TISSUE ISSUE

The CIRCUMCISION CONTOVERSY IS HEATING UP!! Gay men, especially, take strong stands on the issue, since the penises of other men, as well as their own, play such an important role in their sexual lives and fantasies.

Thought gay men may be primarily interested in whether a penis is cut or uncut, there is no limit to the other criteria they may use in judging another man's genitals. fact, that judgment extents even to themselves.

In

Some cut men, who may be equally unhappy over a lifetime of being "different" from most of their associates, may opt for adult circumcision, in spite of the cost and discomfort.

What triggered the obsessive interest in the cut/uncut controversy in so many men? My own research points to the conclusion that one's experiences as a child and teen determine the attitudes. Most important of all, the boy who finds himself "different" from other boys is the one who will become most interested. In fact, being different can produce an emotional trauma that may carry over for years.

During the 40's and 50's, Dr. Spock told parents that circumcision made their son "feel like one of the boys", and that was a valid point of view at that time, when the practice was almost universal. Today he discourages it.

In recent years, many "anti-circumcision" organizations have sprung up and have managed to capture the attention of the media. An interesting side-light is that women frequently lead these groups and often write the "Anti" columns. Circumcision supporters are not organized and so seldom get their point of view covered.

In the post-WW II years, circumcision was so universal in most areas, that many boys reported they had never seen a foreskin during their youth.

The situation is changing rapidly. Today the National Center fir Health Statistics reports only 60% of newborn boys nationally are circumcised, with the percentage dropping. Australians and New Zealanders, who had followed the practice during the same period, retreated some years back, with their percentages today showing even less circumcision. England had endorsed circumcision rather enthusiastically during the pre-war years, but after their national health service stopped picking up the tab, the rate has dropped to a few percentage points today.

The Canadian Provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island come closest to the U. S. figures, though circumcision is no longer as popular there either. Those three provinces still have rates of 44%, 47%, and 41% respectively. However, the rates in Quebec have dropped to 6%, with even lower figures for most other Eastern Provinces.

One argument offered by the "Pro" forces is that where circumcision is not performed on the infant, 10% of such males will eventually find the operation necessary at later dates, when the costs and inconveniences are greatly increased. Though the argument of cleanliness is no longer as valid as it was, statistics do show the uncircumcised penis runs a far greater chance of having a urinary-tract infection. Phimosis is the major problem that may be faced.

For many years, in the gay world, the uncut man was often made to feel unwanted in sexual relationships. However, today, "Uncut" is "IN" with many gays, probably reflecting the novelty of that status in a generally cut world.

CALL TO ACTION

A large non-violent civil disobedience action to protest the U.S. Supreme Court

decision in HARDWICK V. BOWERS will be held October 13, 1987 at the U.S. Supreme Court. Participants will also protest inadequate goverment response to the AIDS crisis and to widespread violence against lesbians and gay men. Over 50 activists from around the country attended a meeting in Boston on July 4th and 5th to plan the action called "Out and Outraged: Life, Love Liberation."

Members of the outreach work group will begin distributing the "Call to Action" and set up dates for non-violence trainings. A civil disobedience handbook is scheduled to be printed in late August and will include information about civil disobedience as a political tactic, the history of lesbian and gay political organizing, the HARDWICK decision, the AIDS crisis, women and sodomy laws, women and AIDS, and specific plans for the October 13th action.

A third civil disobedience meeting is planned for September 19th in Washington D. C. For more information call Michelle Crone at (518) 4631051. To contribute much needed funds for the civil disobedience action or the March itself, make

contributions out to March on Washington and send them to the national office at P.O. Box 7781, Washington, D. C. 20044.

TRY IT-YOU'LL LIKE IT

Health researchers have uncovered a new social trend in response to AIDS. While discussing sex practices with college students, researchers found a high percentage of young women were fearful of acquiring AIDS through sex with men, and had decided to choose only women for sex partners. During a follow-up session two months later, researchers were taken back to learn that 85% of the young women had no intention of returning to sex with men. "What this mean's for men's social status and sense of self-worth I can't even hazard a guess," the lead researcher said.