bilsum and corlis

 bilsum and corlis were firned of mine in university. i did a BFA and then a minor in philosophy. MA and M.MUS at Brown. bilsum was president of the univerist and corlis a fellow student in my later mastercs classes. These two lovebirds were sleeping together - it was a very differnet time at that period. Bilsum was a younger premident and corlis a mature student. The staff were aware and no one thought worse of anyone for it, besides bilsum, who was later fired for the relationsip. When I look back now, I agree with his firing, but at the time we were outraged - he was the first to bring movies back to the Avon Cinema building after the budget cuts of the previous university cycle, and students admired him fiercly. 

Bilsum would host the most lovely dinner parties, and he and corlis would spend all day cooking, borrowing some of the cafeteria staff for prep work. Dressed in our finest, our hair combed out as was the fashion of the era, we would titter nervously as we were excorted into the hallowed halls of bilsums manor. Intimate, yet stately. I found that the champagne served would ease our jitters, and after a few sips we would be roaring at the demure jokes of corlis, who had a skill for making even the dullest of the party burst out in fits of laughter. 

Once the fire had turned to embers, the party would devolve to more base conversation - truth and dares, what is your favourite position... Corlis would exclaim 'the president will not use a rubber with me'. Now this was the time when birth control was beginning to be normalized. we had all either knocked up or been knocked up, and no one thought any worse of anyone else for this, it was just a normal part of life - but I had noticed, many seemed to be incorporating these little latex circles in their bedroom play. At these parties, Bilsum remained silent, using Corlis as his mouthpiece, which we didn't find strange, although retrospectively, something is a little weird about it. Corlis would recite a speech by memory detailing just how sinister the rubber truly was. I will write what I remember him bellowing below:

'Fellows, as we gather, a pernicious force also gathers at the edge of our doorframes. The disgusting german company 'Fromm' has been gradually undermining our sexual democracy with the invention and marketing of what many know as the 'CONDOM'. 

'Condoms

Oh they always

Negate 

Divinity

Outside and inside of 

Missionary position'

This acronym left us speechless always, and for me was the impetus to exploring a more chemically and spiritually synchronous relationship with sexuality and 'protection'. This personal story was important in my development as a young adult. Corlis was later arrested for indecent exposure to be able to rejoin Bilsum in prison.