The arrest of seven men involved in the online broadcast of castrations following a raid in north London back in December has brought an obscure underground subculture back into global headlines.
Among those arrested by the Metropolitan Police officers at the time was a 44-year-old nicknamed “The Eunuch Maker,” who was accused of conducting castrations on men.
The arrested men, who were later released on bail, were reportedly part of a subculture where men become “nullos,” a term derived from genital nullification — removal of penis and testicles. Castrations were reportedly conducted by the men in an apartment, livestreamed via a pay-per-view channel and promoted on Twitter.
The popularity of nullos has been attributed to Japanese artist Mao Sugiyama, who made global headlines in 2012 when he had his genitals cut off and offered as a meal to online bidders.
Five diners, who were each charged 20,000 yen (approximately $153), purportedly consumed his braised penis, testicles and scrotum at a public banquet in Suginami, Tokyo. Sugiyama, a self-described asexual, was only charged with indecent exposure since cannibalism is not a crime in Japan.
Those who identify with the subculture, estimated to be between 10,000 to 15,000, engage fellow nullos worldwide via online forums.
The procedure to become a nullo varies, with some opting to seek actual surgeons, while a majority would use amateur “cutters” or even mutilate themselves.
Some nullos choose to be a “smoothie,” which involves a procedure that results in a fully smooth groin.
While the majority who undergo such a procedure are men, there have been women who also have volunteered to have their clitoris, nipples and breasts mutilated and their vaginas sewn shut.
A self-confessed nullo from South Florida known as Gelding shared with Gawker that they prefer the term to distinguish themselves from transgender people.
The reason that we use that it is not transgender. It’s simply nullification of what you’ve got. A friend of mine Mack in San Francisco likes to use the term “mascunull”, because I remain as masculine as they come with fur and so forth. But I no longer have the parts.
Gelding, who was castrated in 1994, shared that he underwent psychological evaluation with a psychologist before he had his penis removed in 2011.
In my case, my medical situation really didn’t justify it because I was just uncomfortable with what I had. It wasn’t medically necessary. But I felt that I would be much more comfortable having the issues of having the sensation but not being able to use it well. It was something like a guy having a useless appendage and it’s something he has to carry around, and it becomes baggage after a while.
