2012-09-19

David Pinckney: Where's my foreskin?!

David Pinckney discusses experiences that led him to speak out against circum­cision.

David's t-shirt “WHERE'S MY FORESKIN?” and others are available from CAN-FAP, The Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project.

2012-08-03

Aubrey Terrón [Taylor]: “I just cried and cried and cried”

Aubrey Terrón (known widely as Aubrey Taylor) relates her own story of awakening to the distasteful reality of circumcision, from first hearing about the bizarre practice when she was a little girl, to experiencing a world of difference between intact sex and circumcised sex when she was a young woman, realizing along the way that the circumcision of little boys is not only unnecessary, but cruel.

Rosa: As a mom and as a human and as a woman, I made the right decision

After seeing Glen Callender's show at the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project's Foreskin Awareness Booth, Rosa discusses her knowledge and feelings about circumcision and genital integrity.

As a young mother decades ago, she did her research before giving birth, and decided it was better to protect her 4 sons' human rights by leaving them intact, rather than to give into the inappropriate coercion of the authority figures around her.

2012-08-02

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson: The foreskin is easy for a boy to keep clean

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson of the Seattle Mama Doc 101 blog discusses what the foreskin is, and how easy nature has made it for a boy to take care of his own penis without meddling from parents.

Dexter Bligh: Circumcision would make sex more difficult for me

Dexter Bligh discusses his feelings and personal observations about genital integrity, having a foreskin, the effect that circumcision would have, and the locker-room myth.

2012-08-01

Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon: Using “foreskin restoration” to contemplate the effects of circumcision

Jewish American independent filmmaker Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon explains why he included discussions and explicit images of foreskin restoration in his landmark documentary film:

Cut: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision

Michael B. Wicks: I was circumcised as an adult and I get it

Michael B. Wicks chose for himself to undergo adult circumcision when he was 30 years old; he was suffering from phimosis, which is a relatively rare and frequently inappropriate diagnosis.

Today, Michael laments the fact that he didn't investigate—and wasn't informed about—less invasive alternatives to treating his condition, and he's been inspired by the way the Intactivist Movement has pushed the conversation around circumcision into the light of the mainstream, where the foreskin is finally being defended as a valuable part of a person's body.

The following conversation took place between shows in the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project's Foreskin Awareness Booth during a Vancouver street fair on Davie Street.

Dustin Marquardt: “I feel such a sense of loss”

Dustin Marquardt shares his thoughts about circumcision after visiting the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project's Foreskin Awareness Booth at Victoria Pride, where the unique performance artist Glen Callender made live demonstrations about the wonders of his foreskin.

2012-07-02

Lloyd Schofield: People in the San Francisco Bay Area are already voting with their children by not circumcising them

Lloyd Schofield discusses the events of the 2011 San Francisco Ballot Initiative to ban circumcision of children in the City of San Francisco.

2012-05-07

Chris Maurer: Exposing misinformation and lies by omission

Chris Mauerer is a lawyer and child rights activist living in Houston, Texas. He is optimistic that the message of the Intactivist Movement will ultimately prevail, because it is based on not only the moral high ground, but also on rational arguments, a sound medical basis, and a desire to expose misinformation.

Jacqueline Maire: A foreign nurse trying to make sense of Genital Mutilation

Jacqueline Maire, a retired nurse from France and British Columbia, levels an emotionally charged and indeed angry appraisal at her fellow female colleagues.

Some have commented that her remarks are overly abrasive if not misdirected—and perhaps they are—but they also give voice to the way that those who live outside of cutting cultures view circumcision: Genital mutilation that is at best bizarre and at worst cruel.

2012-05-05

Travis Wisdom: Bridging Feminism and Intactivism

Travis Wisdom, a student of Women's Studies, discusses Feminism as a foundation for Intactivism.

He recently organized a daylong conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to discuss male circumcision and the issues surrounding identity and body owner­ship: Cutting Culture:

  1. Circumcision, An Overview

  2. Tuskegee Redux? Legal and Ethical Problems of the Ramp Up to Male Circumcision in Africa

  3. The Medical Ethics of Male Circumcision

  4. The Impact of Male Circumcision

2012-04-11

[43] Cutting Culture: The Impact of Male Circumcision

Travis Wisdom, a student of Women's Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, organized a daylong conference on male circumcision and the issues surrounding identity and body ownership.

Panelists Michelle Jacobs Hinman, Kathya Delaguila, and Brendon Marotta answer questions about how Intactivism and the issue of circumcision affect people's lives; along with members of the audience, they tell their stories and exchange advice. Here is a recording of the discussion, and a transcript follows.

2012-04-06

[42] Cutting Culture: The Medical Ethics of Male Circumcision

Travis Wisdom, a student of Women's Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, organized a daylong conference on male circumcision and the issues surrounding identity and body ownership.

The third speaker of the day was Gillian Longley of Colorado NOCIRC, who discussed the unethical nature of non-therapeutic circumcision without valid consent (with a focus on neonatal circumcision). Here is a recording of the presentation, and a transcript follows.

2012-01-21

[41] Cutting Culture: Tuskegee Redux? Legal and Ethical Problems of the Ramp Up to Male Circumcision in Africa

Travis Wisdom, a student of Women's Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, organized a daylong conference on male circumcision and the issues surrounding identity and body ownership. The second speaker of the day was John Geisheker of Doctors Opposing Circumcision, who discussed the dubious nature of the 3 African studies that are now being used to promote circumcision in the name of HIV prevention. Here is a recording of the presentation, and a transcript follows.

2012-01-07

[40] The Cut Podcast: Cutting Culture: Circumcision, An Overview

Travis Wisdom, a student of Women's Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, organized a daylong conference on male circumcision and the issues surrounding identity and body ownership.

The first speaker of the day was Marilyn Milos of NOCIRC, who gave an overview of the history of circumcision and its effects on the sexual experiences and psychology of men, women, and society at large. Here is the recording, and a transcript follows.

2012-01-04

[36] The Cut Podcast: Circumcision and HIV: A Conversation with David Wilton

Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon interviews David Wilton about the nature of the push to circumcise Africa, how this has affected the controversy over circumcising completely healthy infants, and in what ways the Intactivist Movement needs to evolve its organization. Here is the recording, and a transcript follows.