The Genital Monologues tell Denison students’ tales of bodily empowerment

LAURA LAPHAM, Arts & Life Editor Emeritus—Body positivity is too often in short supply, so the Genital Monologues seek to provide some relief.

This year was the seventh Genital Monologues presented by the G Team. These are an annual event that takes place where Denison students submit, direct, and perform a variety of pieces that relate to the romantic and sexual experiences of students here on campus.

The Genital Monologues started seven years ago after the Vagina Monologues were run on campus. Denison students wanted to create a similar program that was more inclusive to the different gender identities and sexual identities at Denison University.

Now Denison has the Genital Monologues, and they have been a way for many different Denison students to express themselves and share romantic and sexual experiences they have had.  The performance pieces that were submitted this year for the Genital Monologues covered topics from first kisses to sexual assault and many in between. 

The performances took place at the Knapp Performance Space on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from the 14 to 16. The performances were headed by the G-team which consisted of of Sophia Menconi ‘20, Helen Thorton ‘20, Madison Gordon ‘21, Maggie McCann ‘21, Anna Mae Murphy ‘21, Alyssa Gebhart ‘22 and Riley Halpern ‘22. It’s these Denisonians responsible for bringing this iteration of the Genital Monologues to Denison.

One of the actors that was part of this year’s Genital Monologues is Zeenat Tabaku ‘21, a psychology major who performed in the pieces “A Hug,” “What If,” and “Faces to Make When You Orgasm.” She had to say “This is my third year in a row being part of the Genital Monologues, and I really like the team of people. It is pretty much the same every year, but the experience is different since we tackle many topics.”

“I think it is very important that there is a group of campus that honors survivors of sexual assault, and it has been a huge part of my own Denison experience.”

The director of the performance  The Hug, which was submitted anonymously, was Adam Venrick ’21, a theatre major, he said that “I really liked being a part of this year’s [Genital Monologues], and it was my first time directing one and there was a variety of topics covered and I think everyone did a good job.”

This was another wonderful year of Genital Monologues performances giving many Denison Students a way to express their feelings and experiences in love and sex.