Going into this class I didn't really know what to expect about 'Human Sexuality'. I think a huge part of me thought it was going to be pretty basic, and not really delving into anything too important, but I will say with not a single doubt, this class has completely changed the way I think and feel about sex and all of the various aspects surrounding it. It has opened my eyes and has educated me in a profoundly moving way. I am ten times more cautious now about sex, about safety, about educating others around me and making sure especially that my female friends can feel empowered about their sexual/reproductive rights.
“When you rape, beat, maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential life energy on the planet.”
― Eve Ensler, The Vagina MonologuesI have known about genital mutilation for about 7 years now, since having read The Vagina Monologues, and Miss Chamberlain has a way of eloquently delivering a not so pleasant, but needed message to unaware people. She said something along the lines of not being able to make much of a difference, but I believe that she is creating more change and awareness than she can possibly understand, and it is her ripples which will be the catalyst for a brighter future for woman worldwide. She inspired me, and touched me in so many ways with her calming courage, and I’m very happy I got to hear her message.
I watched a documentary titled A Walk to Beauty a few months ago. It encapsulates the horrifyingly sad story of three woman in Ethiopia who survived childbirth but there babies did not, and from the obstruction of the labor there now suffering from fistula. Miss Chamberlain touched on this matter briefly as one of the subsequent causes of FGM, and when she was talking about the woman with fistula, It reminded me of this documentary. I think also, watching that documentary allowed me to really feel (as much as I can in my shoes) that these are real woman just like you and I, and they have real emotions, and humor, and sensitivity. It placed it in a realm of which felt tangible and fraught with pain, but also hope, that woman like Linda and hopefully myself one day can create awareness to the issue at hand.
It saddens me to think that these woman can’t enjoy a life with a whole, intact body. That functions properly, that allows for normal bodily functions to happen and to have normal births, and to experience orgasms. In so many profound ways does a vagina capture the essence of what it means to be a woman, and these woman just need to be educated, so that it’s not something that is actually revered and wanted anymore.
Well, not to beat the drum continuously of Eve Ensler, but she is one of my heroes. I think she really says it best here “When you bring consciousness to anything, things begin to shift.” How inspiring! Things begin to shift, they do. We can make a difference by bringing awareness to this matter. And it will happen and we have to believe in each other.
