Comment to Mayo Clinic about their "circumcision" page

I submitted this to Mayo Clinic's comment form (https://www.mayoclinic.org/forms/comments).  I had to break it up in two sections because they have a 1000 character limit.

 Mayo clinic is the 2nd site that shows up when someone searches "circumcision."  People have a high regard for Mayo, thus, Mayo has high responsibility.

I think medical organizations should recognize the term "circumcise" as the euphemism that it is.  It's a term from religions, not a professional medical science term.  Medical science terms would be "preputioplasty" or "posthectomy" or "prepuce amputation."  They are more honest too.

Why not give more details about what the male prepuce (aka "foreskin") is?  It used to be that the "foreskin" only included the skin hanging PAST the glans.

Please provide a source that shows that "it's a more complex procedure" when it's not done as a newborn.  A newborn has to have the inner part of the prepuce separated while adults normally have it separated already.  It's also safer to use anesthesia and strong pain meds on an adult.

Please check out the latest studies from Canada and Denmark that debunks the STI claim; and, update this page.

Why not point out that UTIs can be treated with antibiotics and girls get 9X as many?

Why not show the incidence rate of phimosis and the treatability rates of it without any cutting?

Why is cervical cancer mentioned under penile cancer?  HPV is what causes cervical cancer and there is a vaccine for that.

The Sorrells study challenges the idea that it doesn't detract from sexual pleasure.

Risk of death should be included in the list of risks.

"No benefit to FGM"

I hate doing this because I worry that it will backfire.  As you probably know from my other activity, I am for genital autonomy.  However, people often bring up the idea that there are no benefits to female genital mutilation (FGM) when, in fact, there are plenty of claims:

Reduce chances of lichen sclerosus (https://bssvd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BSSVD-Position-statement-on-clitoral-lichen-sclerosus-final.pdf)

Reduce chances of clitoral phimosis (https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/gyn.2009.0093?journalCode=gyn)

Reduce yeast and bacterial infections (https://clevelandgyn.com/cleveland-clitoral-hoodectomy/?fbclid=IwAR3AfNS_DTavL05OK95slUPkLs0LalNGXe9JPgCV76vKCr-bWseKLHu_K-c)

If a person with a vulva wants to cut off parts of it to get these benefits, that should ONLY be up to that individual!

Genital Mutilation is a Systemic Problem

It's been over 16 years since my first son was born and I started studying genitalia and genital cutting rituals of the world.  I have studied the anatomy and reasons people use to excuse the various forms of cutting it.

Trying to educate people about these rituals is probably the most challenging undertaking ever.  Let me explain with some comparisons:

• Foot-binding in China was considered a difficult ritual to stop.  Even when the government outlawed the practice, it still took a lot of shaming to get people to stop.
  
  
• Gay Pride has been a long and arduous process that still continues to this day, but allowing someone to choose their own sexuality does not impinge on other people's identities, religious beliefs,  cultural followings, or perceived parental rights.

And, neither of these has/had deep roots in economics:

• Female genital cutting rituals are often tied to the family being able to sell their daughter to a husband.
  
  
• The person that performs the procedure often depends on the income.
  
  
• Other economic groups benefit from the continuation of the practices:
• Sex lube companies
• Erectile dysfunction pharmaceuticals/supplements
• Cosmetics and healthcare companies that sell the remnants
  
  
• In a country like the USA, medical organizations changing their positions on the topics put them at risk of legal liability.

In fact, Gay Pride has gotten a huge influx of funds once there was sufficient public support.  I have yet to see a large organization publicly sponsor genital autonomy.

Even with all of this in play, I figured there would still be opportunities to educate people on a large scale:

• Public education: sex education in middle, junior, and high schools mainly focuses on reproduction and never talks about sensuality.  Often, images of male genitalia leave out the prepuce.  I have yet to hear of a sex-ed class that covers genital mutilation rituals.  They avoid the topic for obvious reasons: parents.  Attempting to work with educators to make even the slightest improvements has proved fruitless.
  
  
• Medical schools: A 2004 study was performed by Gary L. Harryman that found that 71% of the primary images of the human penis are incorrect in anatomical source materials.  A researcher by the name of Jessica Ann Pin found that materials fail to cover the clitoris.  The Sorrells study was performed for the penis sensitivity to light touch, but I have not found something similar for the vulva. You would think that getting additional details about the vulva put into medical education would be easy, but that clearly has not been Jessica's experience.  I would think female medical professionals would jump at the opportunity to support her.
  
  
• Religious institutions: Considering that the New Testament (Christian Bible) has many scriptures that speak to the topic, you would think that it would be discussed in sermons at Christian churches.  I've attended several different Christian denominations and married someone who attended a Lutheran college.  Not once do I remember being taught about the topic.  When I reach out to the leaders (Archdiocese of Catholic Church, Bishop of Lutheran Church), I never hear anything back.  What really surprises me is that the Lutheran Bishop in my area is a lesbian that fervently speaks out in defense of the LGBT community!  This surprises me because that is about self-determination about sexual choice, which genital cutting rituals of children takes away.  I have spoken with a couple pastors who both identified concerns about being viewed as anti-Semitic if they DO cover the topic.  I can think of many ways of covering it while still avoiding that.
  
  
• Medical organizations: When my wife was seeing an OBGYN during her first pregnancy, they asked her whether to "circumcise" or not.  Coming from a medical authority like this, it comes across as though it is something that a parent should do.  Particularly since the question goes along with other questions like the Vitamin K shot.  When she was inquisitive, they offered no information.  No "go read this" or "go research that" or here's an information pamphlet; nothing.  Luckily she decided to change to a different provider who shared information that sent us down the rabbit hole.  Why is it that these medical organizations only provide the claimed benefits from correlative studies (that don't prove the benefits) but, not discuss the value of leaving the part there? What risk is there in letting people know that the part IS innervated (has feeling)?
  
  When reaching out to medical boards to get them to make reasonable changes, we are stonewalled.  The American Academy of Pediatrics used to allow booths where people were educated about the anatomy and functions, but no longer.
  
  I reached out to the California Medical Board about a urologist that incorrectly identified that sexual function was not affected even though there is plenty of evidence that it is.  They did this via TikTok.  While they did not disagree with me, they chose to do nothing because it would "not result in disciplinary action."  I wasn't asking them to discipline the urologist, I was simply hoping that they would notify the urologist of the discrepancy.
  
  Even the American Academy of Pediatrics once defended a form of cultural/religious female genital cutting.  There are places in the world where female genital cutting is performed by medical providers.  Do you think they would tell parents about how it harms?
  
  
• Media: Even documentaries focused on female genital mutilation do not get wide distribution by major media outlets.  It was a huge deal when the American Circumcision documentary got on Netflix, but Netflix has a penchant for controversial topics.  Unfortunately, that was also a short-lived success as it is no longer available via Netflix.
  
  Social media is well known for having things stay within bubbles (echo chambers).  I've attempted boosting/promoting some things on social media to only run into walls there too.  If there is too much controversy, Tiktok removes the promotions.  Facebook and Twitter have certain hoops that you have to jump through and being such a controversial topic, these platforms will often default to not allowing posts at all.
  
  Mainstream media seems to be averse to reporting on the topic themselves.  Daniel Rold (Next Level Intactivism) put together a system and gathered many volunteers to do outreach to news organizations in masse. While there have been some successes, the success rate is less than stellar.  I can only speculate as to why the mainstream news organizations don't report on the topic.  I imagine it has something to do with who owns the news organizations, relationships with religious groups and medical organizations.

In general, the topic is treated like a hot potato.  Every person with any kind of authority in one of these realms refers me to someone further up the chain of command and when I attempt to communicate with those individuals I never get a response.  And, I've seen evidence of other people's attempts as well.

Georganne Chapin from Intact America puts it as "dismantle the circumcision machine."  It truly IS a big and complex machine.  What part of it can we dismantle first?  Honestly, I'm running out of ideas.  I may just have to accept that activism is our only option for now and it may be our only option for a long time to come.

Genital Autonomy Society

 I created the website "GenitalAutonomySociety.org" and I did so for multiple reasons:

• Petitions that include male genital cutting fail to get sufficient signatures.
• Petitions do not provide ways to collaborate specifically based on the individuals location, skills, interests and other aspects.
• A place where people can identify themselves as parts of the movement without concerns that their name will be publicly visible. (they will be notified privately by approved personnel regarding events and opportunities to contribute)
• A place where individuals do not need to be concerned about being banned like social media platforms will do.
• A place where organizations advocating for genital autonomy can be visible in a single place.

I chose "autonomy" over "integrity" because autonomy says that everyone gets to choose for themselves while integrity says that everything should always remain intact.  While I do not understand why someone may desire to have their genitalia modified, I believe in freedom and individualism.  Going with "integrity" would expand the scope of the effort and increase risks of people not being an integral part of the movement (and registering with Genital Autonomy Society).

There are a number of organizations advocated for genital autonomy for a number of reasons:

• Different ideas about strategy, tactics and needs.
• Different cultures in different parts of the world.
• Different religious views.

I'm going to name some of the organizations not to play favorites but to highlight the different parts that they play in the movement and demonstrate how all of the organizations are important and valuable.

Doctors Opposing Circumcision provides credibility for when dealing with those who appeal to the authority of medical professionals.  They provide a website and speakers upon request.

Your Whole Baby provides an easily navigable website and well moderated groups and pages on Facebook as well as presence on other social media platforms.  They also have numerous items available for sale in their shop that advocates can use to attempt to spread the awareness and education.

Organizations like Bloodstained Men, Cockfight and Intaction are like a marketing department in a corporation.

Intaction also has a separate effort (separate from the 501c3 organization) to lobby government officials.

Foreskin Revolution does a number of things to raise awareness as well, and they do so from Australia.

Next Level Intactivism does outreach to the press.

Attorneys for the Rights of the Child take various legal actions.

National Organization of Restoring Men (NORM) and 15Square provide support to victims.

Intact America is most known for the surveys they pay for to keep a pulse on the status of the public opinion in the USA.

There are numerous more organizations that I could bring up.  The point I am attempting to demonstrate is that all of these organizations are filling spaces in the movement that are all important and valuable.

Much work has been put into this movement and I desire to keep the fruits of that labor alive and available to the public.  Some of this requires financial resources to maintain these organizations, websites and other resources.  Please consider donating to these organizations and/or reach out via the contact page of GenitalAutonomySociety.org so we can help you direct support where it is needed most at the specific time.

As a cut father of two sons, I highly appreciate advocates for genital autonomy as they saved my wife and I from harming them.

Pandemic going on for 1,000s of years

There's a virus that has been spreading the world for 1,000s of years.  A much slower spread than what most people consider when thinking of a pandemic and it kills far fewer people too.  It's not a biological virus, although, it does pretend to be a normal part of you like a biological virus does.  Around 1/6th of the world's population is infected.

There IS a cure for this virus!  It's simply education.  However, like your immune system, your brain has to be trained to see the virus as a problem and not a normal & healthy part.  This would be dealing with something called cognitive dissonance.

To deal with cognitive dissonance, you have to open your mind to the possibility that you are infected.  This is a mind virus, soooo, the virus does not want you to see it!

If I tell you right away the name of the virus, your brain will immediately reject the idea that you have it and you will likely stop reading any further.

It is unknown exactly how this virus got started as it started before written history.  There are many theories like:

- Marking slaves, much like cattle are branded.

- Attempts to control people by removing part of the body that drives particular behavior (at least it was believed to).

There are also documented reasons like:

- Marking a religious group to be distinct from the rest of the world.

- Marking individuals as ones who have reached a certain age (a rite of passage).

- Marking a wealthy/powerful group to set themselves apart from those who are not wealthy/powerful.

- Theories about addressing specific health issues.

Luckily technology has improved our ability to spread this education and hopefully eradicate the virus.  This virus has become such a part of the identities of some individuals as well as the identities of entire groups of people that it is dangerous for some to attempt to eradicate this virus.  Doing so may be more risky to one's health than to let the virus continue to spread and move from one generation to the next.  However, if one cares deeply about the future of the next generation, one will do so.

IF you are committed to eradicating this virus and willing to work through your own cognitive dissonance, scroll down to the bottom of this.

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"CIRCUMCISION" (genital cutting rituals) 

Teen son's essay on "circumcision"

 Of course he got a little help from mom and dad, but still very proud:

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Is circumcision logical? To be able to answer that, first, we have to understand what circumcision is. Circumcision is derived from two latin terms. The first is the latin term “circum,”  means circle. The second latin term “caedere,” means to cut. At some time, the terms were adopted to become what we now know as “circumcision,” the ritual procedure that removes parts of a person’s genitalia. 

The way that circumcision is done today, is illogical. In the present day, circumcision is done to tens of thousands of healthy children daily. Circumcision should only be performed if the person it is being performed on has a medical problem with their genitalia that requires it. This procedure is a problem because it can cause many problems with the person’s genitalia later in life, especially when there was no problem in the first place.

Some people practice the procedure on their children because their religion calls for it. The problem with this is that they are forcing a religion onto their child, that the child may choose to not comply with when they’re older. Doctors usually cut off this body part because it can have medical problems later in life. A counter to this claim though, is so can all body parts, so if we’re removing a child's genitalia, why not remove their toes, fingers, and ear lobes too?

Why has this been going on for millennia? Control, aesthetics, and economics. Control to limit sexual choice. Aesthetics to suit cultural norms. Economics makes people dependant on the procedure for a livelihood. 

In sum, circumcision is illogical to be performed on children because it takes away their individual choice. The only reason for the procedure, should be if there is a specific problem with the person’s genitals. There are many groups addressing the root causes of gentital mutilation. Will you join them?

Lawsuit filed against American Academy of Pediatrics

In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a new policy on "circumcision."  There are individuals that consider themselves genital autonomy advocates and/or intactivists (activists for an intact body).

The statement that has gotten them upset is "...health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks..."  There is no longer mentions of the physiological structure and functions of the male prepuce (aka "foreskin"), which previous policies acknowledged.  This leaves many to believe that the male prepuce has no value to the individual  The AAP also admitted that the risks are unknown as they are not well tracked.  I believe that if more men had a clue about what was taken away from them as infants, more would recognize the harm done to them and report on it.  Since it is done at such an early age, there is no way for the individuals to know.

Organizations and individuals have been making shots across the AAP's bow to convince them to modify the statement:

• Intact America
• International entities
• Your Whole Baby
• Bloodstained Men
• Doctors Opposing Circumcision
• Attorneys for the Rights of the Child
• ...and many others

This includes protests at annual conferences and protests where individuals from the task force work.

A documentary was created and widely distributed in 2018 and 2019 that included interviews with some involved with the policy.

Yet, the AAP has not made a new policy or any concessions regarding the expired policy.

It is believed that more boys have been harmed by this unnecessary practice due to the trust that medical professionals and parents put in the AAP.

The AAP policy has driven many to spend countless hours attempting to educate individuals on the harms, something that the AAP has a duty to do themselves.

Thus, a paper was written and published in the Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy titled "Is Circumcision a Fraud."  The paper can be downloaded at https://www.circumcisionisafraud.com/ where you may also find the legal filing.

Peter Adler can be seen presenting the case of fraud at the 2014 Genital Autonomy Symposium here.

Consider following this on social media and adding your email address to get updates, all of which are identified near the bottom of the website.  Also, if you feel personally affected by "circumcision" and/or the AAP's policy, please be sure to share your story in the "Stories" section of the site.

What stage is the genital autonomy movement in?

I have shared this parallel verbally in the past.  Here it is in writing:

A new business isn't just turned on like a light switch.  Any experience entrepreneur knows this.  You have to come up with a vision, put together a business plan, gather funding (if you're not already wealthy), design your product/service, manufacture your product, stock your product, market your product and distribute your product.  In some cases, like mobile phones, society adopts the product as a standard requirement for the masses (ref: "Obamaphone").  Of course there can be some overlap in these stages and some circular aspects as you improve your product/service.

With the genital autonomy movement it would be really nice to jump to the last stage where society adopts the standard and government incorporates the standard into law.  Unfortunately, we don't have the massive acceptance level yet.  I believe we are at the "market your product" stage still.  We have large stockpiles of product.  Our marketing options are limited as many of the marketing avenues are not open to us, so we have to work with what we have.

We have to be careful about the perceptions of our product.  Like the 5G worries with mobile phones, we have to win people's hearts instead of attempting to force the product on them.

For those of us that are victims of genital mutilation, this fact is very disheartening.  We want everyone to see the obvious benefits of genital autonomy and to buy our product right away.  Unfortunately, society has never changed that fast and easily.

I have worked with multiple large (Fortune 500 level) organizations and was frequently involved with major changes due to new technologies.  As obvious as it was to me the benefits of making the change was, I still had to win the hearts of the people to help the organization work through the change.  Sometimes the leadership would say things that helped that process along, but even those leaders recognized that things couldn't be forced.  I would often have to take a step back and analyze the status of the situation.  Once I did so, I would often see a pathway forward.  And, I use "pathway" very intentionally.  Just like you can't ask a person to just take a leap of 100 yards in a single bound, we can't ask people to just see that genital autonomy is a good thing.  We have to lay out stepping stones for them.