University of Rhode Island graduate student W. Reginald Rampone proposed a panel discussion at the MLA's December meeting in San Diego called "Lacking a Member and the Absence of Frontal Male Nudity in Popular Films," or, as he explained, "the dearth of frontal male nudity as an index of male genitalia's inability to measure up to the phallus." Rampone said he decided to explore the subject after removal of frontal male nudity scenes from the movie Sliver sparked controversy.
