Bob Merckx I find that the names of the anatomy in the genital region are rife with connotation (sometimes positive and sometimes negative) and that each person has very strong associations with — and therefore opinions about — those names. I know a lot of people who would never use the word penis because they think it’s too clinical.

Personally, while I don’t love the word penis, I like it enough to use it. I almost never use the word cock (too hard on the tongue — pun maybe intended), and occasionally use the word dick. I don’t tend to say shaft, member, or joint — that just doesn’t seem natural to me. As a writer I choose the words that sound the best to me — which I realize isn’t always the case for others.

I have found Medium to be a very sex-positive, honest forum, and I don’t think there’s any name you can use to which they would object. Bravo to them.

Thank you for the comment!