Kurshila Martini...

I hail from a conservative small town in New Zealand, where the word vagina is a whispered swear word. I also grew up in a town where it was perfectly acceptable to whack the hell out of your kids and as a little girl I worried about having clean trousers to wear, to cover the lash marks on my legs.

As a woman in my twenties I worried about having make up to cover the bruises.

Today I cover nothing.

Today I worry about other women all over the world silenced by violence. The Vagina Monologues is a voice for those who cannot speak... yet.

V-day gives us all hope.

It gives me hope and the chance to dance around on stage shouting the word "Vagina" out loud especially for the folks I love back home.