'Vagina, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...'

Wednesday, July 18 — This morning a small band of protesters interrupted the Michigan House of Representatives with a catchy tune addressing a serious issue.

“Vagina, yeah, yeah, yeah …” they sang. www.youtu.be/SJkf9aIb8g8

Around 10 a.m. the handful of female protesters waited on the House floor visitor-balcony and, during a lull in the session, they burst out singing. They took the melody of The Beatles’ song “She Loves You,” but added some original lyrics:

“Vagina, yeah, yeah, yeah”

“Vagina, yeah, yeah, yeah”

“Vagina, yeah, yeah, yeah”

“With a rep like that you know you should be glad …”

The song referenced last month’s Vaginagate controversy, in which Democrats Lisa Brown and Barb Byrum were banned from speaking for saying “vagina” and “vasectomy,” respectively. The song also ridiculed backers of anti-choice legislation that many opponents say would greatly restrict women’s access to reproductive health care.

Penny Gardiner joined in on the singing.

“It’s a room of white men trying to legislate our bodies,” she said. “We wanted to stand up and make our voice heard.”

They were definitely heard. While they may have been a bit out of tune and, at points out of rhythm, they finished their song and got a wave of approval from Brown, who was on the floor. Security did not intervene; they allowed the singers to wrap up their number, and the protesters left.