How far would you go to raise money for a charity? A fun run? A bake sale? How about giving up sex? Well that’s exactly what Merseyside man Andrew Franchitti is doing… We catch up with him to find out how’s it going.
JH: So why are you doing this and how does it work?
AF: I was looking to do something unique to raise awareness of the fantastic work the Terrence Higgins Trust does and thought that by letting people donate to keep me in chastity would be a great idea. Basically it started off that every £25 the just giving page increased, a week would be added to my lock up. From the end of August it is now £11 a day but if it gets too out of hand we may review the rules.
JH: Okay, so there must be easier ways to raise money for a charity?
AF: There are, but as someone into the fetish scene and having many fetish friends it just sort of seemed like a fun thing to do. I am not the fittest of guys so events like marathons, cycling were a no no.
JH: What gave you the idea?
AF: I have played with chastity devices with ex-partners and really enjoyed it. I have spent a few months locked before and had a good idea of what to expect so I thought why the hell not. I also spoke with my friends who thought it would be fun to see me suffer with sexual frustration. For some reason they seemed to like the idea that I had no access to my manhood and that others decided how long for.
JH: So how long has it been now since you’ve had sex?
AF: Barring a switch of device earlier this year I have been in chastity since 18th December 2014! I got a brief unlock at the end of September to ensure everything is okay. Hygiene and health checks are very important with something like this so it is best to have check ups. It also makes sure that my cleaning regime is doing it’s job. You have to be very thorough when locked this amount of time. I shower every morning, bath every evening and use cotton buds in hot soapy water twice a day to clean the inside of the cage, around the ring etc to ensure everything is kept healthy. I do however use toys regularly to milk my prostate for health reasons.
JH: Do you wish you had put a cap on the donations?
AF: God yes! If it gets too out of hand then I may have to work out with everyone an end time as I don’t want to end up locked in this thing for years. It doesn’t help though when some people who are enjoying my suffering are determined to get me into a custom made belt such as a neosteel. Bit extreme!
JH: When will the chastity device come off?
AF: Well as we speak the current end date is 5th August 2016. Hopefully the time will not go up much more but I am hoping to be out before the end of 2016 as I do want to get my life back.
JH: Did you lock up the device yourself or do you have a key holder?
AF: I am locked by a good friend, Alex. Unfortunately I live in Merseyside and he lives in Bristol so access to the keys is out of the question!
JH: Getting a little bit graphic here, but what happens if you get excited? Does it hurt?
AF: When I get excited my penis tries to get erect but can’t so it is very frustrating and annoying. It doesn’t hurt but it is very uncomfortable and the ring behind the scrotum tugs a bit so you know you are in it. It can wake you up in the night if you get aroused when sleeping and first thing in the morning is a nightmare.
JH: Are you getting any “relief” in anyway
AF: Yeah, as I have already mentioned, I use toys to milk my prostate regularly as it is very important to do so.
JH: You’ve been shy about getting press about this, why is that?
AF: Well most importantly, it started off as a fun way to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust amongst fellow fetish friends and not exactly something I want to have to explain to the family! Secondly, although I want to raise money for the charity I did not want it getting out of hand.
JH: Are you single? If not has your partner had something to say about the celibacy?
AF: Luckily I am single and don’t think I would have entered into this otherwise.
JH: How much are you planning to raise for THT?
AF: Although there is a target on the just giving page that is not the figure I am expecting. I was only expecting to raise £200-300 for them. If I end up putting a cap on the duration I will still keep the donations page open though as every amount no matter how big or small will help them continue their fantastic work.
One brilliant example of the things they do is provide free postal HIV testing kits. This costs money and is a vital service especially for people who are scared of going to see someone at first. Their support to people with HIV should be supported by as may people as possible.
Want to prolong Andrew Franchitti’s agony for much needed funds for THT? Go to his charity page
justgiving.com/charitychastity
