--- title: Eve Ensler: How to Stop Violence Against Women, #MeToo description: The Vagina Monologues playwright, Eve Ensler, discusses the progress that's been made over the last 20 years for gender equality. canonical: https://time.com/5159093/eve-ensler-men-need-to-join-the-fight-to-end-violence-against-women/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-15T20:53:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:58:44.383Z og:title: Eve Ensler: Men Need to Join the Fight to End Violence Against Women og:description: The Vagina Monologues playwright discusses fight for gender equality og:url: https://time.com/5159093/eve-ensler-men-need-to-join-the-fight-to-end-violence-against-women/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt532cd11fa87ee826/698927da8fd2ee631635aba3/eveensler.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3838 og:image:height: 2159 og:image:alt: Eve Ensler og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Eve Ensler: Men Need to Join the Fight to End Violence Against Women twitter:description: The Vagina Monologues playwright discusses fight for gender equality twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt532cd11fa87ee826/698927da8fd2ee631635aba3/eveensler.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Eve Ensler: Men Need to Join the Fight to End Violence Against Women > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3926ddc6-a687-42c8-bc89-364940ae5def&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Eve Ensler on the 20th Anniversary of V-Day [Watch (HLS stream): Eve Ensler on the 20th Anniversary of V-Day](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/O6fAqQpX.m3u8) (3:37)  _Published 2018-02-13. Eve Ensler talks vaginas, me too and battling cancer in her interview with TIME._ by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Feb 15, 2018 8:53 PM UTC Eve Ensler talks vaginas, me too and battling cancer in her interview with TIME. by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Feb 15, 2018 8:53 PM UTC Twenty years ago, Eve Ensler launched a movement called [V-day](https://www.vday.org/) based on her play “The Vagina Monologues,” in order to fight violence against women. She recently sat down with TIME to talk about how much has changed in the last two decades. “If I look now at what’s happened in twenty years, it’s unbelievable. I mean first of all vagina is said everywhere. At least women know they have a right to protect their vaginas and stand up for their vaginas.” [#MeToo](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/) has brought new voices into the fight for gender equality. Ensler hopes that the renewed interest and focus will encourage men to join the fight, too. “Violence against women has never been our issue. We’re not raping ourselves.” She finishes: “There are very many good men out there. The problem is any violence against women, standing up for women has not become their central issue. And when it does, when they say, this will be my central issue, the world will change.” ## Transcript [00:02] [ MUSIC ] 20 Years ago, It was a much different [00:04] environment than it is today. You couldn't really say the [00:07] word vagina anywhere. The vagina monologues was an [00:10] attempt to investigate vaginas, it was very specific. [00:13] From the minute I started doing the play, the women [00:16] would line up after the show to talk to me and I was so [00:19] excited thinking they'll be telling me about their great [00:21] orgasms and their wonderful sex lives, but in fact, [00:24] most women were lining up to talk to me about how [00:27] they'd been abused, how they'd been beaten, or [00:29] raped, or incested. So I invited all of my friends over to [00:32] my house, all my activist friends, and I said I have this [00:35] play. How could we use it to end violence against [00:38] women? And that was really the beginning of V- day, [00:41] this idea of Vagina Day, Valentine's Day, Anti- Violence [00:44] Day, Victory Over Violence Day. If I look now, at what's [00:48] happened in 20 years, I think it's unbelievable. First of [00:51] all, vagina is said everywhere. We actually know we [00:54] have vaginas. But I think really what's so beautiful is to [00:57] see What a grass roots movement this has spawned. [01:00] [ MUSIC ] I [01:08] think all of us are a part of a continuum, right? If [01:12] we look back into the Civil Rights women, black women [01:15] have actually been the leaders in this struggle to end [01:18] violence against women. We stand on their shoulders. [01:20] Then weed has been has been here for the last 20 [01:22] years and now the me too has come next and I think it [01:25] is fantastic to see hopefully, eventually we [01:30] are not going to need more movements and we will be [01:32] living in a world of quality. And peace where there isn't [01:36] violence, where women are equal, where our rights [01:39] [ UNKNOWN ] not constantly fighting for a seat at the [01:41] table. I'm not one for punishment but I am one for [01:45] accountability and I think How we are holding people [01:49] accountable is something we need to examine. If you [01:51] look at a case like Harvey Weinstein, I frankly think only [01:54] person would be appropriate for him. Getting fired [01:56] from your job after repeated sexual harassment is [02:00] appropriate But I also think we have to look at are [02:04] there ways people can change. Are we gonna develop [02:06] a process by which man can learn. [ NOISE ] [02:11] There are very many good men out there. The [02:13] problem is, any violence against women, standing up [02:17] for women has not become their central issue. And [02:21] when it does, then they say this will be my central [02:25] issue. The world will change. Because violence against [02:28] women has never been our issue. We're not reaping [02:30] ourselves. It's always been a men's issue. So how'd I [02:33] get it? Was it tofu? I'm looking at my new show In the [02:36] Body of the World. So many men are coming. And then [02:39] come up to me every night weeping and talking. [02:42] Radiate my vagina. Do you have any idea who I am? [02:46] The play is really an examination of what does illness [02:50] teach us? I don't want to romanticize cancer. There's [02:54] nothing about it that's fun. But my life experience has [02:58] been, everything that can be thrown at me is here to [03:01] teach me something. Do I wish cancer on anyone? Of [03:04] course not, but all of us are going to face really [03:09] massive events including death. And we live in a [03:12] culture where everyone's pretending they're not going [03:13] to die when it's the biggest event of our life. So I know [03:17] that this body and our bodies are so sacred, and you [03:21] don; t really know that until you get sick. I honor this [03:24] body, I treat this body well and I wanna say this to [03:27] every activist who's out there fighting, if you don't take [03:30] care of your body, you won't keep getting to fight the [03:34] fight. 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