Monday, September 4, 2023

Intactivism is disorganized, or is it?

Some say that intactivism needs to be organized better.  I say that it is as organized as it can humanly be.

The main reason that it appears so splintered is because of very different opinions (and knowledge) about the impacts of genital cutting as well as what to do about it.

I'm not going to get into the impacts here, but there are MANY things to do about it and different groups are focusing on just one or two of those many things:

Protest/demonstrate - let society know that we exist.  Bloodstained Men, Intaction, Cockfight and others do this.

Educate - Your Whole Baby does this with a website that approaches the topic in a way that attempts to be friendly (a difficult thing with such a contentious issue).  Your Whole Baby, and others, also host information booths at events such as baby expos.  We shouldn't need to do this, though - educational institutions, religious institutions, and healthcare institutions should be providing the information.  We *all* need to apply pressure on the institutions we personally work with.

Lobby government - ask government representatives to make laws.  Intaction has a separate arm (https://intaction.org/intactpac/) that has been taking this on in their state.  We need one in every state.  Healthcare in the USA is primarily handled at the state level.  However, some local governments (e.g. Austin, TX) do establish laws related to medical practices.

Get in the NEWS - The various organizations typically get into news media, some local, some national, some podcasts, etc.  One individual had the thought to push (instead of waiting for them to pull) information to the NEWS.  That individual created Next Level Intactivism and claims to have influenced the NEWS to cover the movement more.

Provide emotional support - Your Whole Baby, NORM (National Organization of Restoring Men), 15 Square, Intersex organizations, and others have been doing some things to support those of us who become distraught over the losses due to being genitally cut.  There remains much room for improvement here.  Most sexologists, psychologists, and counselors (not all) that I have spoken with are supportive.

Litigation - "US legal defense and education funds have been responsible for some of the most influential human and civil rights court cases in history" (credit: Dan MacClymont from GALDEF).  GALDEF (Genital Autonomy Legal Defense and Education Fund) is an organization that I co-founded with Tim Hammond and several others.  Litigation certainly has not started with GALDEF, though.  There are many ways that litigation can impact this movement.  William Stowell obtained a settlement for his non-therapeutic genital surgery because his mother was dealing with the effects of anesthesia when they got her to sign consent forms.  The Lavine family (see circumcisionisafraud.com) has mounted litigation.  Myself and some others have taken steps "pro se" (without legal representation) to attempt to cause changes.

Is there room for improvement?  ABSOLUTELY!  Probably always will be until leaving people's genitalia intact when they are children becomes the norm.

Is any of this easy?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  All of these things involve time, risk, emotional stress, and funding.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Equating Genital Cutting

 It seems that many people see male "circumcision," female "genital mutilation," and intersex "normalization" as different things.  When discussions are happening about one, bringing up another is called out as "equating."

Are they equal procedures?

Of course not.  Neither are the different types of male "circumcision," female "genital mutilation," and intersex "normalization."  YES, there are different types of ALL of those.  Is one more harmful than another?  Of course, they are, but do we need an Oppression Olympics?

Are they equal in the sense of ethics and human rights?

My stance, as well as many scholars, is that they absolutely are.

Thus, when someone says "You can't equate those," you can say "From an ethics and human rights perspective, I can."

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Why I Share the Status of My Children's Genitalia

I get criticized for telling the world that my sons are intact (not "circumcised").  Of course, that criticism always comes from people who defend genital cutting, but I am still compelled to explain the many reasons that it is important for me to share.  And, I DO get that many people don't want those images in their heads.

Yes, it is THEIR genitalia and THEIR lives that are exposed (also proves the point of genital autonomy), but I'm exposing something about myself like it's a badge.  Some people put things like "PhD," or "MA" after their name.  I used to put "MCSE" after my name.  If there was an official acronym for what shows that I have done the study, I would likely use it.

I think that a parent who truly loves their child will do anything for that child; and, I have TWO.  So, what about sharing that is doing something for my sons?  Multiple things:

1. I made absolutely sure that it was best for their physical health.

So many have gotten this belief that if a human male is not "circumcised" (prepuce amputated) that they are definitely going to have problems and that there is no harm in doing it.  After years of second-guessing myself, I kept digging.  I've only come to realize that is something people tell themselves to justify the practice and that the truth is actually the opposite.  In other blogs and vlogs I've explained how the cognitive dissonance of those in the cutting cultures is extremely deep.  It ultimately comes down to having a higher chance of having problems because one less body part is removed and there are several body parts that have higher chances of problems and are unnecessary body parts.

2. I am doing everything I know to make sure that it was, and is, best for their mental (including social) health.

In some cultures, being "uncircumcised" is severely looked down on.

For instance, in the Philippines, nearly all adult males are cut.  I recently come to find out that they are often given options about how they are cut, though.  So, in that sense, they are better than those who cut babies.  However, they have a derogatory term for those who do not get cut:  "SUPOT."  If we were living in that part of the world, I would be exposing them as "SUPOT."

In certain tribes of Africa, mobs of men will literally tackle a man who has avoided getting cut and cut him right then and there.  In the U.S.A. I believe that the mob would get charged with sexual assault and battery.

I'm very thankful for the Internet and social media as it allows more discussion on this topic from people in both cultures who cut as well as those who do not.  I know my sons can respond to anyone who attacks them (hopefully only verbally) that they are the ones with normal dicks and that the attacker is culturally conditioned.  However, I'm still not satisfied.

As much as I don't want males who were cut as babies/minors to feel bad about their status, I want my sons to feel lucky and proud of their bodies.  I want them to feel confident as they go into the world as adults.  I also want the people who are missing part of their genitalia to speak up so that the next generation gets to keep all of theirs.

Therefore, until people stop needlessly cutting the genitalia of children, I'm going to continue advocating for my sons and the next generation across the globe.

John Adkison with sons


Monday, February 20, 2023

People Do Not Care About Ending Sexual Abuse

 I decided to put up a survey on Twitter to see what people think.  I spent a little over $50 to promote it to make sure I wasn't getting just my followers (who probably agree with me).

Over 86K views!  I don't know, may I should have said "survey" instead of "thread of polls?"  I figured this would catch some attention, right?
Not so much!  Only 397 votes on the very first poll!  This tells me that people just don't care.  Why not?!  I've come across tons of women who are victims of rape.  I would think that certainly, they would care enough to participate.  Out of 86K I would think I would at least get 4-digit engagement!

I started off with something that I would think would get a 100% "Yes" vote.  Surprisingly, no.

I figured that FGM might get some "No" votes considering that there IS a certain percentage of the world that prescribes to female "circumcision."  Let this be evidence that at least 6% of the world is OK with it!
The child molestation makes me feel good, but, I imagine those who might click "No" are too afraid to as who knows what law enforcement is watching.
The forced marriage results blow my mind.  How is it that more people vote "Yes" for child molestation than forced marriage?!
I'm suspecting that most people don't even know what Tuli does and what age the boys are.  But, still, boys are less "sensitive" than girls, right?
Looks like intersex people have a lot of work to do still.
I'm really not surprised.  Are you?  It's better than I would have expected 4 years ago, though.  We're making progress.




Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Squirrels With No Tails

On a beautiful island in the middle of the ocean exists a tribe of squirrels.  The squirrels are all fat and happy.  They sing, dance, and play every day.

When a baby squirrel is born, they perform a ritual where they name and cise them.  "'Cise' - what's that?" little Johnny Squirrel asks.  

Doc Squirrel replies, "That's where we remove the after-body."  

"Why do we do that?" little Johnny Squirrel asks.  Doc Squirrel replies, "It's cleaner, reduces chances that it will cause us problems, and our leader told us to remove it."  Doc Squirrel continues, "Besides, it just gets in the way."

One day a ship arrives.  It has individuals on board that look just like those that are on the island, with one exception: They have big bushy after-bodies!

Little Johnny Squirrel is the first to meet them.  He asks, "What are those big things at the end of your body?"  

One of the visitors replies, "You mean our tails?"  

Little Johnny Squirrel responds, "Is that the same as your after-body?"

The visitor responds, "I guess you could call it that."

Little Johnny Squirrel says, "We remove those from our babies."

The visitor responds, "Why would you do that?"

Little Johnny Squirrel echos all of the things Doc Squirrel told him.

The visitor responds, "We don't have much trouble with all of those things and when we do, we just take care of it."  The visitor continues "Besides, it actually helps us."

Little Johnny Squirrel says, "How does it help you?"

The visitor says, "Well, it makes it easier for us to jump and keep our balance."

Little Johnny Squirrel retorts, "No!  I don't have my after-body and I can jump and balance JUST FINE!"

The visitor responds, "I'm sure you can, but can you jump and balance as well as I?"

Little Johnny Squirrel retorts, "I'm not going to compete to find out, that's just silly!"

The visitor asks Little Johnny Squirrel, "Do you know what cognitive dissonance is?"

Little Johnny Squirrel says, "No, what is that?"

The visitor explains, "It's when a person is presented with information that conflicts with the information they already have in their brain."

Little Johnny Squirrel says, "Are you saying that is what I have?"

The visitor explains, "It seems so."

Little Johnny Squirrel exclaims, "My parents, ancestors, and leaders wouldn't be removing it if it wasn't a good thing!"

The visitor responds, "I'm sure they wouldn't, but, do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?"

Little Johnny Squirrel responds, "No, what is that?"

The visitor explains, "It's when one has positive feelings, like love for someone who harmed them.  It's very difficult to accept that someone you love and supposedly loves you would cause you harm, isn't it?"

Little Johnny Squirrel responds, "So, they were harmed by the ones that love them and they were also harmed by the ones that love them; it's just a circle that goes back to the beginning of time!"

The visitor responds, "Exactly!"  The visitor goes on "So, don't be upset at those who removed your tail, just end the cycle with you."

Little Johnny Squirrel, in excitement, exclaims, "I have to go tell my parents!  They are going to be thrilled that they don't have to remove after-bodies, I mean tails, any longer!"

A little while later, Mayor Squirrel tracks down the visitor and exclaims "What poo did you fill Little Johnny Squirrel's head with?!"  Mayor Squirrel goes on "We are just fine without our after-bodies!  We have been removing them forever and we will continue to do so!  Go back to where you came from!" 

The visitors leave out of fear for their lives.

Little Johnny Squirrel attends another ritual where they remove another tail from a baby squirrel all while thinking, "Gosh, I would really like to know what it's like to have my tail!"

*The End*

Oh, were you expecting a happy ending?  Sorry, the adult squirrels weren't brave enough to have an honest conversation.  Fear rules the day.

Sunday, November 20, 2022

CPT Codes for "Circumcision"

 "Circumcision" made its way into the medical field in the late 1800s when there were beliefs that touching one's genitalia was a source of ailments.  To this day there are claims that you may or may not believe.  Whether you believe the claims or not is not important here.

CPT codes are used in the medical field to handle billing for medical services.  They are maintained by an editorial panel of the American Medical Association:


"Circumcision" continues to be done without a pathology present.  In the USA it is more often done in the medical field as a preventative measure and/or to meet parents' religious and/or cosmetic beliefs.  The challenge with the CPT codes is that there is no differentiation between addressing an existing pathology and when there is not.  This makes it impossible for insurance companies (including Medicaid) to be able to only cover medically needed procedures.  You would think that the insurance companies would apply pressure on the AMA to correct this.

In 2022 there was a lawsuit in Massachusetts to stop Medicaid from paying for the non-therapeutic procedure:
Due to the Federal government's protection of Medicaid so that they do not take on any undue administrative burden, it failed and Medicaid in Massachusetts continues to cover the procedure.  If separate CPT codes were used, this administrative burden would not exist.

Here are the codes as they exist:

"Circumcision" is a euphemism that stems from the religious texts that state "circumcise the flesh of the foreskin."  When considering anatomical diagrams, what is removed is part or all of the prepuce.  I request that the CPT Editorial Panel add codes for prepuce amputation.  This would give the insurance companies the ability to continue covering medically necessary procedures (like a prepuce amputation or "posthectomy") and deny those that are not.

I have created the following petition to convince the AMA to do so:

Thursday, July 14, 2022

What makes me particularly good at genital autonomy advocacy

There have been several events in my life that have led me to become an avid advocate for genital autonomy.  I feel the need to document these, so here they are:

My prepuce was amputated shortly after birth. (I was "circumcised.")

I was born in a time when there was no public internet and no books existed that discussed what "circumcision" was other than religious texts.  In fact, it wasn't until the following year that the American Academy of Pediatrics made its first statement regarding the fact that there was no medical indication for the procedure.  It's very interesting that there were so many baby boys getting cut during that time when there was no medical indication for the practice.  This shows how it became popular for other reasons including but not limited to the capitalistic healthcare system in the USA and I dare say that there is a connection to the war.

Thus, I have a hard time finding fault with my parents for allowing it to occur.  My own father was cut as an infant as well and clearly never critically analyzed the practice.  I imagine being in the military, where individuals are given very little agency, it probably never even occurred to him that there was any other way.

Nightmares that seem to be connected to the event re-occurred throughout my childhood and young adult life.

I wasn't one to cry or scream as an infant, toddler, or child.  I DO remember having the same nightmare frequently.  There were only two other nightmares that re-occurred during my childhood.  This particular nightmare repeated well into my late 20s.  The nightmare involved me being unable to move and something was approaching me that was going to harm or kill me.  Of course, I would always wake up just before it happened, and I would wake up in a cold sweat.  That something was vague: I never had a clear vision of what it was.  This makes sense considering how limited the vision of a neonate is.

This challenges the idea that humans do not develop memories at such young ages.  I know other men that have reported similar nightmares as well.

Vivid memory of my brother getting the Vaseline treatment.

Certain memories from my early childhood really stuck with me.  My mother putting Vaseline on my brother's penis is one of them.  I guess I always wondered why you would have to do that.  Of course, NOW I understand.

Tight erections

Looking back at my childhood after figuring out how the loss of my prepuce affects the normal operation of a penis, I have come to realize that the physical feelings I experienced during erections (which happen without an attraction, in case you didn't know) were not normal.  Yes, intact males can have tight erections too, but for very different reasons.  These physical feelings drove me to do something about them whereas I believe that something would have been completely different if I was left intact.

I have often been able to step outside of myself and look at my life and choices as though I was looking from someone else's perspective.  One day I woke up thinking about that boy and the tight erections he experienced throughout his youth and I felt very sad for that boy.

I've said this before, but those tight erections have caused physical issues throughout my life.  One was the tightness of my scrotum which drew up my testes so much that one would often get pressed to the point of being very uncomfortable.  Another is that the tightness on the other side would cause a bend, which is not something that an erect penis does very well.

Meatal stenosis

Another clear memory was having urine not spray in a stream but spread in a way that I would sometimes make a mess.  My grandmother wasn't having it and took me to the doctor.  The doctor found that tissue grew across my meatus (where the urine exits the glans).  While I don't remember it being painful, it was another one of those odd things that didn't make sense to me at that time.

Since I have been studying intact and cut penii, I have noticed that intact men do have a larger opening in most cases.  Stenosis just means narrowing.  It seems that many, if not most, males that had their prepuce removed at an early age have a degree of stenosis.  I often wonder whether the sharp feeling I get when I urinate would be that sharp if I was intact.

Christian upbringing

I went to several different churches during my youth.  Sometimes Baptist, sometimes Assembly of God, and sometimes another.  As my current wife (Jennifer) was brought up Lutheran, I have attended some of those.  I have also attended a "Religious Science" church. Jennifer has also attended a Lutheran college.  Jennifer and I have had many conversations about the Judaic family tree (Islam and Christianity as limbs of that tree).

As there are many things about this religion that don't make sense to me, the whole sacrifice idea completely fails for me.  As a parent, I would never want my children to make a sacrifice to me that involved harming themselves.  Today I have come to see religion as a man-made thing that has simply developed over time.

Religions can be abusive in many ways, but there is no abuse worse than making permanent body modifications to a child.  Even if they might not remember the event, they can look at the modification later in life and have extreme emotions about it.

Met a Mohel

I have actually met a couple mohels, but there's one in particular that sticks out in my memory.  Now, before I go any further, I suspect you may be one to think "oh, he's just anti-Semitic."  To me, an anti-Semite is a person that advocates for the oppression of Semites simply because they are Semites, not a person that challenges a religious doctrine.

In case you don't know what a mohel is, it's the individual in the Jewish religion who performs the Brit Milah (the "circumcision").  Ever since they decided that the glans (head of the penis) needs to be laid bare (you can look up "lay bare the glans"), they had to keep a sharp thumbnail in order to break the connection between the glans and the inner part of the prepuce (aka "foreskin").  As a teenager, I noticed a thumbnail that was shaped like the end of an arrow (speaking of archery here).  I never knew why this person kept his thumbnail that way until I learned more about this topic.

Appendicitis/appendectomy

You're probably thinking "what does this have to do with genital autonomy?"  It is often brought up that parents have to make choices for their children, so the claim that the child cannot consent does not apply. But, IT DOES!  "Circumcision" is a ritual, not a medical practice even though they use the term.  A prepuce amputation, posthectomy, or preputioplasty are surgical terms instead of a euphemism for a ritual.  "Circumcision" is not a choice that a parent "has" to make unless they are so religious that they believe that they have to.

Another thing that is brought up is that it's better to do it early so they don't have to deal with the pain of doing it later.  The chances that a person will need an appendectomy are much higher than ever needing a prepuce amputation.  The pain from the appendicitis was excruciating for me and the recovery took several weeks.  Today we have better methods through laparoscopy, so recovery today would probably be much shorter.  However, the point is that this logic about the possibility that they will need it later in life can be applied to many things like the appendix.  You may be thinking "that's far more invasive than a prepuce amputation."  Maybe, but the appendix has far less value than the prepuce.  And, I bet they could perform a laparoscopic procedure on an infant that would have far fewer adverse effects than prepuce amputation.  It comes down to the views of the value of the prepuce.  Most men in the world would never consider removing it; thus, it clearly has value.  Those living in cultures where genital cutting is common, most males obviously hold it as something with little or no value.

Married someone that became a trauma therapist

I supported my first wife while she obtained her master's degree in behavioral science.  I was dragged through her learning process, thus, learning many things about human behavior myself.  As I have gone through my own cognitive dissonance, trauma, and grief from learning about my loss, I have been able to self-monitor and look at myself through the lens of someone that has received such education about human behavior.  I believe this has helped me stay sane and objective.

Married someone else who attended a Christian school

As I noted earlier, Jennifer attended a Christian school. She has also developed into a career that involves mental health and is working at a non-denominational church.

While I can get into the weeds with someone that considers themselves religious, I find myself very dismissive of the religious beliefs that drive people to harm others.

Became a father of sons

Being a father of two boys, who I changed diapers on and have had several candid discussions about this topic, I consider this my greatest value as an advocate.  I often jump into conversations between people where there is no one like me and let them know that I am a cut dad of two intact sons and those who think they know something suddenly stop interacting or quickly change their tune.  They have to be careful what they say around me because they will find themselves insulting me or insulting my sons if they are not.  Thus, I think it pushes people to stay more objective about the topic.

Dealt with cognitive dissonance and Stockholm Syndrome too

I watch so many people come up with the same arguments I did.  The main difference is that I'm an introvert and did not voice the arguments out loud; I simply asked people questions and did research to verify whether my arguments were good ones or based on lies.  And, it's not just one layer of cognitive dissonance that has to be dealt with, particularly when one holds strong religious beliefs.  It's particularly difficult to consider that the arguments are based on lies because it means that one has to acknowledge that those who you love and were supposed to love you are the ones that had it done to you (thus, Stockholm Syndrome).  Not everyone has the same number of layers of cognitive dissonance, thus, some move through it faster than others.  Those who went through the cognitive dissonance themselves seem more patient with those who are going through it now.

Vasectomy

Yes, I got the vasectomy after our youngest son was born.  *I* CHOSE IT!  The person that performed it made absolutely sure that I was not being coerced.  I just wish medical professionals were as careful when asking mothers of newborns (or not ask at all!)!

Vasectomy is brought up sometimes as a comparison.  I still have not seen a good reason for it to be brought up.  However, since I did get one, it puts me into a great position to address it along with all of these other things.

Technologist

My work as an IT guy has affected my ability to network and disburse information.  I could create a huge list here of all the things I have done on the internet, but I don't see the point.  Anyone that follows me closely knows.

Work in big pharma

Many consider intactivists anti-science and compare us to anti-vaxxers.  I worked in a pharmaceutical company for over 5 years.  For much of that time, I drove and rode a vanpool van with many PhD scientists.  Conversations often occurred discussing what made for "good science."

I don't want to get in trouble for talking bad about the company I used to work for, but, capitalism clearly drives people to do selfish things.  People sometimes bring up that the USA does more study and research to develop medical treatments.  When you consider that most other countries operate social healthcare programs, that makes complete sense.  When there is potential for great gains, investors WILL invest.  Bill Gates has made huge investments into biotech and is the largest contributor to the WHO second only to the USA government.  It's hard to trust anything when there are conflicts of interest like that.  I think that the COVID pandemic has highlighted how little trust people have for these entities and the governments due to financial interests.  And I have NO doubt that financial interests (as well as others) have negatively affected the information that is provided to the general public about "circumcision."

Summary

I have been wondering why I have become such an influence in the movement for genital autonomy.  Now that I have written it out, I see that there are many reasons.  It's as if I have been preparing for this my entire life (or divine intervention has been preparing me).