Eve Ensler wrote the first draft of the Vagina Monologues in 1996 (there have been several revisions since) following interviews she conducted with 200 women about their views on sex, relationships, and violence against women.
The interviews began as casual conversations with her friends, who then brought up anecdotes they themselves had been told by other friends; this began a continuing chain of referrals. In an interview with women.com, Ensler said that her fascination with vaginas began because of "growing up in a violent society." "Women's empowerment is deeply connected to their sexuality." She also stated, "I'm obsessed with women being violated and raped, and with incest. All of these things are deeply connected to our vaginas." Ensler wrote the piece to "celebrate the vagina."
Ensler states that in 1998, the purpose of theVagina Monologues changed from a celebration of vaginas and femininity to a movement to stop violence against women. The Vagina Monologues opened at HERE Arts Center in New York City on 3 October 1996 with a limited run that ran through November.
The Vagina Monologues gained popularity through a word of mouth campaign that culminated with a performance at Madison Square Garden in 2001, which featured Melissa Etheridge and Whoopi Goldberg performing segments of the play.
In 2004 the first all-transgender performance of the Vagina Monologues was held. The Vagina Monologues were read by eighteen notable transgender women, and a new monologue revolving around the experiences and struggles of transgender women was included.
