In any post about either circumcision or FGM you will no doubt see comments below, arguing if they are comparable acts. It’s a conversation I’ve quite literally never seen resolved. But today I’d like to see if we can do better. FGM and circumcision are both driven by cultural, religious and aesthetic reasons, and rarely by medical necessity. FGM and circumcision are both originally intended to dampen the sexual pleasure of girls and boys, and to curb masturbation. FGM and circumcision are both practiced on non-consenting babies and infants. Both are usually performed without any anaesthesia, are extremely painful, and can frequently lead to trauma. And whilst some forms of FGM are the exact same procedure, done to the same biological tissue as circumcision (the prepuce), there are many more extreme (but thankfully rarer) forms of FGM that are significantly worse. There are many extreme forms of circumcision too, that are just as traumatising, and here lies the problem. ‘Who has it worse’, as it normally is, is a poorly constructed question, as there is so much variability; some forms of FGM are worse than some forms of circumcision, and some forms of circumcision are worse than some forms of FGM. That fact is, both girls and boys are harmed. And regardless of the details, asking which procedure is worse Is irrelevant, if that procedure is being done on a person *without their consent.* This is where FGM and circumcision are not comparable. FGM is illegal, in all forms and in all contexts, almost everywhere in the world. As it should be. Whereas circumcision remains entirely legal, and socially accepted, in all forms and in every country. So, with that in mind, what do we do next? Every individual has an absolute right to the integrity of their body. So is it time we ended all forms of genital cutting, no matter the gender? ~ [1] [2] Zachary T. Androus, Ph.D., anthropologist Images by Gradienta, Alireza Almadi, Cat Han, Avel Chuklanov and Rodolfo Allen from Unsplash. #fgm #endfgm #circumcision #intact #intactivist #mensissues

2023-03-07