A man chopped off his penis and testicles because he wanted to become a genitalia-free “nullo.”
Trent Gates, 23, cut off his testicles back in April 2016, then, in January 2017, he removed his penis with an ultra-sharp ceramic knife. He carried out the procedure after seeing a photo of another famous ‘nullo’ called Gelding at the age of 15.
The term nullo (or smoothie) refers to an extreme body modification subculture made up mostly of men who have had their genitals (and sometimes also their nipples) surgically removed. Nullos are not necessarily transgender; most identify as eunuchs.
Trent, from Washington DC, only used iced water to numb the pain for the first procedure. For the second removal, he took regular painkillers to counter the pain.
Recalling what made him decide to remove his genitalia in his first ever interview, Trent told Metro US:
“It really didn’t feel like part of me. It’s along the lines of being trans, but not quite.
“I have no desire to be a woman. It’s kind of a middle ground in-between the two, an androgynous in-between.
“I came across some pictures when I was in high school, online, and I’ve been that way since, back since I was probably, 15.
“I saw a photo online – it was like, bam, first photo I saw, that’s me, I want to be there some day.
“I think it was a photo of (famous nullo) Gelding. He’s kind of like the grandfather of the community.”
Trent describes himself as a non-binary person who is sexually attracted to men. He says he feels more male than female, though.
Recalling how both procedures were carried out, the IT worker said he sliced his testicles off at his apartment and later removed his penis in a North Carolina hotel room after meeting a local “spotter” online who agreed to call an ambulance if he suffered a medical emergency.
He used a knife sanitized with alcohol, then travelled to a hospital immediately after on both occasions, where a surgeon stitched him up and gave him painkillers.
He said he talked to a mental health team about his decision to remove his genitals. He also took photos of the process, which are too graphic.
He explained:
“I used a ceramic (knife) because its sharper than the steel, less ripping and tearing.
“I sanitized it all beforehand with alcohol. I took every precaution. I had no infection. I went to the hospital right after. I honestly didn’t have a problem with the pain. I used a little bit of a numbing agent, a little bit of litocain on it, and i took to five milligrams of oxycodene that they prescribed me when i did my balls to take the edge off.
“It really wasn’t that painful, it wasn’t that euphoric of a feeling, it was just kind of ‘Yeah, it’s happening’.”
Trent continued:
“I had the same surgeon both times. I was 16 hours away from where I did my balls but I had the same surgeon both times. She ran me through the ringer, because it was a couple of months after I had been at a different hospital 16 hours away. They made sure I got psychiatric treatment just to make sure I was sane and that it was a good decision.
The therapists and the psychiatric staff said ‘Yeah, yeah, he’s good, he’s sane…miraculously’.”
According to Metro, Trent says the wound where he removed his testicles took a month to heal, while the area where his penis once sat recovered in around two to three weeks. He inserted a catheter for several weeks after removing his penis to ensure there was a hole through which he could urinate.
He added that he enjoys sex even more now he has no penis or testicles.
He said:
“I’ve actually found that my orgasms have gotten a hell of a lot more intense. The first time that I had sex afterwards, I almost passed out and was shaking for hours afterwards. It was that intense of an orgasm. It’s kind of weird. I actually do (ejaculate). It’s essentially the clear pre-cum that is produced by prostate.”
He said his boyfriend accepts him as he is and doesn’t mind his modified genitalia.
He also revealed that he did not tell his parents about removing his male member until after he had done so, and he has not told his three younger brothers about the do-it-yourself surgeries.
He said:
“My parents were a little bit shocked but accepting. Grandparents more shocked than immediately accepting, but they are accepting, and great grandparents were immediately accepting, surprisingly.”
Trent also revealed how he kept his penis in the freezer, with his mother sparking a family row after throwing it out.
He said:
“(My privates) were preserved in the freezer and they got thrown out. My mother threw them out – I don’t really want to go into much more detail on that right now. they’re still working that out. They were preserved, they were brought home and then…yeah.”
Trent says he has no regrets about becoming a nullo, and added that it has helped him overcome crippling depression which saw him attempt suicide multiple times while at school.
He explained:
“I feel happier. I feel more me. I feel, I guess, freer in a sense. It’s kind of hard to describe it. More how I’m meant to be, at heart. I feel more like the me I’ve always felt I was.
“With people who have a problem I’m like, fuck it, its not your body, don’t worry about it.”
