HARD SELL

Activist on Quest to Erect Huge Penis Sculpture in Florida

He says it’s to mark Japan’s Festival of the Steel Phallus. Officials are not buying it.

A Florida activist has applied to display a giant penis sculpture in nine Florida cities to mark the Festival of the Steel Phallus, a fertility celebration in Japan’s Shinto religion. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Fort Lauderdale has told Chaz Stevens to fill out an application, which he takes as a promising sign. But Mayor Dean Trantalis is against it. “Fort Lauderdale embraces diversity, but at some point we need to draw a line between expression and decency,” he told the newspaper. “All Mr. Stevens is trying to do is draw attention to himself... The city of Fort Lauderdale tries to maintain a family-friendly environment. We’re not the stage for personal excesses.”