# Boston University unveiled a new Martin Luther King Jr. statue. Is it just me or does it look like someone performing a sexual act? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230 "2023-01-14T19:01:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230/161 "2023-01-22T03:59:58Z")
I gotta say, this discussion has intrigued me. I look forward to checking out the statue next time I’m in Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2023, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230/162 "2023-01-22T04:04:03Z")
Oops…nevermind 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230/163 "2023-01-23T20:36:46Z")
I happened to be downtown on Saturday for something else, so I swung over and took a couple of shots with my phone. It was crowded both times I walked past. So for some decidedly amateur, in site photos, here you go: > **[PXL\_20230121\_213310951.jpg](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JiV3DmYlfHywe4_hN8vjROxWLVfjZC2K/view?usp=share_link)** > > Google Drive file. > **[PXL\_20230121\_213333322.jpg](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ji2XrsZEoDa4KQxyADUqi5uLaIEcDu-f/view?usp=share_link)** > > Google Drive file. > **[PXL\_20230121\_213354462.MP.jpg](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JhDST0HZ8h3QKlXJo3JaTZnNFHCwYD8I/view?usp=share_link)** > > Google Drive file. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230/164 "2023-01-23T21:10:10Z")
The Boston Globe has run several pieces about it this week > **[Embracing ‘The Embrace’ - The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/19/opinion/embracing-embrace/)** > > There’s no lack of criticism for the new King memorial. Experiencing it up close changed my mind. > **[After triumphal unveiling, ‘The Embrace’ must stand on its own - The Boston...](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/19/arts/after-triumphal-unveiling-embrace-must-stand-its-own/)** > > Love it or hate it, the memorial is now a permanent part of Boston’s landscape. But our engagement with it will continue to evolve. > **[Readers have issues with ‘The Embrace’ and even its unveiling - The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/18/opinion/readers-have-issues-with-embrace-even-its-unveiling/)** > > Great public art should not require QR code links to a website to explain it. In this case, it should require no more than a gaze to convey the greatness of Martin Luther King Jr. and the essential support of his wife to his work. > **[‘The Embrace’: ‘The hug the city needs’ - The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/13/metro/embrace-hug-city-needs/)** > > As Boston unveiled its latest and perhaps most radical work of public art Friday, "The Embrace" was as much a remembrance as it was a 38,000-pound call to action. What are you embracing? Who are you holding? Have you been held lately? ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230/165 "2023-02-11T15:01:26Z")
[Here’s a new article from the Boston Globe magazine](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/09/magazine/twitterverse-had-its-say-about-embrace-heres-what-real-visitors-think/) that interviewed people who were visiting the sculpture in person, making a specific distinction between in person viewing and online viewing. Some quotes: > “It reminded me of Rodin’s work a little bit, just the beauty of the human body. Even if it wasn’t someone as important as Martin Luther King, just the humanity of it and the embrace, love, and affection it captures of people touching each other, particularly post-COVID where people had been so distant and disconnected, it had an even bigger impact. I wanted to hug everyone around me.” > “We only see one angle of the statue online, and it’s the kind of sculpture that requires you to turn around and look at it. I thought about another sculpture, like the way people behave around and in the Bean in Chicago — it’s not really about the sculpture, but more about the people. There’s such a crowd around it. It’s more seeing the sculpture in the crowd than really seeing the sculpture.” > “I was shocked by the general discourse around it because the sculpture comes from such a place of respect, admiration, community, and mindfulness — like if you look at it from this angle, it’s the shape of a heart; that’s really lovely. It’s so awesome to see kids running around, people pointing at it, walking through it, and overhearing conversations about it." Many more comments in the article. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boston-university-unveiled-a-new-martin-luther-king-jr-statue-is-it-just-me-or-does-it-look-like-someone-performing-a-sexual-act/978230.md?page=8)