This week on Talk Sex With Dick, NYC Sex Therapist Dr. Richard Mills hears the story of a man who had a circumcision party at the age of 13. Three days before the 9/11 attacks, Hakki immigrated from Turkey to the United States, in his pursuit of living the American dream.  As he sat next to me, I listened to his story of living in Turkey, the common practices of circumcision, and its symbolic meaning of becoming a man. Conflicted with the decision to become circumcised, Hakki speaks to his experience of being introduced to the idea of circumcision by his parents at the age of six. Ultimately, he believed that this would provide him a rite of passage into manhood but feared what it would mean to be circumcised. In detail, he describes how at the age of six he was completely mortified with the idea of undergoing circumcision, as he feared his doctor would cut his penis in half – wondering how it would function.  As we dove deeper into his own experiences, Hakki wondered what was wrong with his penis and why he needed to be circumcised.  At the age of six he was confronted by the doctor with a scalpel and how he escaped from through a bathroom window, where he is was latter chased down by his father’s driver who found him hiding in a tree. At the age of eleven everything changed as he witnessed his cousin being circumcised, which was a turning point for him – changing his mind and decision to get circumcised a month after his thirteenth birthday. As the date approached, he began preparing himself for the procedure.  He described the celebration as being “huge” (comparing it to a wedding), where formal invitations were sent out to hundreds of friends and relatives, who were invited to attend the circumcision party. Hundreds of people attended his circumcision party, where there were clowns, music, food and alcohol. There, he was showered by gifts from loved ones (i.e., money and gold). At the party he is “dressed like a king” in all white and gold, where he was greeted with a white horse that ushered him to the doctor’s office that was followed by a caravan of drums, honking, and his father who would attend the circumcision. He tells how he was greeted at the doctor’s office by the physician who would perform the surgery, where his father would be present to witness the act.     Entering the office a boy, he left feeling like a man. Describing the recovery process, he explains how it was “painful” – experiencing pain when urinating or achieving an erection. He says that while it was painful, being circumcised was significant and meaningful in his journey of becoming a man. Music for today’s episode is brought to you by Chauncey Dandridge (AKA DJ Chauncey D) and Van Hechter  “53 Christopher Street” available on Spotify. If you have a burning question or would like to be a guest on the podcast Contact Us!