Santorum (sexual slang)

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Santorum is defined as: the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex. This definition was popularized by the American humorist and sex-advice columnist Dan Savage in 2003, and is named after US Republican Senator Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania.

1 Origin
2 Popularity
- 2.1 References in media
3 New campaign identity parody
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Origin

It emerged after Savage reacted strongly to Sen. Rick Santorum's controversial statements about homosexuality in an interview with the Associated Press published April 20, 2003. In the interview, Santorum grouped gay sex together with incest, polygamy, and bestiality as deviant sexual behavior threatening society and the family. Santorum further stated that he believed consenting adults do not have a constitutional right to privacy with respect to sexual acts.

Image:Santorum splash.JPG

Outraged by Santorum's statements, Savage challenged the audience of his column Savage Love to come up with a sex-related definition for the word santorum with the stated purpose of "memorializ[ing] the Santorum scandal […] by attaching his name to a sex act that would make his big, white teeth fall out of his big, empty head".<ref>http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=14267</ref> After Savage published several definitions suggested by readers; then, a vote was taken among the readers of his column and the winning definition was announced in his June 12, 2003 column.

[edit] Popularity

Fans of Savage (among others) have made a concerted effort to make the newly coined term into an English neologism, setting up a web site, santorum.com, for the purpose and employing Google bombing to make that site the first result on a Google search for "santorum". (The Senator is the first result if Google's "safe search" mode is enabled.) The site gives the official definition of the term "santorum," under which a brown, splattered stain appears on the otherwise-white page (see right). After this splash page, the site features letters to Savage tracking the dissemination of the term. The currency of this definition of santorum is unknown, but as of 2006 it has not been adopted by any major English-language dictionary.

[edit] References in media

At its annual meeting in January 2005, the American Dialect Society selected "santorum" as the Most Outrageous Word of the Year 2004. The Economist referenced santorum in a January 5, 2006 blurb about Sen. Santorum. The Daily Show referenced the term in its July 12, 2006 episode. In addition, the 2006 film Another Gay Movie is primarily set at "San Torum High School."

[edit] New campaign identity parody

Image:Santor1.jpg

An Internet parody email portends that an eleventh hour rebranding of the Santorum 2006 Senate campaign is underway. The email quotes the new brand's designer, supposedly a member of the Log Cabin Club: the colors "are very alpha-fecal colors designed to leave a strong impression." The email suggests the new look is scheduled to debut in advertising, print, and web materials November 3, and will "surely bring the anal sex and fecal communities to the polls."