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March 2011

Genital Integrity Awareness Week 2011

by Tally on March 28, 2011

His body, his choice. Stop Routine Infant Circumcision. GIAW Genital Integrity Awareness WeekGenital Integrity Awareness Week (GIAW) starts March 28 and runs through April 3, 2011. This year marks the 18th Annual Demonstration / March Against Infant Circumcision in Washington, DC. The demonstration and march is the annual event promoted by the Stop Infant Circumcision Society.

Every year, on the anniversary the Female Genital Mutilation Bill took effect in 1997, intactivists demonstrate. Intactivists hope to have the protection offered to girls extended to boys. There is an ongoing program to enact a male genital mutilation bill in the United States and in every state. Every child should be able to grow up with intact genitalia.

Washington, DC, Demonstration

Stop Infant Circumcision Society banner truck Washington, DC, is the site of the main demonstration. The 18th Annual March/Demonstration Against Infant Circumcision starts on Monday, March 28th, and runs until Sunday, April 3rd, 2011. Demonstrators meet at the West Lawn of the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, every morning at 9am until 6pm. See the Facebook event page for more information.

On Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, the Washington, DC, demonstrators will march from the US Capitol to the White House. The march will begin at 4:00pm. On Saturday, April 2nd, 2011, the Washington, DC, demonstrators will march from the US Capitol to the White House. The march will begin at 4:00pm. Read more . . .

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Intactivism: Week in Review March 26, 2011

by Tally on March 26, 2011

The foreskin is not a birth defect - stop infant circumcision - demonstration in Washington DC for Genital Integrity Awareness WeekParents, protect your babies. Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.

This coming week sees the start of the Genital Integrity Awareness Week - GIAW. Demonstrators will be in Washington, DC, with a march to the White House scheduled. The 18th Annual Demonstration / March Against Infant Circumcision is scheduled from March 28 through April 3, 2011. March 30 will be the 14th anniversary of the FGM law being enacted. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
 

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Daily Targum Letters: Circumcision undermines child’s human rights
Various dictionaries list the phrase "genital mutilation" as the act of cutting all or some of the genital organs. "Mutilation" is an accurate way to describe infant circumcision. That there are possibly some benefits to this surgical procedure does not justify the act. Elective surgery — especially ones dealing with the genitals — should not be done without consent from the child. It is inexcusable to put a child through a painful ordeal that causes permanent negative changes even if there could be potential benefits. 

Dr. Momma's Peaceful Parenting: He Didn't Cry: Babies in Shock
The baby lies strapped to the board. His penis is swabbed. The doctor starts the circumcision by separating the baby's foreskin from his glans. The screaming starts. The doctor then cuts the foreskin. The baby stops screaming. Quiet descends in the room as the infant goes into shock from the pain. Parents may be told the infant is asleep, but in reality the infant is in shock from the trauma of having a sensitive part of his body cut off.
  Read more . . .

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Happy 2nd Birthday, RestoringForeskin.org!

by Tally on March 20, 2011

Restoring Foreskin.org second birthdayForeskin restoration site RestoringForeskin.org is two years old today. Restoring Foreskin.org is a site dedicated to men who wish to undo the damage and harm caused by their circumcision.

Two years and two weeks ago, the popular foreskin restoration site RestoreForeskin.org announced that it was shutting down in two weeks. Craig, the site admin, was not responding to anyone's request for information. Nor was he responding to any offers to take over the site.

I saw the need for a replacement site and quickly posted a request for help in building a new site. There was not much time. If a new site was to be built before RestoreForeskin.org shut down, it would require more than one person. QBMan, a Canadian restorer, stepped up and volunteered. Others volunteered to be beta testers. We quickly got to work and in record time built RestoringForeskin.org. Read more . . .

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Intactivism: Week in Review March 19, 2011

by Tally on March 19, 2011

Bug-eyed baby boy who was just told about male infant circumcisionParents, protect your babies. Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Case Against Infant Circumcision: Do Pro-Circumcision Propagandists suffer from a Form of Stokholm Syndrome?
There is much evidence that infant circumcision is a traumatic and painful experience causing loss and deprivation, yet we find some or even many males that have been circumcised endlessly and obsessively promoting infant circumcision.  Why is this so? One explanation may be a form of Stokholm Syndrome.
 

Monday, March 14, 2011

WeHo News: Forget fur; what about banning circumcision?
WeHo News: Banning Circumcision
This is a very informative article describing why we circumcise our baby boys and why we should stop circumcising. The author cites the O'Hara study that found that sex with an uncircumcised partner was rated many times more satisfying than sex with a circumcised partner.
  Read more . . .

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I LOVE foreskin

by Aubrey Taylor on March 14, 2011

Aubrey Taylor and whatUneverknew of YouTubeI LOVE foreskin. I wish that were all I had to say. Unfortunately, there’s a comparison to be made, and it isn’t one of two different naturally occurring penises. If it were, I wouldn’t bother to tell people why I liked one and not the other. But, because there is force involved, and because I’m an activist opposing that force, I must also say that I can’t fully enjoy circumcised sex, and why. This is my personal opinion, and not something that anyone has to agree with in order to understand that forced circumcision is wrong; but it is just another example of how forcing amputation on one body effects more people than just the one who was cut.

When I first became sexually active, I wasn’t comfortable touching my boyfriend’s penis. Something was just wrong about it. Even though he said he enjoyed it, I felt that what I was doing must be painful. I didn’t know how hard my touch should be, and the friction creeped me out in a way I didn’t even understand. All it took was ONE stroke of an intact penis and I understood everything! There was no hesitation or worry that I was doing something wrong. It was sexy and fluid. I realized that there was a big difference and I started paying attention. I’ve been lucky that a good percentage of my lovers have been intact, and this is what I’ve learned about myself, and both types of penises.

Feeling connected is what I enjoy the most about sex. In fact, it’s probably 80% of my arousal. Intimacy is the point; the physical acts are just how I get there. So, if I don’t feel connected, the physical act is literally less pleasurable. Read more . . .

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Intactivism: Week in Review March 12, 2011

by Tally on March 12, 2011

Stop circumcising babiesParents, protect your babies. Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Birth Junkie: What does the baby think?
A mother says that she is "sorta a big ole fan of the science of things. I like studies and stats to back up things I am contemplating. It’s the number one reason that led me to such decisions as homebirth, breastfeeding, and not circumcizing . . . the science of it all." She describes how the medical industry runs births for their convenience and profit, regardless of the need or health for the baby.
  Read more . . .

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Intact penises are not ugly

by Meghan B. on March 9, 2011

Intact penis art by Phallic CymbalsI hate, hate, HATE the arguments, "My son needs to be circumcised because girls will make fun of him if he isn't" or "It looks gross." These statements just highlight the fact that circumcision is a 100% cosmetic procedure, something that is done to make a boy conform to the aesthetic standards of his parents. Ok, for those of you who have never seen an intact, erect adult penis - here ya go. Now, was that so scary? It pretty much looks like an intact circumcised penis - or does it?

Circumcision removes healthy, important skin. It makes sense that this procedure would have some undesirable side effects. The problem is, since circumcision is so widespread, these problems seem NORMAL and are seen as acceptable! "I was circumcised and I was fine! But, my penis curves and my pubic hair extends onto the shaft. And it is two different colors. But that's all normal and unrelated." Scarring caused by the surgery is hardly noticeable to the average person, but once you realize that penises are not meant to look that way - the results are glaringly obvious. Read more . . .

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Intactivism: Week in Review March 5, 2011

by Tally on March 5, 2011

Do your son a favor: Leave him WHOLE - do not circumcise himParents, protect your babies. Support intactivism. The following list includes blogs, articles, and websites of interest to Intactivists that were published in the past week. This is a running tally of the ones I found interesting.
 

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Momma Crafty: Activism is Hard
A mother, who is an intactivist fighting for the right of babies to remain intact, discusses the good and bad of being an activist in a country where the sentiment is against her. She is optimistic, saying, "You never know when you’re going to change someone’s mind."
  Read more . . .

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Loose circumcision or a short foreskin?

by Uncutting on March 2, 2011

Drawing of circumcised penis showing exposed glans and an intact or uncircumcised penis showing the glans coveredSo here's my story. I’m 20 years old, and like approximately 60% of boys born in the United States the same year as me, I was circumcised. I assume this was just a regular RIC (routine infant circumcision), most likely taking place within a few hours or days of my birth. The issue of my penile intactness (or lack thereof) has never come up with my parents, not even once, so I’ve always just assumed that there were no unusual or noteworthy circumstances behind it.

Given that the topic never came up with my parents, I didn’t know what circumcision was until I was about 10, which I suppose is a pretty typical age to find that sort of thing out. I learned through a topic on the Off-Topic section of a message board I went on at the time (most people on that site were a little older than me). It was something like “What do you think of circumcision?”, but the topic creator didn’t really explain what circumcision was other than “Personally, I can’t imagine going through life without the tip of my penis.”

Naturally, I assumed this meant cutting off the head - for me, that WAS the tip of my penis. So I looked it up on whatever search engine people used before Google to find out why anyone would ever do that. Lo and behold, I learned what circumcision *actually* was. But, there was one problem. Read more . . .

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