Today I’m writing about something that is hardly ever talked about in our culture… Circumcision! Well, I hear a lot about it because I surround myself with many sex positive, body positive people whom I love very much. But, most people get weird and uncomfortable when you bring it up. Perhaps it's because it has to do with penises? Or maybe because it involves religion (kind of)? Or maybe, and here’s what I think the real reason is, because it is literally justifying parents cutting part of their non-consenting child’s genitalia off. Think about it, the act of circumcision isn’t medically necessary, it isn’t “more hygienic”, it isn’t required by Christianity any more (one of the prominent religions that actually practice it,) and is really only practiced in The United States, the Middle East and Africa. Most people in the US who choose to circumcise do so for non-religious reasons- they do so just because they blindly think it’s “normal”. Prevalence in the United States is about 79%. In Spain, for example, and most of Europe, it’s about 2% (Wikipedia). European men have generally better body image and more fulfilling sex lives. Generally. Not always. Perhaps they are related? Some people say I don’t have a say in this issue, as I do not have a penis, and I don’t have any sons yet, but I see it as a social justice/ human rights issue, frankly. The damages of circumcision are profound; loss of 1000s of nerves, more possibly difficult sexual activity, pain, possible complications, etc.… ALSO, disclaimer, this is SO different from female circumcision. That is a completely different story and a topic that needs its own paper, and is FAR worse then male circumcision. It would basically be the equivalent of cutting off the whole head of the penis, but I’m not ready to write about that yet. People in our country think, “it's so normal- every man is circumcised!” and that is just not true. As I said before, we are one of only a handful of counties that practice this ritual. Why should parents get to make the decision about their child that will effect their body and sexuality for the rest of their life, especially before they even know what is going on? If a man chooses to get circumcised when he is a consenting adult, that’s a different story, and that is just fine. Maybe they just do it because that’s how the rest of their family did it and its just “tradition”. But think about it, some traditions are very bad and harmful. The cycle can be stopped somewhere along the line. It brings me hope to hear that more American parents are choosing not to circumcise, which is awesome. With all of this being said, I do not want anyone who is circumcised to feel bad or shamed because of it. You are still a perfectly normal, beautiful person. There is nothing wrong with your penis because of it. There is nothing wrong with you! I have however heard from some men who feel angry at their parents for choosing this for them, and to that I say, express your feelings so that healing can take place. I have heard many parents think that it is necessary, and I encourage these parents to think twice about how this may effect their sons in the long run. This is how we stop the cycle- educating people and getting them to think and stand up for their bodies.