Petrelis Files

Dear Friends:

It's long been debunked that "gay bowel syndrome" is a legitimate illness. The term was coined by homophobic doctors in the 1970s to describe a collection ailments, such as parasites and abdominal pain.

Since the 1980s "gay bowel syndrome" has been used mostly by either right-wing political groups or the occasionally misinformed medical guides for medical students.

Yesterday while performing a search on MSN's Encarta site, I came across this listing in the site's dictionary, which comes after "gay":

"gay bowel syndrome; noun
"intestinal disorders resulting from anal penetration: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in men who have incurred damage to the lower bowel and rectum as a result of anal penetration." (Source: http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_561536907/gay_bowel_syndrome.html)

I've hunted on the MSN Encarta site for a list of contacts, to make those who included this offensive term and definition aware of my concerns, but no staff contacts are provided. Instead, there is a general feedback form, which I used. So far, I haven't heard back from anyone at MSN.

Which is why I am appealing to you for help in this matter.

Do you have any contacts at MSN or suggestions on how I might get the web giant to join all the other dictionaries that exclude "gay bowel syndrome" from their pages?

As far as I've been able to determine, no other on line dictionary includes this nonexistent medical term in their listings.

Please assist me in contacting and persuading MSN to delete "gay bowel syndrome" from Encarta, and bring MSN into the modern age regarding this bogus syndrome.

Suggestions welcome and appreciated.

Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
Ph: 415-621-6267