Alan Cumming’s fight against circumcision

blueoak9 · 2014-03-25T15:08:27+00:00

"Cumming’s equation of circumcision with female genital mutilation is an insultingly inaccurate one — boys are not circumcised as a ritualized means of suppressing their future sexual enjoyment, nor does a clean male circumcision compare with the often crude, blunt and unsanitary practice of female genital mutilation. "

Oh fuck you, Mary Elizabeth Williams.

For one thing you are ignorant of the historical facts around male infant circumcison. It was promoted in the US specifically to impede masturbation. Maimonides specifically cites reduction of male lust as a justification. Stupid sow.

Another thing - not all MGM is done under hygenic conditions nor all FGM under unhygenic, so that comparison is a dishonest tactic.

"Insultingly inaccurate." Fuck your delicate feelings. I mean, really!.

mean0dean0 · 2014-03-25T15:49:33+00:00

Cumming’s equation of circumcision with female genital mutilation is an insultingly inaccurate one — boys are not circumcised as a ritualized means of suppressing their future sexual enjoyment,

http://www.cirp.org/library/cultural/maimonides/

http://www.kveller.com/baby_and_toddler/Circumcision_/why-circumcise.shtml

nor does a clean male circumcision compare with the often crude, blunt and unsanitary practice of female genital mutilation.

The vast majority of circumcisions take place in Africa and the Middle East, where those "crude, blunt, and unsanitary practices" of genital mutilation are performed on both boys and girls:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_Map_of_Male_Circumcision_Prevalence_at_Country_Level.png

The World Health Organization calls FGM “a violation of the human rights of girls and women” with consequences that include “severe pain, shock, hemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue,”

And nonetheless includes Type IV genital mutilation, which includes "All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization."

http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/overview/en/

It is illegal to even scrape or draw one drop of blood from a girl's genitals; but it is legal to cut off whole pieces of boys' genitals.

while it in contrast notes, “There is compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60%.”

...ONLY FOR MEN. Women receive no comparative benefit, and confusion about the reduction in HIV transmission leaves open the opportunity to mistake circumcision for a prophylactic for both partners, reducing the importance of condom use. All three studies which were undertaken that revealed the "60% reduction" statistic were halted early due to serious ethical concerns and methodological problems with the studies:

http://www.intactamerica.org/sites/default/files/IASummaryAtlanta.pdf

http://www.intactamerica.org/dangerousmistake

Again, if circumcision was the magic bullet in the fight against HIV, Africa would already be a paradise due to its incredibly high circumcision rate, second only to the Middle East where religious requirements force ALL boys to submit to ritual genital mutilation between the ages of 5-15. And wouldn't you know it? But HIV rates in the Middle East are rising, not falling:

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/health/121207/middle-east-hiv-aids-infection-rates-rising

The culprits? Lack of awareness, education, and prophylactic protection (condoms). The exact same problem as Africa. Circumcision is not the answer.

saint2e · 2014-03-25T13:48:46+00:00

"I AM INVINCIBLE!"

Sorry, every time I see him, that's all i can think.

The Top Comments are really refreshing, especially given this is salon.com

Edit: Also, why must every article about Circumcision bring up FGM and how bad it is? How is that relevant?

intensely_human · 2014-03-25T19:01:03+00:00

I am mutilated. I am damaged goods. I am missing parts and lacking sensation.

I am not ashamed to say do. Speaking the truth is not a shaming tactic.

If we say that FGMed girls have been damaged, is that a shaming tactic? Or is it honoring what happened to them by not trying to silence it?

Circumcision is a violation of human rights. And that's not shaming anyone other than the cutters to say that.

blueoak9 · 2014-03-25T20:43:21+00:00

And another thing, Mary Elizabeth Williams, ignorant bigot - when is the last time something like happened to an FGM victim?

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-03-25-man-severely-beaten-for-speaking-out-about-penis-amputation

Damn right they're not equivalent.

Your_Bacon_Counselor · 2014-03-25T17:54:28+00:00

Doing a invitational speech in class today on circumcision. My open-ended questions for my audience are,

Q: Has anyone learned something they didn’t previously know about circumcision?

Q: Why is the American Academy of Pediatrics the only medical group that promotes male circumcision?

Q: As a circumcised man, would you legitimately consider me a victim of genital mutilation?

Edit: Added stuff.

I read this and asked them to consider how it relates to males differently:

In 2008 the World Health Organization (WHO) passed a resolution (WHA61.16) to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation stating “It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies…FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.”

rg57 · 2014-03-25T20:02:23+00:00

If feminists were in this situation, they would ask why we need a woman to tell us about our penises. And they would question how she can even have anything legitimate to say on the subject, as a woman without a penis.

Of course, there are also actual reasons she should shut up, and that's because she doesn't have any qualifications in this area. She's a blowhard, like any of us in the comments. That's it -- just another person behind a keyboard. But she gets published for whatever reason.

Title	Alan Cumming’s fight against circumcision
Author	AlphaWookie
Upvotes	35
Comments	23
Date	March 25, 2014 1:07 PM UTC (12 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/21bgzn/alan_cummings_fight_against_circumcision/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/alan-cummings-fight-against-circumcision.1002385 https://theredarchive.com/post/1002385