
<p>You just cannot make this stuff up. ; Palm Springs, California (figures) commissioned a sculpture by Phillip K. Smith III to honor those who lost their lives to HIV and AIDS. ; The proposed design is a donut-shaped limestone with concentric circles on one side and … (get the kids out of the room) … looks amazingly like an a**hole on the backside (no pun intended). ;</p>



<p>The Internet police apparently think that the story about this particular work of arse –ooops, I mean art – was so graphic that it had to pass through a security page assuring whoever is at the other end of it that I was 18+.</p>



<p>The work is supposed to represent the “impact of AIDS on the community.” ; I fail to see the connection, but I do not claim to be an art expert. ; Personally, I would think it would be more suitable outside the offices of a proctologist.</p>



<p>In the face of public outrage and mockery, the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Task Force are working on a “revised design” – something they should have anticipated in (sorry) hindsight. Task Force officials have said that the final memorial will feature an educational component on prevention and treatment options.</p>



<p>The statue is planned to be next to the sculpture of Marilyn Monroe’s famous panty exposing wind-blown skirt from Billy Wilder’s classic movie “The Seven Year Itch.” ; We can only be thankful for the movie code that had the “blonde bombshell” wearing panties.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src="https://punchingbagpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/image.png" alt="" class="wp-image-27242" style="width:621px;height:350px" width="621" height="350"/></figure>



<p><img width="545" height="308" src="" alt="A group of statues of babies

Description automatically generated">This is not the first time Palm Springs has caused controversy. ; Back in 2018, they commissioned a series of baby butt statues. ; (I have embedded the photo since I am sure you would not have believed me.) ; We can probably all agree that baby butts are cute. ; Think of all those infants photographed on the bare skin – I mean bear skin rugs. ; My youngest son has one of those with which his mother em-bare-asses him (I cannot help myself) whenever possible.</p>



<p>As cute as baby bums may be, the Palm Springs artwork is a bit disturbing in a community with a large gay population. ; Maybe it is the pose. ; Very few gay guys are pedophile, but …</p>



<p>It does appear that the good citizens of Palm Springs will prevail and their monument to the genuine tragedy of HIV and AIDS will be something more appropriate and respectful. ; Not something that has become literally the “butt” of jokes.</p>



<p>In some sense, I am sorry that they are not proceeding with the original design. ; I would like to have seen California Governor Gaviin Newsom cut the ribbon at the dedication. ; What a great photo for his presidential campaign biography. ; Two of a kind.</p>



<p>Hey! ; If they made the sculpture work small enough, it could have been interactive. ; (Dear God, get me out of this one.)</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Is Palm Springs the “butt” of a joke?
