I'm currently on tour with the Bloodstained Men across the Southwest part of the USA.
It is very frustrating that THIS is what the genital autonomy movement is relegated to. We hear things like "this is inappropriate" because children see the protests. I imagine parents telling their children "they are talking about a procedure where a nasty part of your penis was removed" to start the indoctrination. Of course, I hope they are more honest and apologize for making a mistake.
So, why are we relegated to this? If you follow me, you already know that I've been involved with this effort for many years now. I am familiar with the many ways that fellow advocates have attempted to change things. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Attempts to change the medical industry.
- Requests to improve education.
- Outreach via social media.
- Documentaries.
- Books.
- Legal action.
- Political lobbying.
- Requests that religious institutions educate their congregation.
Put simply, none of these are going to work without raising awareness that genital cutting rituals are an issue that society cares about. As it stands, according to Intact America, only approximately 1 in 4 people in the USA oppose "circumcision." Even if we hit half, politicians would still take a big risk to take a stand.
While some in the medical industry clearly oppose non-therapeutic procedures on children, many admit to continuing to perform them simply because parents request them. And, medical professionals are afraid of educating people due to risks of losing their jobs, liability issues, and general fear of offending people. The American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its recommendation that nicks of the clitoral hood on girls be allowed after they got an outpouring of social backlash. As David Llewellyn put it: "the law follows society more than society follows the law."
While several resources (books, documentaries, and websites) exist, those resources are not accessed in sufficient numbers. I have personally worked with the creators of many of these resources and have found that they are referred to in very small numbers. I'm not saying that these resources are not valuable; in fact, quite the opposite. When discussing the issue with people, it is extremely helpful to be able to refer them to those resources. Unfortunately, the number of advocates communicating with people is still far too small to make a quick change.
I have friends who are religious leaders and they have directly told me of their concerns about offending the Jewish community. I think there are ways to educate their own congregation without being offensive toward the Jewish community. I think that it is unfair to their congregation to leave them in the dark.
I have seen many individuals get canceled on social media platforms over this issue. I myself have had several posts removed. I actually agreed in most cases about the reasons for the posts being removed as that supports the belief that "circumcision" is a harmful thing. Unfortunately, it makes it much more difficult to raise awareness and have a dialogue.
I have reached out to several public educators that provide information about "circumcision." It seems to me that they are too afraid of parents to expand on what they currently provide. One sex ed teacher, when asked how she would respond to a child asking, she responded to me "we all come in different sizes and shapes." That is clearly an attempt to make the child feel ok with the fact that he looks different than others without actually addressing the fact that everyone is normally born with the part that was cut off.
This current tour has clearly gotten more attention from the media than previous tours and has created much buzz on social media. However, I still have not seen the topic get to a "trending" status.
I keep hoping that the dam is going to break and people are going to see why this is an important issue, but it just hasn't happened yet. Definitely growing, but it can never grow fast enough for me.
Thus, I implore you to support organizations such as Bloodstained Men, Cock Fight, Intaction and NOCIRC of Michigan. I know several other small groups/leaders who also perform outdoor demonstrations and if you register at GenitalAutonomySociety.org as a philanthropist, you will be notified when they are mobilizing.
