Divided We Fall

I keep hoping this will get better, but it just keeps getting worse.  The COVID pandemic has added another level to it.

The genital autonomy movement is fractured in many ways.  People spend so much time fighting within, there isn't any time left spent on expanding the movement.

• Racism
• Vaccines
• Abortion
• Animal cruelty
• Use of shame methods
• "Professionalism"
• Appropriate age of consent
• Comparisons of victimhood (i.e. FGM vs. MGM and Rape)
• MRA
• Anti-feminism
• Politics
• I'm sure I'm missing something

It's crazy that we get angry that our freedom of speech is stomped on by the social media organizations, yet, we don't afford that same freedom within the movement.

Brendon Marotta, in his Intactivist Guidebook, promotes the idea of organization building but I just don't see how we are ever going to have a sizable organization when we let things divide us and take our focus off the prize: genital autonomy.

I've worked for many large (Fortune 500) companies in my IT career.  People in one part of the organization might not like what another part of the organization believes or does, but they were still loyal to the organization and supported the organization's mission; thus, they work together in spite of their differences.

This is an excellent meme, but it's only addressing one of many things that are dividing us:

I often hear that we are a small fringe movement.  I can see why people think that.  I try to change that perception by having the genitalautonomysociety.org/map page.

Sometimes I wonder if those who attempt to get others to disavow someone in the movement is really just a mole paid by the moneyed-interests.

Too many cowboys.  Too many chiefs.

People often do business with businesses even if they employ someone that they disagree with.  If the business is large enough, that one employee isn't going to impact their decision to do business.

I don't have the solution to this problem.  I just hope that this will get you to let go of any attachment to only collaborating with people that agree with you so we can achieve the goal.

Cuties

The film "Cuties" on Netflix is getting a ton of attention lately.  I made the mistake (maybe?) of engaging in discussion about it on social media.

The main issue that I have with those that are riled up about the show is that people are equating what the creator of the film did with what pedophiles do.  Pedophiles normally take advantage of children that are what most would probably consider vulnerable.  That might mean that the child is too young to know better or might be developmentally delayed.  I don't know for sure, but I hope that the creator of the film fully informed these young ladies and got parental consent.

I have appreciated Netflix for taking on social issues head on.  This one certainly seems to be the hottest of them all.  What I find very interesting is that people are complaining about this one because they were "too young to consent" all while the American Circumcision documentary included an infant that definitely did NOT consent to having a large portion of his genitalia removed in full view!

How old should someone be before they should be allowed to consent to dancing provocatively? I'm not going to try to draw a specific line, that's not what I'm interested in here.

The film, like so many others that have graced Netflix, was designed to get people riled up about a social issue.  I imagine the hopes was that doing so would get people to do things to address it.  For instance, I hope more parents pay more attention to their children and all adults responsible for adolescents (teachers too) do more to properly educate those children so they are less vulnerable.

There are also the claims that it provided more material for pedophiles to take advantage of.  With that logic, we should remove all murder shows that give people ideas about how they might commit the perfect murder.

Just like I believe that it is not ethical for a doctor/butcher to only provide information to parents that lead them to believe that there are only benefits to cutting off part of their child's genitalia, I also believe that what pedophiles do is unethical.

The Genital Mutilation Weed

I see genital mutilation practices as all sharing the same roots.  This stuck this idea in my head of a weed with 3 leaves: FGM, IGM and MGM.  If you are not clear about what "IGM" stands for, it's Intersex Genital Mutilation.  The intention is to show that we need to attack the roots, not the leaves.

The roots can be summarized to be:

• Control
• Aesthetics
• Economics

Control

Control started out as an attempt to rein in sexual drive (not that I think it works).  However, it has expanded to include cultural conformity.  I say this because people are being controlled by their culture by choice or their parents are desiring to conform to the culture they are in and/or they wish to control the conformity of their child.  Being separated from the herd is a very powerful fear, thus, a very difficult root to pull out.  I believe this fear is also what drives us to be ignorant about the topic - meaning, not wanting to learn about the practices for fear that we may realize that it's wrong.

Aesthetics

I hear that the preputially amputated penis looks better far too frequently.  Once I learned about how the natural penis works, I just think it looks mutilated, but, when all you see is preputially amputated penii, it's understandable why people might think the more common penis is the better looking one.  However, I also think that it's built into the female DNA because the appearance of the glans tells them that the male is ready for sex and women do not understand the feelings they are feeling when they see a penis.

It's very clear that intersex normalization or binary surgeries are frequently about aesthetics.  Anything that does not fit the binary view makes people uncomfortable.  And, understandably, parents want their child to be attractive to the opposite sex so they have a good chance at a love life.

Even if the intersex case looks normal from the external view, to a medical professional, if things do not look like they are used to under the skin, they may have an automatic belief that something is wrong.

For female genital cutting, this does not always apply since many cases, such as ritual nicks, there is no visible difference.  However, there does seem to be cases where there is a desire for the labia to be trimmed.

The aesthetics connects back to control as there is a desire to look like peers.  This leads to statements like:

• "They will be made fun of in the locker room."
• "They need to match."

Economics

While there is clearly many financial reasons for individuals to press forward with male genital cutting, there are also for the other two.  Let me start with the many for male GC:

• The surgeons/butchers collect a paycheck.
• The sex lube companies sell more.
• The pharmaceuticals sell more erectile dysfunction drugs (i.e. Viagra).
• The cosmetics industry uses the very pure tissue from what is removed.

For intersex, the only thing I can think of is the paychecks for the surgeons.

For female genital cutting, there is the paycheck for the mohels (yes, they use the same term as the Jewish term for those who cut males).  However, the economics seem to go very deep.  Families often NEED to sell their daughters in order to feed the rest of the family.  If their daughters are not fixed to make sure they are virgins, they may not be valued.

Why the war for genital autonomy is such a difficult one

It has been 2.5 years since I decided to come out publicly against infant "circumcision."  I have become heavily involved among those who fight for genital autonomy.  I've seen many challenges that is holding back progress.

I think cognitive dissonance is the biggest hurdle and root to many of the others that I will discuss.  Facing the possibility that our own genitalia is not better, but maybe worse is very difficult to consider.  And, if you are a parent that had the same performed on your child, I can only image that compounds it for us.  Another thing that may compound it even further is if we were indoctrinated by religion, culture and/or medical school.  Imagine being a doctor that has been performing these non-consensual non-therapeutic surgeries that also went through the surgery, who's friends and family went through the surgery, their religion dictates the surgery and their medical school taught them how to do the surgery.  And not that this is NOT limited to male genital surgeries.  That is a LOT to consider potentially being wrong.

We are also fighting against the most visible people in the world holding the most powerful position in politics.

We are fighting big money.  The wealthiest of the world has spent tons of money promoting genital cutting practices.  I don't know whether they were duped by greedy people that manipulated studies to make it seem like a good idea or whether they even realized the unintended consequences of supporting harmful practices or whether they had their own motives; I just know that big money has big influence  and until someone else with big money comes along to counter it, grass roots activism is going to have to get very big to counter it.

We are challenged with celebrities that support and promote genital cutting practices.

Nearly half of the world follows one of the Abrahamic religions.  While the views vary among the various groups, the root goes to the Abrahamic covenant.  Some believe that their religion cannot survive without holding to that covenant.  The fear of not having an immortal soul backed by such a religion is a strong one!  Add to that the fears of social separation or even death for questioning that part of the religion compounds on top of the immortal soul fear.

I have spoken with religious leaders that admit that they will not speak out publicly for fear of losing much of their congregation / support.

I've been quite excited by the growth of social media because the mass media has been very redundant and has become too powerful of an influence over society.  However, I believe that most of what most people are fed still comes from mass media and they rarely tackle the issue.  I can only imagine why.

Some get defensive when speaking about the harm done to those that are the same sex as they are and someone else chimes in with the harm done to another sex.  This defense is due to the belief that it diminishes the harm to their own sex.  I believe that working together for genital autonomy for everyone makes us stronger than if we attempt to gain genital autonomy for only one.  In fact, I might say that fighting for only one is counter-productive.  Trying to determine who is the bigger victim only deters us from focusing on protecting the next generation.

Victims have a hard time being advocates.  Every time they attempt to advocate for the next generation, they are refreshing in their own mind their own victim-hood.  It's a negative piled onto another negative.  I have met many victims that do not speak out, and, as a victim myself, I can see why.  So, when you see one person speaking out, imagine that there are probably thousands more that just do not have the ability to get past their own fight within themselves to speak out as well.  I know of one advocate that was also a victim that committed suicide.  And, remember that victims include regret parents; it's hard to understand that if you are not a parent yourself.  Give them all the positive vibes you can!  God knows they need it!

I've come across advocates that can't stand with advocates that are also regret parents.  I know one that believed all regret parents should go to the police and turn themselves in.  While, if I was a regret parent myself, I probably would, I don't see that the threat of prison time will get more regret parents to be advocates.  It's sort of how the police deal with drug lords: they make deals with the minions to get to the drug lords.

This image does not do justice to the complexity of the many approaches to tackle this issue.  There is constant discourse among the advocates regarding the best ways to do so.  The most common one that fits in the "challenging social attitudes & beliefs" bubble is whether to approach people with a "gentle education" method, aggressive shaming method or somewhere in between.  I find that generally, victims will use more aggressive methods because they are hurting emotionally.  Some believe that approach scares people away, which may be true with many, however, if people do not hear the hurt of the victims, they may not believe the victims exist or aren't all that harmed.

The challenge here is that people are excluded from various genital autonomy groups because differing ideas and approaches.  I created genitalautonomysociety.org where every advocate can join with the simple premise that they believe that everyone has the right to the genitalia they were born with.  There is no way for other advocates to get into discourse about other issues.  However, as much as I tried, one person found out that another individual was registered there and decided not to join just because they disagree politically with that individual!  So much for having one place for all advocates to take a stand of solidarity!  :(   I find such behavior very selfish - let's think about the next generation!

The man in white is Brother K from the Bloodstained Men group.  They were protesting in Alabama when this occurred.  The USA may have a constitution that guarantees freedom of speech, but that does not mean law enforcement won't find some law to arrest you with if they really want to.  Alon Sivroni has been attacked, on multiple occasions, protesting in Israel.  I imagine there is real risk of execution in Islamic countries, thus, there is very little known advocacy in those areas; which also happens to be the areas where female genital cutting practices are most prevalent.

I know of people that have lost their job over their advocacy work.  I think this explains, in part, why so many of the advocates are retired.  While I can't prove it, I am confident that my public advocacy has impacted my employ-ability.  How many medical professionals are gag-ordered to stay quiet to keep working at hospitals?  How many are afraid to speak out against it when they've been performing the practice because they are afraid of being sued?

Being ejected from our pack is a severe fear.  I swear our Saint Bernard has nightmares JUST because she's been left at home alone at times.  No matter how introverted you are, I think we all need a certain amount of connection and support with fellow human beings.  Even in female genital cutting cultures, most support the practices and going against the norm can get you shunned from the group.  While the trend seems to be shifting in the USA, and already shifted significantly in Europe and Australia, this is still a clear challenge.

A study was done that found that a large percentage of medical training materials completely failed to provide the anatomy of the male prepuce.  Someone I know of by the name of Jessica Pin has been fighting to improve medical training materials regarding the anatomy of female genitalia.  It wasn't too long ago that Dr. Money pushed genital surgeries to make children more fit the binary norm, and surgeries based on his views are still occurring.  People that got their degree based on these are difficult to convince that they didn't learn everything they need to.

And, if all that wasn't enough, there's censorship.  I have seen this in so many ways in so many places.  Sometimes I get so frustrated seeing it, I'm driven even more to go stand on a corner somewhere in my bloodstained pants outfit.

I hope this has not gotten you depressed.  It's meant to recognize and acknowledge the huge mountain that us genital autonomy advocates are attempting to move.  We ARE making progress, but it can never happen fast enough.

"UNcircumcised"

Credit: Daniel Rold

I must be UNcircumcised?  Because I don’t think it’s smart to cut children’s genitals? 

That’s your insult? 

No I’m not UNcircumcised. 

SADLY I’m UNintact. 

Damn I wish I was UNcircumcised!

I went to the doctor as an infant when I was UNsick. That quack cut off the UNcancerous, UNgangrenated, UNfrostbitten, entirely UNdiseased UNdeniable BEST part of MY penis. 

Yet that POS is still UNdecapitated!

And I’m UNintact, UNwhole, UNlegally protected from medial rape, parental extortion, medical lies and lure and utter medical UNcompetence! 

I would UNlive someone to be UNcircumcised. 

You UNintelligent mother fucker! 

Do you UNderstand? 

People who cut torture and knife rape kids should be UNder arrest and UNfreed and UNable to be anywhere near a child and the world will be a far better place when the last child mutilator is UNderground!

Gotta look at the car accident

You know how you just have to slow down to look across the road at the carnage of a car accident?  Imagine that accident involved a school bus and 1 in 8 of the children were permanently harmed for life.  

Now, imagine that there is going to be another accident involving a school bus and you have the power to make sure NO child gets permanently harmed in that accident.  All you have to do is use your voice before the next one.  THAT is what genital autonomy advocacy is.  Tens of thousands of children are getting their genitalia needlessly cut today.  

Did you use your voice yesterday?  Be sure to post, tweet, comment or talk to someone who is not already an advocate today.

Intersectionality with Genital Autonomy

Those who fight for genital autonomy for males are often shunned by anti-FGM activists and Pride events.  I get that some think that allowing the issue of "anti-circumcision" (speaking of males as that is what people in the USA think) diminishes their own issues.  I actually see it the other way around.  

For me, the issue of genital autonomy has spiraled upward as cross-discussions have occurred.  For example, I always disliked female genital mutilation (FGM) simply because of those words and what I heard via the mainstream media.  However, I used to think that it was limited to only uncivilized tribes in Africa.  It wasn't until I watched the American Circumcision documentary that I started seeing the connection to male "circumcision."  I had no idea that it was something that was regularly practiced in the USA, and still is to an extent today.  I had no idea that most victims believed that they were better for it, just like most victims of male "circumcision" believe they are better off.  It was BECAUSE both were discussed together that my awareness and understanding of FGM practices was raised; imagine if Brendon Marotta would have shunned anti-FGM as if it was a separate issue!

I don't remember which came first, but I either read about Hida Viloria on gaamerica.org or Anastasia Lindsey Rogers shared their story with me when I was protesting with the Bloodstained Men.  I started learning about intersex conditions and "normalization" surgeries.  Anastasia protests with the Bloodstained Men regularly.  BECAUSE she does, Anastasia gets more opportunities and more allies to speak out against those surgeries too!  Now Your Whole Baby information booths include intersex!

My mind is not made up when it comes to vaccines, however, when it comes to informed consent we have a lot in common.  It is BECAUSE informed consent causes include genital cutting practices that I have been made more aware of the history and risks of certain vaccines.

Pride is all about self-determination and being proud of your sexual status.  I had no idea that men that were not "circumcised" are often shamed for the status of the genitalia!  It also happens for women in the female genital cutting cultures.  Mind you, the status of your genitalia is better hidden than being outwardly gay, trans or queer.  Being a cut ("circumcised") dad of two intact sons has made me even more aware of the challenges of the LGBTQ+ community.  I don't think that someone should be shamed for the status of their genitalia any more than their sexual identity.  It has been discussions with certain gay couples that I have become more understanding of the natural penis.  Welcoming "Foreskin Pride" folks to Pride events should not be an issue, but it has been in some cases.  I was personally harassed in Portland.  There is a video of a gay man that called the Bloodstained Men idiots (with a sign)!  There is so much more I could say here, but I'm getting off my soap box.

All of these have overlapping opportunities where, if we collaborate, we can have a larger voice and make more progress.  Check out this article about intersectionality:  https://www.opportunityagenda.org/explore/resources-publications/ten-tips-putting-intersectionality-practice

Contact the DoD Inspector General!

OK, my federal court case against the USA was dismissed, nothing else we can do, right?

WRONG!!!!

Someone suggested to me that a different suit could be filed to get them to stop performing these non-therapeutic preputial amputations (aka "circumcisions") on boys instead of pursuing financial restitution for myself.  So, I started looking into it.  While making calls to determine whether there is a specific code used on the medical records for the procedure, someone suggested contacting the Inspector General's office.  So, I started looking into that and I found this:

https://www.dodig.mil/Components/Administrative-Investigations/DoD-Hotline/Hotline-Complaint/

The form is designed for individuals complaining only about something that affects the individual alone, but, it's still possible to complete the form.

I got a call this morning!!!!  It's Monday and I filed it this weekend.  Excellent response time!

The person on the other end of the phone was sympathetic and said that she asked before how it is allowed.  She did, however, go down the usual road: "it's something the parents allow."  So, I busted out the history, which I'm pretty sure she learned some things.

First, I covered the term "circumcise" and how all it means is to cut in a circle and how it was adopted by religion.

Second, I covered how it got started as a regular practice in the military.  How it became popular during WWII where men would get infections because they spent so much time without a shower.  And, how they were fighting to rescue the Jews, thus, a show of solidarity with the Jews also propelled it.

Third, I covered that if my parents hired a hit man to kill me, the parents are not the only ones that would be held accountable.

However, NO ONE actually QUESTIONED whether it was something that was legally allowed!  It has always been ASSUMED!  "They're doing it over there and not getting arrested, it must be OK for us to do it here."  It is NOT!

She was still compelled to drop the case until I expressed again that it is NOT written in ANY law that allows it.  No law makes an exception from the 1st Amendment and the Bill of Rights.

Think about this:  if they claim freedom of religion for the parents, what other freedom of religion for parents would the US Government have to allow?  (FGM anyone?)  And, HOW is that freedom for the individual getting part of their body permanently removed?!

Also, think about this:  if they claim preventative medical benefits, they're opening a can of worms!  What else can a parent decide to pre-emptively remove?!

Either way, they set a bad precedent. This CANNOT stand legally!

Don't forget another problem with this practice: $$$$$$$$  TAX  $$$$$$$$ !!!!!!  If you are a citizen of the USA, YOU are a victim!  YOU have plenty of reason to file a complaint yourself!  They are using YOUR tax $$ to perform a cosmetic surgery that violates human rights!  Even IF I was not a direct victim of this practice, I would STILL feel like a victim!  I HATE that the taxes that I have paid has partially paid for these amputations of children's erogenous tissue!  If you haven't had enough reason to speak out just because of the harm to males, this should put the nail in the coffin!  If you are sitting here thinking "but the medical benefits" - you need to go back to read older articles of mine and watch the American Circumcision documentary!

This is TIME SENSITIVE!  Strike while the iron is HOT!  I just got a bug in their ear; make sure more bugs go in their ears before it goes stale and/or the people working there are no longer working there.

If someone would have taken away my son's ability to enjoy gluten-containing foods

My youngest son made spaghetti and broccoli for the family yesterday.  He's only 13!  I'm extremely proud of him!

That spaghetti, by the way, is gluten-free.  We have to pay a lot more for much of the food we eat in this family because he and is mom both have gluten allergies.

I still feel like a total heal for a time when I had him eat some BBQ chicken at Pizza Hut because the BBQ sauce had gluten in it!

In the genital autonomy movement, we often get the "he won't remember it" retort.  We figured out that he was allergic when he was very young.   THUS, he doesn't even remember enjoying foods with gluten in them.  

His brother, on the other hand, fully enjoys gluten-containing foods.  I still feel really bad for Brycen when we are out and about and certain restaurants just do not have many options for him.  He usually cannot have a Subway sandwich (sometimes they have GF bread, but most times not); he cannot have ice cream cones; he usually cannot have any of the desserts at sit-down restaurants; he cannot have most BBQ (YES, that contains gluten!).  But he is SOOO not phased!  Maybe it is his good nature, or, maybe it is just because he doesn't remember being any other way.  Even then, if someone ignorantly took away his ability to eat the foods that so many of the rest of us can enjoy, I don't know if I could restrain myself.  If you are a parent yourself, you can probably relate.  I would do anything to protect my children.  Actually, I think I would do anything to protect ANY child.

If you haven't already figured out where this is going, YES, I AM comparing this to genital autonomy.  Like he will never likely know what it is like to enjoy gluten-containing foods (without dealing with the consequences), I will never likely know what it is like to have the genitalia I was born with.

I don't know how regret parents don't go postal with the hospitals and clinics that did not provide reasonable information.  At the very least, file a formal complaint.  If there was a storefront for a place that did such a thing to my child, I would be protesting in front of that storefront every chance I had until they stopped doing it to other children.

Everyone should be able to enjoy their WHOLE body the way that nature intended.

"Circumcision" is most often performed using Gomco Clamps, Mogen Clamps and Plastibell devices.

Suit against USA federal government dismissed

Last summer I filed a law suit in federal court regarding the amputation of my prepuce: https://johnadkison.blogspot.com/2019/06/filed-suit-against-usa.html

Yesterday, I got the results.

Here is the response from the district attorney. I am not bothering with the other documentation such as the dismissal by the judge as it's all just formality. The interesting stuff is all in here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DdHARwPjPfHT1OP8mX-ijfFm2kIoYVSp/view?usp=sharing 

Regardless of your opinion of whether my case had merit, the way that this case got dismissed should concern everyone (in the USA at least).

 I could get deep into the "timeliness" issue that was used as one of the reasons for the dismissal. I'm just going to say this: rape does not have a 2-year statute of limitation. They use this because they consider it a medical procedure. Thus, determining whether it is or not didn't even get its day in court.
What I find most concerning is the lack of jurisdiction. If the federal court does not allow citizens to hold the government accountable for violations of human rights, WTH does? It seems only Congress has that jurisdiction. It appears that Congress has to say what the federal government can and cannot be sued for. I guess it's not already approved to sue the federal government for removing people's body parts without a medical need. So, what's the process for citizens to get such a thing passed? I'm guessing it is the same as requesting that the government create any law: petitions and letters to your representative.

It really surprises me that the federal government can't be sued for directly violating the Constitution or Bill of Rights. What is the point of having these things if we cannot hold the government accountable to those laws?

Consider a hypothetical: your parents had one of your kidneys removed through your belly button when you were really young so that you would not remember. You didn't find out about it for decades later. There may have been some science to back it up or one of your family members needed the kidney, whatever. Does the US government have the right to do that, even with your parent's permission?

I have struggled with the idea of social medicine. I hate what capitalism has done to the medical system in the USA, but, this is a case against the idea of the government operating medicine.

Elephant in the World

There's an elephant in the hospital.  No, not a literal one.  It's the expression like "elephant in the room."

So, there's an elephant in the hospital and most people are afraid of talking about it.  They're afraid for their jobs, their friends, their family, their livelihood, maybe even their lives!  Yes, lives!  People, like Martin Luther King, have lost their lives speaking the truth.  But, the world has become a better place because of people like this.

What is this elephant?  It's the question as to whether we should be modifying the genitalia of children without a medical need.  And, no, I am not just talking about male "circumcision."  In certain countries little girls also go through "circumcision" or what some consider "Female Genital Mutilation."  Even in the USA customizing female genitalia was performed in hospitals.  The USA is once again at risk of it restarting since a federal judge struck down the law in 2018.  It is a practice in hospitals of some countries as it is considered safer to meet cultural and religious demands.  I am also talking about intersex normalization surgeries.  There are many different possibilities when it comes to these, and many that went through them consider them genital mutilation as well.

Much of the fear that drives these genital customizations of children is rooted in other fears.  Fears that they will have to get something done as adults and that would be more painful.  Fears that they will be social outcasts.  Fears that they might get a rare disease.  And, all these fears apply to all cases, not just boys.

I believe that male genital cutting has to end if we expect the others to end.

The next generation needs YOU to be brave.

There are many ways to speak out, even incognito.  If you register at GenitalAutonomySociety.org, you will only be contacted by those running the organization.  There are options provided by Your Whole Baby that allow you to advocate without giving up your identity.  There are organizations that are promoted/supported by GenitalAutonomySociety.org that can be donated to in private.  There are many advocates that would do more if their finances allowed them to.  GenitalAutonomySociety.org desires to enable them to do so.