "They Beat the Girl Out of My Boy... Or So They Tried," tells the story of a male-to-female transgendered woman who was frequently beat up by classmates in elementary school for acting like a girl.
Ball State junior Chelly Brodsky said she had seen the play several times and was glad the transgendered monologue was included.
"It's cut a lot of times, and it shouldn't be," she said. "It's a whole area of sexuality that needs to be addressed, and it's usually not."
"The Vagina Monologues" plays off the stigma associated with the word for the female sexual organ, event coordinator Heather Copeland said.
"The word 'vagina' is so taboo in our culture, particularly in the Midwest," she said. "Female sexuality is such a taboo issue. A woman who has sex with various partners is considered a slut or a whore, but a man who does the same thing is considered cool."
Ball State senior Katrina DeShaney said her interest in women's issues made her want to try out for the play.
"It's one of those plays that affects everybody," DeShaney said. "It's not just about women's issues. It affects everybody. It talks about rape and of lifestyles - different struggles that don't get the attention that's needed."
DeShaney's monologue, "The Flood," explored the seldom-mentioned topic of female ejaculation. An elderly woman, DeShaney's character, described wet dreams about Burt Reynolds and an intense orgasm she experienced as a teenager after kissing a boy. The aftermath left a stain on the upholstery of the boy's car.
Copeland said "The Vagina Monologues" has been performed for three of the last four years, with a lull in 2005 when organizers experienced a few difficulties.
"There were some problems getting organized and off the ground," she said.
Copeland said the event sold out in 2004 when it was performed in the Ballroom of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.
Ball State senior Michael Naperalsky said the production showed life from the perspective of many different women.
"It made you laugh, it made you think," said Naperalsky, who attended the play. "You went from young women to old women, with perspectives you wouldn't normally think about."
The Ball State production of "The Vagina Monologues" is one of many throughout the world sponsored by the VDAY organization, a global group which strives to bring attention to women's issues, Copeland said.
Performances continue Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. in Pruis Hall. Tickets are $7 at the door.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
