Female legislators who dared say the word "vagina" during an abortion debate are blocked from speaking

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Female legislators who dared say the word “vagina” during an abortion debate are blocked from speaking

Apparently, in the Michigan legislature, there’s a STFU rule, where if the Floor Leader doesn’t like what you’re saying, he can force you to shut the fuck up indefinitely. This happened to Representative Lisa Brown, who dared to use the dirty word “vagina” during a heated debate on an abortion bill. The Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamos moved to have both Brown and her colleague Barb Byrum silenced indefinitely because he didn’t like Brown saying “vagina”. VAGINA.

Rather than be a manly man and tell the women to their face that they had upset the Speaker, Bolger acted like a mincing, spineless ninny and relayed the women’s speaking ban through their party’s House leader. He gave no explanation as to why the women were banned, so both are left guessing (and fuming) today.

Byrum’s silencing is a little more cut and dry than Brown’s; she spoke out of turn (after trying, unsuccessfully, to be recognized to speak), which is technically a violation of House rules, which means that the Speaker was within his rights to reprimand her. But legislators speak out of turn fairly regularly, and only rarely are they told to sit down and shut up, officially.

I spoke with Rep. Lisa Brown, who was on the floor of the Michigan State House when we talked (because it’s not like she was allowed to participate in any debates today, right!? Cry.). She’s confused about what she did to offend the Man-Gods who want to run Michigan’s uteruses, but she’s got a couple of theories. During yesterday’s speech, she mentioned her Jewish faith, which she thought might have irked Republicans. But more plausible is the explanation that it was her use of the medically accurate, anatomically correct word “vagina” during the debate (“I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.”) grossed her male colleagues out. “What word should I have said?” she asked. Apparently, “vagina” is another v-word that Must Not Be Named. Like Voldemort.

Brown’s looking into her post-ban legal options, as her inability to speak on the floor of the House means that her constituents are effectively unable to have their Representative weigh in. Both women have been told (through their party leader because Michigan Republicans are trying to break the douchebaggery land speed record) that the ban is indefinite.

Via