Praised by Whoopi Goldberg as, "one of those horrific, true stories that Dr. Spinelli so courageously reveals," Pee-Shy takes you through a whirlwind of emotions from the grand fears of childhood to the small disappointments of adulthood. Spinelli illuminates issues that many willfully ignore, choosing instead to believe that life is a free-flowing breeze of picture-perfect experiences. Spinelli shines a bright light into deep shadows of child molestation from the view of the victim ... it is a brave endeavor.
Dr. Frank Spinelli, an accomplished radio and television personality and author of the Advocate Guide to Gay Men's Health and Wellness, explores his most revealing encounters from a life lived well in NYC. Pee-Shy, is the personal account of being a victim of child molestation and how it has dramatically affected him throughout his adulthood.
At age 11, Frank was the victim of abuse by a man who was meant to be a mentor and pillar of society; his scoutmaster and local police officer, Bill Fox. Fox used his position of power and influence to lure young boys to his home, ushering them past his mother who sat nearly catatonic in a chair staring at the television.
It took several years for Frank to summon the courage to reveal to his parents the story of the molestation. Following his confession, Frank was successful in having Fox ousted from the scout troupe, but only through a quiet resignation and with no reports made to authorities.
Even with this minor victory, the abuse would psychologically haunt Frank into adulthood. Particularly, giving way to emotional detachment in close personal relationships and the development of paruresis -- an inability to urinate in public.
"Paruresis affects the urinary systems of nearly 17 million people, many of whom were molested as children," writes Spinelli. "Even in the confines of a public stall, there was always the possibility that my bladder would hold me hostage, negotiating with my brain to relax so that I could simply pee."
This is not merely a story of recounting the pain and humiliation of molestation, but one of regaining control of your life. First Spinelli discovers Fox had written a memoir of his own in the early '80s, which told only of being a model citizen and hero. Fox's book documents the story of how he saved a teenage boy about to leap from a building with the promise of taking the boy in, eventually adopting him.
Realizing Fox was continuing to molest children, Frank immediately went into action. Spinelli was determined to bring Bill to justice in hopes of saving other young boys from what had haunted Frank both mentally and physically for the past three decades.
During Frank's electrifying investigation and pursuit of his molester, he meets a fellow physician, Chad, and chronicles their blooming love story. From how they met through the bumpy road of their first dates, their romance brings hope to a story that could otherwise be seen as too dark to dive into. Be assured, this is a story that must be told, read and shared. Spinelli does so with ease, bravery and humor, without holding back one detail of his very complex journey.