| COMES NATURALLY #114 (September 21, 2001)
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| | the college's purse strings. "If [GCC] is
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| Copyright © 2001 David Steinberg
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| | misappropriating taxpayer dollars and
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| SILENCING THE BODY ELECTRIC
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| | rewarding questionable art," proclaims
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| "The more things change, the more they
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| | Republican State Senator Scott
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| stay the same."
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| | Bundegaard, "I believe we should take
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| -- French adage
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| | some sort of action."
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| You'd think we were back in the stagnant
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| | Far from anything pornographic, Kearns
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| 50's, the way people still get all worked
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| | sees his photo as a commentary on Jesuits
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| up whenever a little playful nudity shows
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| | who practice self-flagellation and the
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| up on the landscape of daily life. After
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| | Buddhist notion that desire is the root
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| fifty years of radical confrontation and
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| | of all suffering. "The clothespins are
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| expanded social consciousness around a
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| | attacking the most notorious organ of
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| thousand different aspects of sex, sexual
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| | desire," he explains. Hardly a
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| orientation, and gender, it would seem
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| | proclamation of free love, but the
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| that something as harmless a little bare
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| | legislators are not interested in the
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| skin would simply be too insignificant to
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| | philosophical nuances of life, suffering,
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| show up on social crisis radar screens,
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| | or the nature of desire. They just want
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| even among folks a good deal more
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| | the picture that shows Kearns's genitals
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| conservative than you and I.
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| | to disappear.
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| Well, nice thought, but for all our real
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| | There's more. The University of Southern
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| progress on these fronts over the years,
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| | Florida recently coughed up $25,000 to
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| plain old nudity still seems to be as
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| | settle a lawsuit by one of the school's
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| real an issue as ever, out there in what
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| | art students, Nicole Ferry. Ferry claims
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| passes for the Real World. The shift from
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| | she was sexually harassed by a photo that
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| Clinton to Bush as icon of national
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| | was shown by graduate assistant Derek
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| leader doesn't help, even if the shift is
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| | Washington in one of her classes. The
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| as much about image and style as anything
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| | subject of the class was controversial
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| else. As the White Picket Fence reality
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| | art. The photo was a shadowy image of two
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| of the new administration seeps
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| | torsos, male and female, embracing. I
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| inevitably into the national
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| | guess you could say that sex is part of
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| subconscious, it's taking less and less
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| | the story here, but if this is sex it's
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| to ruffle the feathers of people who want
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| | neither graphic nor outside the
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| to see nothing but Pleasantville wherever
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| | mainstream. (You can check the photo out
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| they turn. Among people who have fused
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| | for yourself at . It is, believe me, both
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| fear of the body and fear of sex into one
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| | tasteful and tame.)
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| bubbling cauldron of moralistic anxiety,
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| | The 250 students in instructor Diane
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| it doesn't take much for them to feel
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| | Elmeer's class were warned that some
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| like the devil is at their door, waiting
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| | images to be shown in class that day
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| to infect them and theirs with some
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| | might offend some people. They were given
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| rapidly mutating virus of moral
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| | the option of skipping the class without
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| turpitude.
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| | penalty. Nicole Ferry chose to stay, then
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| I'm not even talking, this time, about
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| | sued. Her father felt she had been
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| stories that put sexual deviance or
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| | "exposed to crude and disgusting
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| sexual diversity up for discussion on the
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| | pornography." USF, while denying that
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| current events chopping block. Let's
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| | either Washington or Elmeer had done
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| ignore, for the moment, the lawsuit by
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| | anything wrong, decided to settle with
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| Indiana state legislators to block
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| | Ferry rather than take the issue to
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| performance of "Corpus Christi," a play
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| | court. As the president of the faculty
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| about a guy named Joshua growing up gay
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| | Senate explained, after a recent overhaul
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| with his twelve close buddies in
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| | of the state university system, "I'm not
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| modern-day Texas, and attempts by The
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| | entirely sure where we stand in terms of
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| Promise Keepers and The American Family
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| | academic freedom." USF thought it best to
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| Organization to keep a record album with
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| | just make the whole issue go away as
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| the song "Jesus Christ, Homosexual" from
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| | quickly and quietly as possible.
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| ever reaching retail stores. Let's also
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| | And then there's the whole brouhaha about
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| skip over the story of how Leilani Rios
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| | the Summer 2001 Abercrombie & Fitch
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| had to go to court to hold onto her place
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| | clothing catalog, which shows fun-loving,
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| on the Cal State Fullerton track team
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| | college-age men and women cavorting in
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| after she refused to quit her job as an
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| | the nude -- playing touch football,
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| erotic dancer. These are important
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| | splashing in the pool, laughing,
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| stories too, but they are about something
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| | flirting, kissing, showering, generally
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| a little more loaded than simple nudity.
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| | having a good time -- boys, girls, alone,
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| We know how tightly people can get tied
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| | together. Rather lovely, really.
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| in knots about sex that's outside their
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| | Illinois Lieutenant Governor Corinne Wood
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| personal sense of what's mainstream. But
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| | (Republican) is not amused. She has
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| what's been piling up in my folder of
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| | mounted a "Stop A&F" boycott campaign to
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| clips for possible future columns are
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| | protest the nudity. Never mind that A&F
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| stories about nothing more controversial
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| | only sells the catalog to people over 18
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| than the reality of the naked human body,
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| | and has it shrink-wrapped so it can't be
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| about the inclusion of the naked human
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| | flipped through by impressionable
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| body in some rather straightforward works
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| | children. Wood claims that the A&F
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| of art, theater, and advertising. These
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| | catalog has "35% more nudity" than its
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| are naked images that have nothing to do
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| | previous edition. (One has to wonder
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| with sex at all. But plenty of people are
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| | whether this supposedly precise
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| steaming about them nonetheless.
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| | calculation is based on number, size, or
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| Provincetown, Massachusetts, is not what
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| | graphic impact of the photos in
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| you'd call a conservative town. It's best
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| | question.) Her website ( offers no fewer
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| known as an artist colony and as a
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| | than 22 (discreetly censored) pictures
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| specifically gay-friendly resort. In the
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| | from the catalog ("click on photos below
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| nakedness department, it's even got its
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| | to enlarge") to make her point, allowing
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| very own delightful, publicly-sanctioned,
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| | her to both capitalize on the visual
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| clothing-optional beach. Nonetheless, the
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| | appeal of A&F's nude young bodies and
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| Crown and Anchor Inn, which has been
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| | condemn it at the same time.
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| showing a local production of
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| | "Abercrombie and Fitch is glamorizing
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| Off-Broadway's biggest hit, "Naked Boys
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| | indiscriminate sexual behavior that
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| Singing," has been twice ordered to
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| | unsophisticated teenagers are not
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| "cease-and-desist" showing the play by
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| | equipped to weigh against the dangers of
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| P-town's erstwhile building commissioner,
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| | date rape, unplanned pregnancies and
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| Warren Alexander. Alexander has
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| | sexually transmitted diseases," Wood
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| classified the show as adult
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| | declares. She has rallied not only the
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| entertainment because it includes full,
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| | Council on Islamic Relations, the
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| frontal (male) nudity, and in P-town,
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| | Illinois Catholic Conference, Concerned
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| adult entertainment is not allowed within
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| | Christian Americans, and the Chicago
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| 500 feet of churches and municipal
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| | Rabbinical Council to her cause, but also
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| buildings. Both the local Town Hall and
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| | (I'm embarrassed to say) the Chicago and
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| its Unitarian Church are closer than that
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| | Illinois chapters of NOW.
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| to the Crown and Anchor.
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| | A&F spokesman Hampton Carney seems to be
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| Now, you should understand that "Naked
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| | taking Wood's campaign in stride, perhaps
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| Boys Singing" is no live sex show. It
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| | even welcoming the publicity her campaign
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| describes itself as "a musical revue
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| | is bringing to A&F. Appreciation of
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| celebrating the joys of male nudity in
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| | nudity, says Carney, is simply a part of
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| song, comedy and dance." According to
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| | college experience, pointing to both UC
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| reviewer Martin Denton, "the material is,
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| | Berkeley's famous nude activist, Andrew
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| by turns, gentle, humorous, sentimental,
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| | Martinez, and the "overwhelmingly
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| and--very occasionally--slightly
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| | positive" response he says the catalog
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| raunchy." Aside from New York and P-town,
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| | has generated from A&F customers.
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| "Naked Boys Singing" is being produced in
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| | All of which is nothing new, but the
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| London, Rome, Tokyo, Sydney, Houston,
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| | flash point at which controversy rears
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| Chicago, South Florida, and San
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| | its head seems to be moving backward all
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| Francisco. "Seeing eight men with their
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| | of a sudden. It's no longer questions of
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| members flinging around in all directions
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| | breaking obscenity laws that are at
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| on stage while they sing and dance is
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| | issue. Rather, people who are offended by
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| just funny," Australian Director Jeremy
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| | speech and images that are clearly legal
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| Cumpston says of the play. "It's all
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| | are feeling that they have the right,
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| about nothing more substantial than
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| | even the duty, to speak up and have those
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| silliness and fun."
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| | images and ideas beaten down by the force
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| So what's the big deal? Once upon a long,
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| | of public pressure. It's not coincidental
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| long time ago (1968), there was big fuss
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| | that many of these people are politicians
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| over nudity in a Broadway play. The play
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| | looking to make political hay from other
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| was "Hair," a celebratory musical about
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| | people's biases and fears. I think it's
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| the then-new hippie phenomenon. A year
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| | also not coincidental that Image of
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| later, there was more controversy when
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| | Propriety George W. Bush demonstrated
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| nudity showed up in another Broadway
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| | last November that his version of
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| play, "Oh, Calcutta." Nudity in legit
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| | gee-gosh old-fashioned propriety could be
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| theater was groundbreaking back then. It
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| | parlayed into occupying the White House.
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| had never happened before. Hippies, acid,
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| | For a bit of cross-cultural perspective,
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| free love, and the Haight-Ashbury were
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| | try this on for size: New Zealand's
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| sweeping all sorts of traditions out to
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| | Auckland Museum recently rejected an
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| sea. People were struggling to catch up
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| | opportunity to exhibit the original Dead
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| with the times. But that was over thirty
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| | Sea Scrolls, deciding instead to go with
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| years ago. The world has changed from
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| | an exhibit of body art that includes nude
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| bottom to top fourteen times since then.
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| | paintings, photographs of genital
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| Have we entered some kind of time warp?
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| | piercings, and mannequins wearing bondage
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| Maybe Dwight Eisenhower isn't really
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| | equipment. The museum board decided that
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| dead; maybe he's been face-lifted into
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| | the Dead Sea Scrolls were "too esoteric"
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| Dubya. Maybe the fact that Dubya can
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| | and that the body art exhibit would be
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| claim the title of Leader of the Free
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| | more of a popular and commercial success.
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| World encourages people like Commissioner
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| | As the Australian director of "Naked Boys
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| Alexander to stand up and let their
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| | Singing" noted wryly, we are "much more
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| outrage at penises bobbing around on
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| | open to [nudity] than the Americans, more
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| stage be known. Unfortunately, Warren
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| | laissez-faire that way, a bit more
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| Alexander is not the only bodyphobe
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| | relaxed, you know."
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| feeling his oats these days.
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| | Indeed.
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| Jim Kearns is a 25-year-old photographer
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| | [If you would like to receive Comes
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| and student at Glendale (Arizona)
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| | Naturally and other writing by David
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| Community College. His photo,
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| | Steinberg regularly via email (free and
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| "Self-Portrait: Desire as Penitence,"
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| | confidential), send your name and email
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| shows him standing naked with (among
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| | address to David at . Past columns are
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| other things) clothespins on his
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| | available at the Society for Human
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| genitals. The photo was published in
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| | Sexuality's "David Steinberg Archives": .
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| GCC's literary magazine, The Traveler. As
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| | Two books edited by David -- "Erotic by
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| a result, state legislators are
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| | Nature: A Celebration of Life, of Love,
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| threatening to cut funding to the college
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| | and of Our Wonderful Bodies," and "The
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| unless GCC President Teresa Martinez
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| | Erotic Impulse: Honoring the Sensual
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| Pollack, who has defended both Kearns and
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| | Self" -- are available from him by mail
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| "The Traveler," either resigns or
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| | order. Descriptions and ordering
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| redefines her position on freedom of
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| | information are posted at and .]
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| speech.
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| | David Steinberg
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| As it turns out, state legislators can't
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| | P.O.
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| fire Pollack outright, but they do hold
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|
