charitable foundation ose mission is to
support and strengthen Vermont's gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgendered communities
today and build an endowment for tomorrow.

  
 

    

 

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fitmam ...w...m mc
Sin“ I 840

Waking dreams come true since 1640

T8 CHURCH ST., BURLINGTON. VT 05401
PHONE 658-0333

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§ A 

hat do some preg-

nant couples look-

ing at a sonogram
have in common with gay men
watching HBO’s prison
drama, Oz? .

They’re hoping to
spot a penis. I

A teeny weenie made
an appearance on Christy and
Rachel’s hi—tech womb win-
dow. They were hoping for a
healthy baby, not necessarily
one with a particular type of
genitalia. But, now, their bun
in the oven has had its gender
identified.

So, among their long
list of imminent responsibili-
ties, these two wonderful
women have the task of deter-

My concern was that
the boy’s foreskin wouldmake
him appear different from the
majority of lads in the locker
room. Would he be happy with
his turtleneck when most
everyone else was otherwise
attired?

Martin figured that,
with more and more new par-
ents skipping the snipping, the
boy would be less unique than
I assumed. And that blending
in shouldn’t be the goal.

Whether it’s having an
uncircumcised penis, same-sex
parents or any number of other
special characteristics, we
each have things that set us
apart. So, all we need to do is
join hands and sing a happy

Would he be happy with
his turtleneck when
most everyone else was
otherwise attired?

mining the fate of their soon-
to-be-bom son’s foreskin.
Since they don’t have penises
of their own and, in an effort
to be good parents, the expec-
tant moms did research.

Everyone has an opin-
ion. And when they asked for
Martin’s and my thoughts on
the topic, Rachel and Christy
got an earful of surprising
reflections. .

In the interest of full
disclosure, I should state that
both Martin and I are circum-
cised. Aesthetically and sexu-
ally, I find uncut penises
appealing on other men while
Martin does not. So, mysug-_
gestion that they opt for a little
prepuce paring and Martin’s
support, instead, of the not-
trimmed choice were seeming-
ly at odds with our own pref-
erences.

O-rokl1avIa9oIf;gog.

song, right? Not so fast.

In my junior year of
college, I had a fling with‘ a
man who was exceedingly
well endowed. And he hated
it. I know, that’s hard to swal-
low (so was he), but he was
truly embarrassed anytime
someone commented on it or
made a joke about it.

Not only was he much
larger than most men, he had
also reached puberty a lot
sooner than his friends and
classmates. He told me about
the brutal teasing he encoun-
tered when it was time to take
a communal shower after gym

..class.

At that age, the fact
that he was jumbo hung and
hairy, too, was cause for

g ridicule because he was differ-

ent.
The taunting was mer-

 

ciless and he was scarred.

Emotionally, yes, and I
also across the middle of his
penis where he tried to cut it
off, in a fit of depression. It
didn’t matter that, as his tor-
mentors got older, they wished
they had what he had. By
then, he already associated his
big dick with big pain.

When he was growing
up, nobody took him aside and
talked about surviving the
teasing. The gay brethren he
came in contact with in
romantic and sexual situations,
as he got older, were no better.
When he told the story of his
scar — and you couldn’t help
but ask — the response was
usually disbelief rather than
sympathy. What adult male
would think having an extra-
large penis would be a prob-
lem?

How often do we
make light of a struggle that
someone may be havingjust
because we don’t see it as an
issue?

As long as our differ-
ences are derided, we need to
do what we can to prepare our
progeny for the cruelty that
awaits them and teach them to
embrace the diversity in oth-
ers, as well.

Merely by taking part
in the lives of our nieces and
nephews, Martin and I have
been able to influence the way
they perceive gay people. And
they share that perception with
others, even when they may
not be aware of it. I’ll never
forget the first time a few of
the kids on Martin’s side of
the family introduced me to
their friends as Uncle Dennis.
In that moment, they made it
clear that, regardless of my
sexual orientation, I was val-
ued and loved. I was a part of
the family. A simple, yet pow-
erful statement that cut right to
the heart of the matter. Some
kids have gay uncles. Some
have uncircumcised penises
and same-sex parents. We all
have things that set us apart.

Share your stories.
Pass along the wisdom you’ve
gained from knowing what it’s
like to be different.‘ I M
A _ Uncle Dennis says 
S0,. . . .. 7?

Dennis Scott-Bush is work
appears in publications
throughout the country. E-mail
may be directed to
NakedCuriosity@aol.com.

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