Who knew?

One man spent his childhood in fear of his mother. The other struggles daily with feelings of loss and violation.

David and Andy are proof that circumcision is painful and harmful.

The foreskin is a vital part of a boy’s penis. Cutting it off causes pain.

Andy

Andy is 21 years old, and has turned to activism as an outlet for the emotions he feels about his circumcision.

He feels betrayed by “the doctor who mutilated my penis when I was a helpless newborn”, and believes that circumcision caused his anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress, and an eating disorder.

“I want to feel complete, and that means living with the genitals I was born with. I shouldn’t have to settle for anything less. No one had the right to take that from me.

“Circumcision is a lifelong intrusion on my body and an imposition on my sexuality. My foreskin is a permanent loss which I will always grieve. I deal with feelings of brokenness and inadequacy, and I am jealous of those who were fortunate enough to have been spared this disfiguring surgery.

“Circumcision harmed my body image by limiting my capacity for sexual, emotional and aesthetic satisfaction. My genitals are tainted with feelings of grief, anger, and despair. The missing foreskin and the physical scar on my penis are daily reminders. The mental scar is not as outwardly apparent; yet both will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“I cannot see myself other than as being mutilated. The erogenous tissue and its nerve endings will never come back. Circumcision has created an unnatural need for artificial lubricant. I am not the same person I would have been had my genitals not been cut.”

Andy is angry that he can’t do anything to fix his altered penis. He says he feels betrayed by the institutions that had a responsibility to protect him.