I’ll use any excuse to talk about penises, but the ongoing foreskin debate just took an interesting new turn that I had to share. A new proposal aims to ban circumcision in San Francisco.
People in opposition to the ban believe that parents have the right to choose what is best for their child. At face value, who wouldn’t agree? But I think this statement overly simplifies the issue. Admittedly, circumcision’s benefits (or risks) aren’t “compelling”, according to Dr. Douglas Diekema, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. If the child stands to gain so little, how does it make sense to take such a dramatic step in mutilating his genitals?
I don’t think my parents have the right to mutilate my genitals. And what about my right to choose? Like most parents in America, my mom and dad had my foreskin removed without any consultation on my part. They made the decision for me; I had no say in something that is intensely personal.
Circumcision became popular in America decades ago because it was believed to reduce masturbation. I have proven that theory wrong, and even so – I think an enjoyable wank is a good and healthy thing.
When you get into the religious reasons for circumcision, things get a little bit stickier. But consider this: In Judaism, there is a ritual called Kaparot. During the ceremony, sins are transferred from a person to a chicken. Then, the chicken is circled around the head three times and slaughtered. Maybe, in modern times, we’re able to reflect on rituals like Kaparot and circumcision and realize their inherit cruelty?
Obviously, I don’t think parents have the right to mutilate their child’s genitals – especially when the benefits of that mutilation are minor and dubious. But what do you think? Where do you fall on the issue? Share you opinion in the comments below.
November 20, 2010 at 8:29 pm
haha you might be right…didn’t think of this..but I clearly remember thinking “pene molto piccolo”
November 20, 2010 at 8:36 pm
foreskin on a guy is pretty sexxy
but this is kinda silly
but however make sure u wash the inside of there
but i put my mouth on it
that’s all i got to say
November 20, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Non-functioning?? Surely you are not serious in this assertion. As someone with a fully functioning and highly sensitive foreskin I think you should do some more research. I say hack off your earlobes, they could be given up with less harm done and fit with your idea of a non-functioning body part.
November 20, 2010 at 8:39 pm
do u have ur foreskin?
November 20, 2010 at 8:41 pm
as they say, “more than a mouthful is a waste!”
November 20, 2010 at 10:57 pm
I’m glad I was cut. Uncut penises look gross.
November 21, 2010 at 6:58 am
Bucky…you may have had a point but you lost it in your nasty personal attacks;
..I love you get well!
Davide..you can be an irritating f**k but I support your right to make opinion without such attacks (that’s why you got to think before you open your mouth
Mike…I love your shlong and tayywhacker..LOL
Alex..I agree with the hospitals, but the arrogance is on the way to losing your arguments as well..if its meant to be funny..it isn’t.
I’m not cut…thinking about it dispassionately circumcision does seem a bit of a bizarre unnecessary practice. I think people 100 years hence would think it a bit weird!
November 21, 2010 at 11:09 am
A baby can be aborted and people seem to be more concerned about circumcision. Aborted babies didn’t have much of a choice did they?
November 21, 2010 at 11:53 am
Roger,
No they don’t. If they did they would choose life. The mother should not be an executioner, the womb a graveyard.
November 21, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Seriously, the economy is more important to you than your body? What a waste of life, why do you even have a body, why even live on this plane of existence, when your body is less important to you them money and jobs? That is disgusting!
November 21, 2010 at 12:45 pm
I got lucky when I was born. Apparently, my Grandfather put his foot down and would not let my mother cut the favorite part of MY body off!
I am not sure if it was because of religious beliefs or our Cherokee traditions.
Either way, I am glad the he put his foot down and allowed me to remain intact!
November 21, 2010 at 12:47 pm
I meant ‘my favorite part of MY body’
November 21, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Unfortunately I was circumcised. Upside was that i looked like almost all the other little boys in the gym showers. Uncut dicks always looked weird to me back then. But I always thought having my prepuce out and rubbing against my underwear all the time had to decrease the sensitivity of the head of my c**k. Guys with foreskins swear their c***s are more sensitive because they are hidden away. And in my experience when you pull back their foreskins their c**k heads are extremely sensitive. Much more than cut guys. I have also experienced guys who endured a lifetime of too tight a foreskin, making even getting an erection painful. Seems like it would be easy to stretch it bigger but some guys never do that. Uncircumcised guys sometimes also suffer from premature ejaculation more than cut guys. But in general I am all for a more sensitive penis. So keeping it covered up until you need it makes sense to me. The foreskin was put there for a reason after all. I left a condom on my c**k all day a couple of times to test this theory and my c**k did seem to become more sensitive. And since my flaccid penis is not all that impressive I always thought having extra skin hanging down at the end would help in that department as well. Uncircumcised c***s tend to look longer and even fatter for some reason. Another downside is that unless you keep the inside really clean it can get pretty rank. All in all I think we should stop cutting off the ends of baby’s dicks. Let them do it later if they want to. You cant put it back on that’s for sure. God must have put it there for a reason. He doesnt usually make those kinds of mistakes…
November 21, 2010 at 3:30 pm
i say if san francisco can ban circumcision-if one wants a new born not circumsized-than so be it.what happens in san fran-stays in san fran.we had no choice,some of us are circumsised others notthe choice is yours for future newborn.le choix est votre.vive la difference.
November 21, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Hi Y’all,
When it comes to the contemporary religious realities of circumcision the reality is that the New Testament directly states that genital circumcision is no longer necessary and is a teaching of the Old Testament. The concept of circumcision in the New Testament is stated that it is supposed to by a circumcision of the soul not of the body or genital!
Kenneth R. Livingston
November 21, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I have a friend who is a Urologist and have discussed the pros and cons of circumcision several times with him. Circumcision done shortly after birth is very safe and offers many health benefits throughout the life of the male and indirectly to the female partners and wife of the circumcised man. Circumcision delayed until later in life is far more dangerous and has several possible complications, but still offers many health benefits. An uncircumcised man has to observe more personal hygiene issues to avoid infections and STD issues that a circumcised man has less to worry about. Circumcision is simply the more intelligent option.
The issue of the pain of circumcision for the newborn male and even for the male circumcised later in life is a mute issue. The pain is brief, anesthesia is an option and when done early as an infant, side effects are minimal if any. Circumcision is not “mutilation” no more than having a mole or wart or appendix removed.
As an uncircumcised gay man, I wish my father had decided to have me circumcised. As a boy, I went through many of the hygiene issues and some infections. Also, as I get older, the foreskin gets tighter and erection is getting more painful and this decreases pleasure sensation. Circumcision is better.
November 21, 2010 at 6:39 pm
What utter nonsense. Please name the urologist mentioned so we can all avoid him should we ever need to see a urologist. So far I have never had the need to see a urologist and have never had an infection related to my natural penis.
How can you possibly think that a foreskin is in anyway similar to a wart or an appendix?? And you are uncut!!
I can’t view this opinion as anything but clouded and mistaken and tragic if this doctor is giving this as his considered opinion. Is the doc. in question circumcised? One can only think that his opinion is based on flawed information and his personal bias.
November 21, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Duly noted that your opinion is the metre stick delineating intelligence and stupidity.
Honestly, though, acrimony like that is toxic. I suggest you seek out help.
November 21, 2010 at 8:40 pm
150? I’m one of few who has tested above that level and even I think that’s a little high. It’s a little unfair to limit speech to the top 0.5th percentile LOL!
November 22, 2010 at 11:07 am
Personally I find foreskin to be a bit gross. I’ve dated a guy that had it and the look of it just really turned me off. However, this is *my* opinion, not yours. Opinions are like assholes…everyone has one. I am glad there are guys out there that enjoye foreskin…that way I don’t have to.
November 22, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Actually, interns do the circ’ing as part of their required time in the OR. There are too many accidents including cutting off the entire penis OOPS! Many cuts are done wrong leaving too tight shaft skin when erect. Ouch. My first boyfriend was Jewish and his Mohel was probably new at it as he snipped off the end of his glans along with the prepuce. Double ouch! So please don’t tell us about “professionals”. If they were really professional they would refuse to cut new born for any reason.
November 22, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Native Peoples all over the world know better than to mess with Mother Nature.
I honour your grandfather and your traditions.
November 23, 2010 at 12:04 pm
I’m sorry you feel this way, but I am doing nothing more than relating personal experience here. Yours may be different, but the medical facts are still the medical facts. I won’t give my friend the urologist name out on a website, but I will tell your this. He is 40, gay, works out and is very fit. He and I have been friends for nearly 30 yrs. We used to be sex partners, not lovers, but friends who enjoyed sex together. He was circumcised as an adult at age 28. He is 8″ and thick. I can barely get my mouth around his penis for a b******b. He decided to be circumcised as a result of his education as a urologist. He has offered to circumcise me if I ever want to, but I have declined. He tells me that being circumcised was a good choice for him. He has told me there is no real difference in sensitivity and he had anesthesia for the procedure. The only pain issue was the scaring for a brief period making erection painful. I personally find both circumcised and uncircumcised penises attractive. Some men have more foreskin than others and about half my partners have been uncircumcised. The only issue with uncircumcised is the smell, but a bath or shower takes care of that.
November 23, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Hey buddy,
You post is absolute bullshit… if you have problems with infection learn to clean, That’s like saying I don’t brush my teeth and I keep getting mouth infections what’s the problem I have this cough and my nose is runny…. or I got herpies in my mouth because I didn’t brush them what bs you kiss someone with herpes it doesn’t matter how clean or dirty your mouth is you will still get it….
So you talking about it being the more intelligent option is not within your criteria obviously so if you do not know what you are talking about don’t say anything.
November 23, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Sorry one comment I have never dealt with my uncircumsized dick smelling maybe after beating off or having sex but a circumsized c**k will have the same smell as one that is not after those activities!
Kenneth R. Livingston
November 23, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Actually, I had the same experience seeing my first cut c**k. That scar where the foreskin should be was a real turn off. And he smelled like old spit, cuz he used it for lube I guess. But hey, we were 15, so what did we know. I have since had many cut partners and mostly uncut ones since moving to Montreal (wall to wall foreskin here) so now I am delighted. The other thing about cut Americans is that they really think that they are special somehow because they are missing something that males all over the world have and they don’t. Sad. Other weird thing is everywhere the American army went they seemed to convince the population they encountered that they should cut their kids too, like in South Korea and the Philippines. They are the only non-Muslim populations in Asia to cut their kids. Go figure. Them Yanks, ey! I just had an epiphany…that’s why they’re called Yanks, cuz they have to yank their dicks instead of working the foreskin back and forth smoothly sliding over the glans to an exquisite climax. I’d rather wank than yank any day. Cheers.
November 24, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Hey buddy,
ha ha ha at least my body is whole…. I get such comfort for the fact that nothing is missing and everything is healthy because I’m whole!!!! hmmmmmm…… what comfort ;P comments all in good nature I’m super happy that you don’t mind missing parts of your body ha ha ha
Kenneth R. Livingston
Love you all… Happy Holidays!!!
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November 30, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Davey Wavey, well said! I agree with you 100% I would like for you to do a story that I could publish on my intactivist website, which aims to end routine infant male circumcision for all. My site is http://www.4eric.org and we are on facebook. Let me know if you would like to contribute a story that I can blog about!
December 2, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Why end routine male circumcision? Why not leave it as it is, voluntary? As a gay man, I have no problem with it.
December 12, 2010 at 8:21 am
the proposed circumcision ban is nothing short of legislated antisemitism.
December 12, 2010 at 8:24 am
that is if one is a member of the religion that recognizes the New Testement as part of scripture. For those of us who are Jews (and also Muslims), being circumcised is still a requirement. I thank G-d every day that my parents had me circumcised at the right age, otherwise I would have to have it done as an adult.
December 12, 2010 at 6:55 pm
to clarify, numerous other countries and municipalities (although not in the US where they are considered unconstitutional) have enacted such bans with disastrous consequences for religious diversity. take for instance denmark, where Jews are required to break the law in order to practice their religious beliefs. As gay men, shouldn’t we be about tolerance?
December 12, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I think someone mentioned earlier about exeptions for religious purposes. In other cases a male should be able to choose for himself if he wants his forskin cut off. As Lestat put it – “I’m going to give you the choice I never had.”
December 12, 2010 at 9:40 pm
I am 21 and from England and always wondered y Americans were circumcised and not necessarily due to religious reasons thanks for clearing that up. I personally would hate to have been circumcised I’ve never even seen a circumcised penis and i would have no idea wat to do with it tbh
December 13, 2010 at 8:26 am
problem is those religious exemptions never work. They have always required an enourmous amount of red tape in order to make sure people aren’t taking advantage of it. Denmark for instance has a religious exemption clause that takes over a year to get through. I have a couple of friends that lived there when their son was born (having since immigrated to Israel to avoid such religious persecution) and they had a mohel perform an illegal circumcision because it has to be done on the 8th day.
June 23, 2011 at 11:12 pm
I think that everyone should make their own decisions. I really don’t think one is “better” than the other, because everyone will have their own opinion based on what they have. I think everyone is beautiful, no matter what
I know a lot of people that do it just because it’s tradition in their family, and I respect whatever decision they make because it’s just that, their own decision and not mine.
July 15, 2011 at 8:58 am
i never understood why some people always think that uncircumcised penises are smelly. A smelly penis is a unclean penis. Its up to the guy to clean him self, properly. I love my uncut penis; it brings great pleasure and the boys love it. I have many friends that are cut and when they see how my penis looks and the extra attention i can give it with my foreskin. They are jealous. their words not mine. I have seen some stinky cut penises in my life and have ran the other way. but if you wash your self daily and especially after masturbation and sex; no reason for your cut or uncut penis to be smelly.
July 18, 2011 at 9:41 pm
this was posted on my b-day :3
February 3, 2012 at 2:58 am
America has circumcised its males because they are paranoid about cleanliness. I don’t
agree with a ban as that gives a problem for moslems and jews. It should be discouraged for any others. Maybe one day a cut guy will sue his parents for mutilation. I am surprised it has not yet happened in that litigious nation. I was cut when I was 18 of necessity as the skin was too tight and could not be retracted. This left me with an ugly c**k as teenage masturbation had caused chronic inflamation. The whole experience was painful and could have been avoided had the tight foreskin been seen when I was young. I wish I had had a normal foreskin as I have a big fetish for foreskin. Nobody has brought up the subject of female circumcision which is practised in some parts of the world. Female genitalia needs to be kept clean in the same way as a man needs to keep clean.
Decades ago it was thought in USA that circumcision reduced masturbation. HA! what a joke!