A Michigan state lawmaker who was banned from speaking on the House floor after she used the word "vagina" in an argument against an anti-abortion bill joined several of her female Democratic colleagues on Monday night to perform "The Vagina Monologues" in front of 5,000 Michiganders on the Statehouse steps.

Eve Ensler, the Tony Award-winning author of the play, told MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell that it was one of the most "thrilling" nights she's had in the 16 years since the play was first performed.

"You know, it was one of the most amazing performances I've seen, and I think, in some ways, "The Vagina Monologues" was in its truest form today because it was not just about the art of it -- it was truly about the message and the reason for it," she said. "To see representatives, lawmakers, heads of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, amazing actors come together for the liberation of women, for women's rights, in front of 5,000 people in Lansing, Michigan, I feel really good."

State Rep. Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield) was told last week she wouldn't be recognized on the House floor for a day after she said to Republicans, "I'm flattered you're all so concerned about my vagina. But no means no." The comment was in reference to a bill that would require doctors to screen women who are seeking abortions to make sure they hadn't been coerced.