On Nov. 18 the Center on Halsted held 'Tunnel of Love,' a public forum aimed to educate gay men on keeping their 'booty happy and healthy.'
'Tunnel,' referencing a 'rectum,' was a provocative title, said Courtney Reid, senior director of programs at the Center. It was meant to catch people's attention, she said.
And it worked. Close to 160 people, mostly men, filled the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at the Center at 7 p.m. for the forum moderated by Faustos Fernós and Marc Felion, the two men behind Feast of Fools—a podcast that exists to serve, inform, entertain and inspire people about the LGBT experience.
'In many ways asking to accept what a gay man is, is asking them to understand, comprehend and embrace the nature of anal sex,' said Fernós, adding that discussion at the forum would shine 'some light into a place where the sun doesn't shine.'
Along with the moderators a panel of guest speakers also participated in the forum.
Dr. Will Wong of the Chicago Department of Public Health was there to answer questions about anal health and cleanliness and also talked about necessary precautions one must take to stay HIV/STD free.
Wong said that there is a social taboo around anal health even in the medical field and that the rectum is a neglected part of the body. He advised the audience to always use a condom during sex for HIV/STD prevention and go get tested annually or have an anal pap test done.
Jim Pickett, director of advocacy at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, also said that there is a lot of stigma and shame on the topic. He said a goal of the forum was to dispel this stigma and have a necessary discussion about it.
Pickett talked about new developing HIV prevention technology, rectal microbicides—a product that would be applied topically, like a lubricant, and would provide protection against HIV in the absence of condoms.
Testing is still being done with this new product and Wong said within the next 10 to 20 years there will be developments with these microbicides.
J.C. Carter, a Chicago porn star also spoke at the forum and talked about the many hours it takes to fully clean himself before shooting a scene and how dieting and doing exercises, like squats, can maintain a good-looking butt.
'Tunnel of Love' was the Center's fourth forum this year with AFC's Project CRYSP ( the crystal methamphetamine prevention program funded by the Chicago Department of Public Health ) , said Pickett. The others included 'Good Sex, Bad Sex. Just What do Gay Men Want Anyway?' which took place in the fall and discussed what exactly is 'good' or 'bad' sex, Pickett said.
All forums have been moderated by Feast of Fools and are available to watch on their Web site, www.FeastofFools.net .
People always think of the butt as a dirty thing, said Bobby Owens who attended the forum. 'But you have to take care of it.'
