Code Pink Protests as Giant Vaginas at RNC: 'Can't Say It, Don't Legislate It!'

Activist group Code Pink, protesting this week at the Republican National Convention, marched through the streets of Tampa on Monday dressed as a group of giant vaginas to speak out against the GOP's "war on women".

Activist group Code Pink, protesting this week at the Republican National Convention, marched through the streets of Tampa on Monday dressed as a group of giant vaginas to speak out against the GOP's "war on women".

The group also congregated in a demonstration outside Ralph Reed's Faith & Freedom Coalition rally, among several other events, holding signs with slogans such as "My body, my vagina, my decision," and "Can't say it, don't legislate it."

"Eve Ensler famously said: 'My vagina's furious and it needs to talk.' Our vaginas need to talk, too. They need to talk about the way women's rights are threatened worldwide--from anti-choice legislation to inappropriate rape jokes to economic inequality to war and occupation overseas that disproportionately affect women's lives," the group said in a statement of purpose on their website -- calling for others to join in on RNC protests.

"As a young woman, I am appalled at the right-wing attacks on my body and the censorship on body parts that should be respected and protected. If they can't say the word 'vagina' then they shouldn't legislate it," said 29 year old Rae Abileah, co-director of Code Pink, referring to the an incident wherein Michigan state Rep. Lisa Brown (D) was banned from speaking on the House floor in an apparent attempt to punish her for using the word "vagina" during a debate on legislation on reproductive rights.

"I want to make waves here in Tampa," one vagina-clad activist told BuzzFeed. "I want the Republicans to see that there's dissent and that we're not going to stand for their rhetoric against women -- most recently, Representative Akin making that comment about 'legitimate rape,'" she said.

Code Pink will be demonstrating throughout both the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention to "hold both parties accountable for ongoing support for war and killer drones, misuse of national resources in the face of economic recession, and corporate money in politics," the group says. Code Pink has coordinated several actions at the RNC. A list of upcoming actions can be found here.

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