My first exposure the concept of gender dysphoria came in high-school when we watched a documentary about David Reimer.
spoiler
He had a botched circumcision and they decided to raise him as a girl because his penis was mutilated by their barbarism, and it was later as a teen that he understood and asserted his gender identity. He took his own life when he was 38. It was a tragedy and a crime, inflicted on him for basically no reason.
Every guy I know who has had circumcision done to them at a young age talk of how it was a good thing and totally healthy and safe and even told me to go for it. I feel bad for them because the brainwashing is really deep for the victims. I’m thankful I never went through it
I guess in the US it is hard to admit that you have been mutilated because it is so common. For me it was only a matter of time until I realized what has been stolen because it is so uncommon here. Made me furious. I am fine now because transwoman.
so many of us, men & women, are socialized not to recognize our own abuse when its “traditional”, and instead conditioned to see trauma as strength building.
furthur, violence that targets male genitalia (which i would call explicitly sexual violence) is coded as humorous across so much media. man gets hit in gonads: “lol”
any objective assessment around this crap reveals its connection and interdependence with toxic masculinity, but for whatever reason, it’s an uphill battle to get many to recognize that mutilating male genitalia in infancy is “actually, kind of fucked up and barbaric” and its ubiquity (like intimate partner/familial violence) or tenuous connection to ancient religious practices (like stoning people to death for infidelity or saying bad words) is not a justification of the continued practice.
the older i get, the less accomodating i am of the lazy justifications and dismissals of concern. and the painting of activists as cranks.
give me my foreskin back
“potentially”
Circumcision has been classed as a potentially harmful practice in new official guidance for criminal prosecutors in England and Wales, but controversial plans to class it as possible child abuse have been dropped.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided against including circumcision alongside dowry abuse, witchcraft and female genital mutilation in its new guidance on honour-based abuse, after objections from Jewish and Muslim groups when the plans were revealed by the Guardian.
Instead it has included a similar section on circumcision in updated guidance on offences against the person. It says: “In certain circumstances, such as the procedure being carried out by those falsely claiming to be suitably qualified practitioners or carried out in non-sterile conditions, it can cross the line into a harmful practice.”
Witchcraft???
And now for my next trick… reaches behind your ear, drumroll in the background
YOUR FORESKIN IS GONE
most important thing is whether the activity is motivated in a western way or a nonwestern way
Bris done by a rabbi using traditional procedure from before modern medicine. It’s been controversial in the past.
Largely do to it being unsafe though. If there was an upside some risk might be acceptable. As there is no significant benefit and a significant risk of harm it doesn’t clear ethical standards
Yes it’s a safety issue.
I was always impartial to circumcision since so many people did it to their kids and I really thought it was about cleanliness. Then i met someone who had a botched procedure as a baby and forever lost feeling in his penis, he was rightfully depressed about it. Terrible thing
