Vagina warriors Maxi Bolongaita, Candice Hintz, Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, Patty Taboada, Maribelle Adelfa Navarro, April Rama and
Bea Alfar Evardone.
NOT all warriors wear armors. Sometimes they wear dresses and heels, while embracing their sexuality and curves, to fight a war that started long before they were born.
They call themselves “Vagina Warriors” and their hearts and voices are their weapons of choice. They help empower women, in
celebrating each one’s sexuality and strength, through “The Vagina Monologues” (TVM), an award-winning play based on V-Day founder and playwright Eve Ensler’s interviews with more than 20 women around the globe.
On its 15th year, V-Day Cebu gathered over 30 Cebuanas from all walks of life, to lend their voices to the abused, exploited and the marginalized through TVM. And for these warriors, especially for the TVM, women empowerment starts by simply saying the word “vagina” out loud.
“Being able to say it can create a difference—not to consider it as a bad word, to think of it as something thatis part of us, women,” said Sarah Mae Enclona-Henderson, director of TVM, during a press conference at Isidra Comfort Cantina.
On its 15th anniversary performance, TVM puts the spotlight on Violence Against Women in the Workplace, with some 30 empowered women participating in a benefit performance to be held at the Santa Maria Ballroom, Radisson Blu Cebu tonight (Sunday).
Not all actors
Performing in front of a crowd is not easy. But for these women, the fear of being on the stage before a huge crowd is nothing compared to the fears of women who are exploited, abused and maligned. One of them is Candice Hintz, who has been lending her voice for the cause for three years.
“I never liked being on the spotlight. I said no five times before I eventually did it,” she recalled.
“I started reading about TVM and learned that they are based on true stories,”shared Candice.
Her visit to Bidlisiw Foundation and meeting women who needed help gave her the push to overcome her fear of performing.
Breaking the notion
For the first time in Cebu, V-day will incorporate a special feature on the men who are supporting the global campaign to end women abuses of all kinds.
“Don’t think because it’s V-Day and “The Vagina Monologues”… that it’s a feminist movement or that we are anti-men. We’re not. We love men and boys,” said Sarah.
