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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Entertainment

September 18, 1992

The Khaki Closet: What you need to know about the U.S. Military if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual or have tested "positive" on the HIV test

by Tod Ensign and Tricia Critchfield Citizen Soldier (175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. 212-777-3470) $1.00 Reviewed by Timothy Robson

The subtitle pretty much sums it up. This thirty-page pamphlet gives practical information for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals who are either considering enlisting or are already on active duty in the armed forces.

It describes the contractual agreements one is required to sign when one enlists. It also describes the military's mandatory HIV antibody testing program, and recommends the response a person should make if the test comes back positive. A seropositive result is not necessarily grounds for discharge.

Citizen Soldier is a non-profit organization dedicated to the principle that the U.S. military should respect civil and human rights of its members. As far as it goes, this is a useful little booklet. The militarily inclined will probably wish to consult an attorney or a gay rights organization knowledgeable about the armed forces for more substantive information.

The Joy of Uncircumcising! Restore Your Birthright and Maximize Sexual Pleasure by Jim Bigelow

Hourglass Book Publishing

(distributed by Publishers Group West) Paperback, $16.95

Reviewed by Timothy Robson

In the grand scheme of human tragedy-genocide in Bosnia, famine in Somalia, the AIDS epidemic--the loss of one's foreskin to circumcision would not appear to measure up.

The Joy of Uncircumcising makes a compelling argument that many men do, in fact, suffer long-term trauma from the infant circumcisions over which they had no say. In a continuing sidebar throughout the book, the author collects testimonials from men lamenting their circumcisions, many who were cut at birth, but also a considerable number who received the surgery later in life and came to regret it.

This book is a well-documented reference on the entire subject of male circumcision: the historical and religious background; the medical mythology surrounding the hundred-year American fascination with the procedure; description of historical and current methods; and in-depth descriptions of non-surgical and surgical methods of foreskin restoration. The book is straightforward in its descriptions; the illustrations are clinical. This self-help book is not titillating in the least; rather, it speaks to what Bigelow believes to be a serious health concern. The subject of female circumcision is mentioned but not discussed at length.

Among the fun facts in the book, the author reveals that ancient biblical circumcisions, as practiced by Abraham and his descendants were not at all like modern American circumcisions. The act which Abraham performed was milah--the sym-

bolic removal of the tip of the foreskin, leaving most of the natural foreskin intact. The more radical circumcisions were introduced later. Bigelow also discusses the centuries-old argument of why Michelangelo's "David" appears to be uncircumcised. Presumably Michelangelo was as meticulous in penile anatomy as he was in other details. It may very well be, according to the author, that Michelangelo depicted David as circumcised, based upon the surgical procedure of that period, but to our uninformed eyes the statue appears uncircumcised.

The author describes at great length nonsurgical methods of foreskin restoration, based upon long-term constant stretching of remaining penile skin over the glans (generally by means of taping) so that the body gradually creates more skin tissue. The photographic illustrations would seem to indicate that a successful restoration gives a reasonable facsimile of a foreskin; however, the author is quick to point out that certain characteristics of the foreskin are irrevocably lost in circumcision and cannot be restored either surgically or nonsurgically.

If you wish you were uncut and have enough patience, The Joy of Uncircumcising may be the book for you. When I started reading, my initial reaction was, "Oh, come on," but by the time I finished, I was convinced that circumcision is unnecessary except in a very few medical cases. In fact, the procedure seems fairly barbaric; pet owners could be fined or jailed for having unanesthetized surgery performed on their animals; yet that is exactly what happens in infant circumcision. The book ought to be required reading for prospective parents.

Maybe foreskin restoration will be the next gay fad. (My friends who know about such things tell me that a well-known gay porn star is restoring his foreskin.) However, unlike many of the men whose stories are documented in the book, I will continue to focus my attention (at least part of the time) in directions other than my dick.

Life Can Be A Beach!

For those who have adequate financial resources, life is to be enjoyed.

You can enjoy this dream. You can have plenty.

Because it's not how much you make, but how you manage it.

We'll show you how to chart a course for financial security. Even if you have a modest craft.

Fedele & Associates, Financial Planners 1440 Snow Road, Suite 307 Independence, OH 44134 741-7770

Call us. No products to sell. Just unbiased financial advice.

Meet Jeffrey, Queen of the Open Road

Move over, Spaulding Gray, and make room for ex-Columbus resident Jeffrey Strouth, a flamboyant, storytelling homosexual who has lived an incident-filled life so melodramatic and tragicomic that, as he says, “nobody could make this up, and if they did, why would they want to?”

In Reno Dakota's film American Fabulous, Strouth delivers an amazing spontaneous monologue while riding aimlessly through the streets of Columbus in the back seat of a '57 Cadillac. Winner of the Best Video Award at the 1991 San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. "A fabulous gay man and his fabulous gay life... I loved it!”-Gus van Sant.

Cleveland premiere at the Cleveland Cinematheque, October 2 at 9:15 p.m.; October 3 at 7:45 and 9:50 p.m.

Support Groups: The Human Face of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic by Gail Barouh, Ph.D.

Long Island Association for AIDS Care, P.O. Box 2859, Huntington Station, NY 11746 $10.

Reviewed by Kevin Beaney

This 90-page paperback, subtitled A Handbook for Health Care Professionals, People with AIDS, Their Loved Ones, and the Community-at-Large, is described correctly. A unique type of self-help book, it summarizes eight of the successful support groups offered by the Long Island Association for AIDS Care (LIAAC), an agency started in 1986. The author has been LIAAC's executive director since its inception.

The book's best audience is those seeking guidance in establishing HIV-related support groups. Each group is described using two chapters: a personal story from one of the participants and then a straightforward explanation of the group's purpose. The personal story touches on the

participant's background and what the group did for him or her. The following explanation usually includes the history and evolution of the group, along with its rules and guidelines. Thus the reader can determine how closely the group fits to a particular need.

The ongoing support groups include those for substance-free persons with AIDS; bereavement support for families, friends and caregivers; bereavement support for partners; and support for facilitators. A special repeating four-session workshop, called the HIV Forum, is largely educational, providing information about medicines, survival strategies, legal issues, and maintaining relationships.

Other chapters are helpful for facilitators, offering advice based on LIAAC's extensive front line experience.

Barouh's book does not deliver enough information to warrant the claim of being a "handbook for . . . loved ones, and the community-at-large," it's much too specialized. However, if you are part of an HIV support system, want to get involved with one, or are thinking of starting a group to fill a need, then Support Groups is well worth your time.

Women's roles are explored in 'Sense of Self' at Spaces

Spaces presents Sense of Self, a group exhibition of women artists with gender issues, September 11 through October 18, 1992. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Sense of Self, curated by Associate Director Julie Fehrenbach, features five artists who employ a variety of media and styles but are united by a need to express their views on the role of women in our society. They range from Elise Mitchell Sanford from Athens, Ohio who photographs older women in the fantasy role of their choice, to Deborah Small of San Diego who addresses imperialism, sexism and the origins of the bikini in an installation using images and texts. Other artists are Karen Baldner of Bloomington, Indiana, LouAnne Greenwald of Los Angeles And Sarah Schuster of Oberlin.

Included in Sense of Self is Sphinxes Without Secrets: Women Performance

Artists Speak Out, a videotape produced and directed by Maria Beatty. The tape features fast-paced interviews and performances by Rachel Rosenthal, Laurie Anderson, Holly Hughes and many others on topics including censorship, homophobia, AIDS and the future of the planet.

Sense of Self has been supported by the Women's Community Foundation and Arts Midwest members and friends in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

Spaces is a non-profit, artist-run, alternative space gallery. Since 1978, Spaces has given over 2500 artists in the visual and performing arts an arena to present challenging new ideas.

Spaces is located at 2200 Superior Viaduct on the west side of the Flats. Superior Viaduct runs parallel to the Detroit-Superior Bridge off of West 25th Street.