Notebook: Puerto Vallarta Edition

--+0+--

Omar and I were so-looking forward to our little trip down to Puerto Vallarta about three weeks ago. While our collective purpose was to escape the pressures of work, I, incidentally, had my own little private purpose, and that was to leave circumcision and HIV behind for a few days. Believe it or not, this issue taxes me more than my job. Welp, three days into our long sought paradise, whaddya figure pops up? Yep, an article in a local gay rag on circumcision.

The magazine is called Revista Estilo Libre, and the audience is largely gay men. I have seen few better examples of twisted hack journalism than what I read in Estilo Libre. While it's a little hard to get exercised over a mag that has an infinitesimal circulation, it gets easier as you realize the level of error the author achieves -- and who the audience is: mostly intact gay men.

First, the author goes on about the procedure requiring 20 sutures and two weeks to recover from, yet claims circumcision is a minor "intervention." One might think that such a contradictory description would be sufficient to stop the worry. Yet, the reader is quickly disabused of that notion as the author goes on to claim that circumcision prevents cancer of the penis by removing glands that produce smegma, a "carcinogenic." Bad enough, but it gets worse still. The author cites a study that he claims was published in the New England Journal of Medicine wherein 50 Ugandan men were circumcised and exposed to HIV-infected ... wives?? other men?? We aren't told. None were infected, according to the alleged study. Finally and less damaging to gay men specifically, but perhaps slanderous to Jewish people is the claim that ancient rabbis used to circumcise infants with their teeth!! Of course, we are to be calmed by the writer's reassurances that this has been stopped due to the dangers of transmitting tuberculosis!!   

Feel free to send them email and/or visit their website. It's in Spanish. So, it would be helpful if you could write in that language. Otherwise, English will do as I am quite sure they will be eager to get email from a concerned international audience.

http://www.revistaestilolibre.com.mx/

revistaestilolibre@hotmail.com
revistaestilolibre@yahoo.com.mx

A scan of the magazine article after the break.

Comments

[Tony]

The link to the magazine site is missing an "o".

http://revistaestilolibre.com.mx/index.html

[Thanks! Fixed.]

[Ron Low]

^^ It's in Spanish. So, it would be helpful if you could write in that language ^^
- - - - -

Web sites like FreeTranslation.com make it somewhat easy to get the gist of a Spanish language forum and draft a response, especially if you've studied Spanish a little.