Women’s Coalition has great news for anyone interested in a rousing game of “Pin the Clitoris on the Female Anatomy.”
The game will be part of Northwestern’s first-ever Vagina Carnival and Activist Fair, Women’s Co leaders said Tuesday at their first meeting of the quarter.
The Feb. 10 carnival will combine games and crafts with serious discussion in an effort to raise awareness of women’s issues, organizers said.
“There’s a huge curiosity factor about this type of event that’s great for publicity,” said Katy Quissell, executive adviser to Women’s Co. “And although the idea of a carnival is focused on fun, we try to maintain a balance by having a place where people can sign up to volunteer for related causes or just get information.”
The carnival will bring to campus about 10 different activist organizations that deal with topics including female genital mutilation and sexual assault, said Quissell, a Weinberg junior.
It also will feature a “vagina puppet show,” tampon chess, “Va-Jeopardy” and a “Make Your Own Vagina” craft stand.
Organizers also plan to erect a booth selling sex toys and offer directions for using them.
“The Vagina Monologues,” a play by Eve Ensler, will be performed the night of the carnival in the Louis Room of Norris University Center.
The carnival, which will take place outside the Louis Room, is the first in a series of events Women’s Co has scheduled for the quarter.
Keynote speaker Alyse Nelson will kick off the celebration Feb. 9 with a speech about women’s issues.
“V-Day,” which takes place Feb. 14, is a national initiative to talk about issues pertaining to female sexuality.
In particular, the event stresses ending violence against women. Established in 1998, the V-Day Fund awards money to groups that work to end rape, battery, incest and genital mutilation.
The Women’s Co meeting also began to lay the groundwork for the annual Take Back the Night march, in which men and women rally for sexual assault awareness.
Although the event does not take place until April 19, the complexities of organizing the event prompted co-chairwoman Kat MacFarlane to begin planning early, she said.
Maria Steingoltz, Take Back the Night co-chairwoman, said Women’s Co wants to emphasize the event’s impact on all members of the NU community.
“People think it’s a march for a few people who have been sexually assaulted,” said Steingoltz, a Weinberg sophomore. “We want to show students that there are certain safety issues that affect the entire campus.”
