Having recently watched the videos on the “Men Do Complain” website, and recently the BBC programme “A Cut Too Far”, I now realise the need to express my feelings, frustrations, and anger at how this practice of male circumcision has affected me.
I was cut as an infant due to Jewish practices and aware of my difference at a very young age. It was explained by my parents that this was a hygiene issue, and I would be cleaner than uncut boys, and this was normal, and better. I was never convinced of this strange explanation, but just went along with it as I had no other cause to complain.
However throughout my childhood I felt different from other boys, and wondered why so many other boys were not cut like me. It is now at the age of 60 that enough evidence and experience has taught me to feel anger that such brutality be inflicted on babies and boys that had not asked for this to be carried out? Why has the medical profession let us down so severely and why have religious practices allowed this to go unchallenged for so long?
To unnecessarily wound and inflict pain on babies and boys should be unthinkable, especially with the protection legislation for child abuse. How can parents still be allowed to intentionally cut off the foreskins of helpless babies (and boys) and society allow this suffering?
My position now is that I realise that a part of my body was removed without my consent. This has made me feel inferior to uncut men and I now know the problems both physically and psychologically I have suffered and will continue to deal with for the rest of my life. These feelings are a lack of sensation, sensitivity, and discomfort, and physically I think I am unattractive, compared to other males with unharmed penises. I am envious of other men who are intact and feel depressed that I never had a choice to keep my body the way I wanted.
Do I blame my parents, society, religion or the law for abuse against my person? Thankfully the Scandinavians are beginning to act responsibly to this issue. There are those that think legislation will force this practice underground and then more atrocities will be committed? Until the law is changed or applied consistently with bans on FGM, attitudes will not change quickly enough even though evidence of harm to males physically and mentally has been know about for many years.
I now have a dilemma. Do I forget about the assault of my body and carry on living a good and healthy life, or do I give in and dwell on how different I am and the damage that was done without my consent?
I haven’t spoken about this to anyone.
