“Glen Callender wants Canadians to embrace the foreskin, and he’s got a few surprises up his pants to show people why the foreskin ‘isn’t just the candy wrapper — it’s the candy’ ” (Georgia Straight)
Foreskin is fantastic!
CAN-FAP founder and foreskin demonstrator Glen Callender outside the Foreskin Awareness Booth
That’s the message of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project, Canada’s best-known and feistiest pro-foreskin advocacy group. CAN-FAP promotes foreskin education, appreciation and stimulation, and advocates for the human right of all children — male, female, and intersex — to grow up with intact genitals.
“39 years after the Canadian Paediatric Society confirmed that infant circumcision is medically unnecessary, Canadian parents continue to violate the bodies and rights of their sons with circumcision,” states CAN-FAP founder Glen Callender. “And most do it because they sincerely believe their son’s foreskin is ‘dirty’ and ‘abnormal’. It’s pure ignorance, and clearly, something drastic needs to be done.”
So Callender created Foreskin Awareness Booth, a guerilla educational-comedy tent show he describes as “like Puppetry of the Penis, but political.” During his 20-minute performance, Callender answers such common foreskin questions as “What is foreskin?” “Is foreskin difficult to clean?” and “What shocking and hilarious things can you do with a foreskin and a handful of red seedless grapes?” It’s an unforgettable show that never fails to get people talking about the value of foreskin, the harm of circumcision, and the human rights of baby boys.
Since Foreskin Awareness Booth’s smash debut at Vancouver Pride 2010 (“If you do one thing this Pride, it better be this” — Xtra!), Callender has demonstrated his foreskin to over 4000 foreskin-curious citizens in Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Edmonton, Toronto, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. The show has been performed at a wide range of venues, including community and street festivals, LGBT Pride celebrations, the Edmonton Fringe theatre festival, the Outgames 2011 International Human Rights Conference, the 2013 InterPride World Conference, the Juried Artists’ Area of the Folsom Street Fair, a Burning Man regional event, an International Men’s Day event, a sex shop, and even a few living rooms (the tent wasn’t needed for those). The show enjoyed huge success at its U.S. debut at San Francisco Pride in June 2011, where it delighted hundreds of audience members, went viral on the Internet with a #1 ranking and over half a million views on reddit, and earned a rave review from San Francisco’s leading weekly:
“ASTOUNDING... Hilarious and informative... Everybody loves an incredible dick trick, especially one performed for a political cause.” (SF Weekly)
Foreskin Awareness Booth will be bigger than ever in 2014, with performances in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Victoria, San Francisco and beyond. Callender claims he will continue to demonstrate his foreskin until all children are protected from unnecessary genital surgery; “If I have to, I’m willing to demonstrate my foreskin to everyone on the planet,” Callender states. “It’s time to end the ignorance and stigma surrounding foreskin. Yes, fighting sexual prejudice is a big job — but luckily, I have a big foreskin. And I know how to use it.”
For upcoming Foreskin Awareness Booth dates, see the CAN-FAP events page.
If you’d like to bring Foreskin Awareness Booth to your city, festival, conference, party or living room, contact us at contact@can-fap.net.
Note: In case this is not already clear, Foreskin Awareness Booth is not a sex show — the performer does not engage in lewd behavior or become sexually aroused during the performance (even if the audience is extremely attractive). There is absolutely no nudity or explicit imagery outside the tent, as community standards are scrupulously maintained. Over the past four years Foreskin Awareness Booth has appeared primarily at “family-friendly” fairs and festivals, and has encountered no issues whatsoever. Please direct any further questions about the content of the show to contact@can-fap.net.