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It has the power to affect the rest of us Being Swedish, I'm not circumcised, but I have had a run in with the consequences of it being performed in America, after falling in love with an exchange student from Washington state, who pretty much demanded that I go through the procedure. I explained to her how it's very rare globally, and that it wasn't even introduced in the States for hygienic reasons at all (which I knew as a side effect from reading too much), to which she responded by calling me disgusting, and Swedes uncivilized for not cutting up babies. We naturally ended up going our separate ways, me with a broken heart. Anyway, that's my story. Even though this is an American phenomenon, it has the power to affect the rest of us as well. I'm glad you're helping in putting an end to it. Completely unethical scientific heresy, it is. - Hiro in Sweden
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Everybody told me that I was weird My name is Steve and I am uncircumcised. Thank you because everybody told me that I was weird and called me "Elephant-dick". Thank you so much for that website. I was wondering if you could put more recent celebrities inside. Anyway thank u for ur website and please add more. - Steve in Hawai`i
It is for people like Steve that these pages were created. There are younger (18+, of course) intact celebrities at the bottom of the US celebrity pages, and all through the non-US pages. Additions (with source) are welcome. |
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I would probably punch him in the face Hi,
And it really makes me cross when I hear girls talk about how men should have cut penises, because they hate the way natural normal penises look. I mean, if a guy looked at my genitals and told me that they were disgusting and that I should undergo a surgical procedure to alter them, I would probably punch him in the face and find a new man! Why do those girls think they can say such horrible harmful things so casually? Do they even stop to imagine how their own self-images would be devastated if men talked to them like that? And, who cares what their partner's genitals superficially look like, anyway? So long as they are clean and healthy, I can't imagine that it matters. My guess is they are just brainwashed by the media, because all the time on TV people talk like that. This is also why I said "girls" and not "women," because it is my belief that if somebody can be so brainwashed by such superficial drivel, they'd have to be very young and/or naive (so if not girls by age, then girls by mentality). Well, thanks again for putting energy into better educating people about male genital mutilation! I'm also against female genital mutilation, but that pretty much seems to be the case for everybody in the USA so it doesn't seem to be as important to wage a campaign on that around here. - Christine in California
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Circumcision must be stopped. Greetings, I am happy to have found your site, and agree that circumcision is terrible. There seems to be no common sense anymore and people are too quick to use a scalpel! I am also thankful that my sister did not circumcise her son. If I am so blessed one day with a son, neither will he!! Circumcision must be stopped. Glad you are leading the way. Regards, - Woman in New York City
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I wish I was born somewhere else What I wouldn't give to be able to be one of those who say "Thank goodness my mother left me intact"... I was born to a good, educated Midwestern (USA) couple, of white anglo-saxon protestant roots. Having been raised in the Christian church, I knew about circumcision since forever (God told Abraham to do it, Paul said repeatedly it was irrelevant for a Christian), and somehow always knew I was circumcised. I knew what "anteaters' were, maybe from the encyclopedia, maybe from swimming lessons, I forget, but I never thought it was the least relevant to me. Useless bit of skin that people had snipped since basically the beginning of time, was my level of comprehension. Until I was in my 20s and a girlfriend asked me how I felt about being circumcised. I had no opinion...it's irrelevant, right? That's when I found out the most sensitive parts of my sex organs were gone. That my skin was supposed to move. That my head wasn't supposed to have rubbed on my clothes for 20 years. I suppose it takes a certain kind of mind to realize that you'll never, ever feel sexual pleasure the way nature intended you to. That, and the further revelation that you'll never be the sex partner nature intended you to be, are pretty heartbreaking realizations. Many have gotten a worse deal at birth than I have, but it blows my mind when I think of the hypocrisy of the 'leader of the free world' condemning Africa for cutting girls, while cutting boys at one million per year. My parents thought it was best for cancer prevention (though the cervical cancer studies had been disproven and retracted years before I was born); I don't believe, even though they were religious, that impairing my sexual life was a consideration. I do believe, ultimately, that that is the underlying reason for circumcision throughout the millennia. I wish I was born somewhere else. Perhaps the USA will change. My brother didn't have his son cut, and if my mother talks to another prospective mother, she will have the perspective of knowing her son is not happy about the surgery he was subjected to on his first day on earth. - Ben in Ohio |
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I certainly prefer a man with his foreskin - Hi, Thank you, thank you, thank you for compiling such thorough information! I am so grateful for what you have put together, and I will link to your page in the future to educate those in my circle. I'm glad to see your passion and commitment to normalizing intact penises and preventing genital mutilation. Education is key. I certainly prefer a man with his foreskin - healthy, whole, sensitive and hot! In gratitude for who you are in the world, - Christina Love in Buffalo, NY
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Why was mine different? Hi, I appreciate your site and all the hard work that has gone into it. I am circumcised and I have regretted it as long as I can remember. As a child, I noticed that my penis looked different from my father's. But I assumed it would look like that when I grew up. Then I happened to see my cousin's penis who was the same age I was and his was just like my dad's. I was confused. Then a friend introduced me to masturbation and during that lesson, I noticed his penis was like my dad's and my cousin's. Why was mine different? I began feeling odd and different and highly self-conscious. As more time went on, I saw more of the penises of male members of my family (uncles, cousins because I had no brothers) and every one of them was uncircumcised. I was afraid to ask my parents why I was different but I felt inferior to them due to that. Finally, as I got older I found out about circumcision and realized why my penis was different. ...[A] sexual performance issue I have pertains to my circumcision. The doctor left a small bundle of nerves on the underside of my penis at the point where the cut was started and finished. This bundle of nerves which my wife calls my "bump" is extremely sensitive. Now, it is highly pleasurable for me because it feels so wonderful when rubbed but it causes me to have extremely premature ejaculation. This causes a ... problem for my wife. It takes her a long time to orgasm and her ex-husband could last that long before ejaculating. But there is no way I can last as long as she can. So, either I ejaculate way before she does which aggravates her or I have to perform oral sex on her until she is ready to orgasm and then insert my penis in her. ... This ... is a terrible letdown for me because I love sex as much as she does but I can't perform at her level. I hope our marriage can survive this. ... And all of this could have been prevented if only I hadn't been circumcised. I hope this helps. - Larry in North Carolina
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I woke up in agony Hello there. I'm a 25 year old from Scotland, UK and I have wondered for years why my penis was different to other people's. I had a circumcision when I was 4 or 5 years old, I have no idea why but it happened. After finding your site I now know that my irregular penis is actually caused by a botched procedure. Looking through your site I can confidently say I have a skin bridge (rather large one) a keratinized glans which has little sensitivity, meatal stenosis (narrowing, but not too drastic) heavy scarring which has become raised and looks like excess skin and my penis is a strange shape and angle, which is likely due to the skin bridge considering the shape and 'twist' to it. It actually is pulled so far left if I was to urinate hands-free I'd imagine it would land several feet to my left. So really I just wanted to say thank you for the site, I now know whats going on down there and that I can have it corrected, which I plan to do. I also will be looking into legal action, because like I said it's a seriously botched procedure I've had. And I know it was a freehand circumcision, because I woke up in agony during the preocedure and have clear mental pictures from that time of the surgeons around me with the scalpels and being held down and the mask forced back on to my face which I can also say is a complication of the procedure as it was very unpleasant. Thanks again, - Kevin Murray in Scotland
Men considering taking legal action should not put it off. Depending on where you are, the statute of limitations - a time limit on legal action - may start counting down from your eighteenth birthday or from the time you learn of the damage. |
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I'd never seen an erect circumcised penis I just have to say how much I love your site. I totally agree that circumcision is a revolting and barbaric practice. My son is intact as is my husband. I'd never seen an erect circumcised penis until I visited your site and boy oh boy are they funny looking! The cut penis looks odd and deformed to me, like something is missing. Hmm, wonder what that could be? I always knew that I wouldn't circumcise any of my sons but my activism didn't really start until we did childbirth classes. Most of the class were having girls; we were the only couple who knew we were having a boy and one other couple didn't find out. The childbirth educator asked if we were going to get him circumcised and I told her no. One of the other dads asked me why I wouldn't get it done in a very rude tone of voice. Clearly he didn't realize that you should never imply that a pregnant woman isn't doing the right thing for her baby! I listed all my reasons, counting them off on my fingers as I went. He then turned to the childbirth educator looking for back up and she backed me up instead. After class she pulled me aside and thanked me for giving my little presentation because she was also anti-circ but couldn't be quite so biased in her lectures. Thanks for having such a great site, I now recommend it to all my friends considering unnecessary cosmetic surgery on their son's genitals! - Rhonda in Massachusetts
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What can I do? I was circumcised at birth. As an adult, I now understand what was taken away from me and I am committed to helping save other men from this injustice. What can I do to work toward the banning of routine infant circumcision, or at the very least raise awareness of the truth about it? - Kevin in Washington
There are many things you can to do promote Intactivism:
The anger of circumcised men is a potent force that must ultimately overcome this custom.
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I've never seen anything so beautiful Wow. Your site makes me wish I had never been cut and mutilated as a child. I am an American child of the 80's so for my generation, uncut guys are rare. Those were beautiful. I've never seen anything so beautiful. I appreciate sites like yours for educating people. BTW- nice play on words: Intactivism! Thanks. - Joe in Texas
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Make a petition! Please, make a petition to Washington against any circumcision! I cannot be an activist, but I'd love to put my signature on such petition. Most Americans think that circumcision on boys is common practice around the world. Your map and knowing that in Europe nobody does it would really shock them and get the blinders off their eyes, if only this news could be made accessible to most. It seems that there is much reticence about unveiling this obvious truth. Thank you for caring. - Raffaella Bertucci in New York
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I am most grateful to my parents I am a proud intact man, having been born into a family with strong immigrant ties to Europe. Aside from this cultural factor, my parents saw no reason why such an unnatural and cruel practice should be done to their baby boy. Why is it that the infant boy's body is left alone except for the foreskin? Especially such a sensitive organ as the penis, one with valuable nerve endings and shaft skin. I am most grateful to my parents for respecting my human right and their decision merely intensifies my love for them. There are countless misconceptions which circumcision advocates give for removing the foreskin. One is the oft-repeated claim of hygiene. We intact men can attest to the fact that the foreskin is NOT an impediment to good hygiene. One only has to peel back the skin and clean, the entire process is done in a matter of seconds. How much harder is this [than] cleaning other parts of the body? To claim otherwise seems to indicate laziness and negligence, a lack of effort. The foreskin is protective of the penis head. Removal exposes the head and seems much more vulnerable, at least this is my perception. If circumcision allegedly protects against STDs and various infections, while are these problems much worse in countries where circumcision is a common practice than those where it is not? Various statistics of people with AIDs and HIVs indicates quite the opposite as the misconception. As for the role of foreskins in both giving and receiving sexual pleasure, then I will let the other comments speak for themselves! A number of complications arise from circumcision, and countless have been botched. Nevertheless these incidents are not as widely reported as they should be, certainly not as much as complications arising from other types of surgery. There is so much of a stigma attached to circumcision here in the U.S., with both pop culture and the broader medical industry lending credence to the stereotypes of the foreskin as "weird", "unnecessary", or "gross". Most Americans fail to recognize how this is a relative recent practice in our country's history, that it was initially part of the common assumptions about sexual guilt and shame (claims which appear quite archaic based on contemporary facts and common knowledge), that most regions of the world do NOT practice circumcision, and finally that countless well-known individuals - many of whom are considered as role models even by some who accept circumcision as second nature! - are INTACT. We often appear as voices in the wilderness. But how often in history have dedicated individuals accomplished great things? Circumcision is practiced on a majority of my fellow American males (I think around 70%, although I am unsure about the exact figure), but it is declining as more information gets out. Information is the key to erasing both the stigma surrounding the issue and the misconceptions frequently used to justify circumcision. Your web-site is most appreciated. What you are trying to accomplish is phenomenal and you are to be commended! Society generally welcomes free and open debate, so why not on an important matter which affects infants? Do not their rights matter? Why blindly accept circumcision without so much as having the decency to research the matter, given its irreversible effects? Especially in American society, intact men are made to feel "odd" but we should stand up and proudly proclaim that we are INTACT! To be an Intactivist means to fight for human rights! - Sean Jobst in Alabama
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From a medical advice website: Circumcision is not a subject to be challenged / argued / debated here for any reason. - Administrator, Healthboards.com |
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The baby emitted a blood-curdling scream Hi! My name is Michelle, and I'm an ordinary 26-year-old married woman from Ohio with no children. I am EXTREMELY against circumcision and greatly appreciate your website. When I met my husband, he pointed out that feminists are outraged about the mistreatment of women in Africa because of female circumcision, but men are circumcised everyday in America. ... I actually witnessed a circumcision when I was twelve. My mother's an obstetrician, so she performs them regularly. She brought me in with her to watch one. I remember her strapping the calm, sleeping infant down and performing the procedure with no anesthesia as the baby emitted a blood-curdling scream, quivered in pain, and after a few minutes of frantic screaming, passed out and became unresponsive. The nurse looked like she could barely stand witnessing the procedure, and she tried to soothe the baby. I knew deep down that I had just witnessed something terrible and barbaric, but I didn't want to think poorly of my mother and admit to myself that I had just witnessed torture. I tried to shut the incident out of my mind and remove it from my memory, and I never gave it another thought until my husband told me that ... he thought it was extremely unfair that he was subjected to circumcision against his will as an infant. Most other countries have recognized circumcision as a terribly inhumane practice, and the United States needs a wake-up call. I imagine that, many years from now, people will learn about this in history classes and cringe, exclaiming how barbaric people were in the twentieth and twenty-first century. - Michelle in Ohio
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I had all but given up hope I was lucky, especially living here in the States, that my parents were both cool enough, and had the presence of mind to leave me and my brother both intact at birth. Unfortunately, that was about as far as my knowledge went, and for the vast majority of my life so far. I actually came across your page while trying to find out some alternative to surgery for curing phimosis, of which I have a fairly mild case. I had all but given up hope of finding anything useful, and since we as a society are told, from jump, that uncircumcised penises are 'unnatural,' 'weird,' etc., I had pretty much decided that circumcision was my only choice. Then, I found this gold mine of information. I am really happy that there are others out there, with the same issues I have (which, thankfully, are quite easily corrected, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to 'stretching myself out'!). Thank you thank you thank. You and this website have saved me from mediocre (at best) sex, and a sh*tload other issues that I was about to bring about for myself. You are doing a wonderful thing. - Matt (25) in Louisville, Kentucky
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I love my parents deeply for not allowing [it] I love my parents deeply for not allowing the doctor to give me the ten percent cut. Of course I was born at home - those born in hospitals then would lose their foreskins. Back in Detroit (in the 30's) where I was born, the low income auto workers did not get any "extras"unless paid for. Later, when the unions fought for medical insurance the hospitals and the doctors upgraded their services for added income. I am still wondering how a home birth was less expensive in those days. (Thanks for the informative Web site.) - Bob Macias on Amelia Island, Florida
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