The New Zealand AIDS Foundation has expressed exasperation that it is being blocked from erecting billboards that feature men's penises to mark National Penis Day, Thursday 5 September. "Despite practically everyone either having a penis or being pretty familiar with the sight of someone else's, men's penises are considered to be so obscene and offensive that they cannot be shown on a billboard in New Zealand. Hague pointed out that it seemed bizarre that it would be possible to put up billboards depicting Michelangelo's David “or any number of other sculptures or paintings that included naked men. Hague says the idea of National Penis Day is to highlight the need for men to be able to talk about sex in a healthy way and to be able to take seriously their own sexual health and that of their partners. "The main obstacles to these goals are the rigid masculine roles men are expected to play and the silence and shame surrounding men's sexuality." The NZAF says it will find another way to highlight the campaign.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 3rd September 2002 - 12:00pm