The Shy Guy’s Guide to Coming Out as an Intactivist on Social Media

I recently received this message from a reader:

Nathan, how do I tell family and friends on social media that I’m an Intactivist? I want to pledge my support for genital integrity, but I’m usually a very shy and non-confrontational person. What do you recommend for social media?

That’s a great question, and that same question had been weighing heavily on my mind too. I don’t share very much of myself on social media. I prefer to keep my personal life private and only the people closest to me know how I truly feel about things. They already know I’m an Intactivist and I’m fine with that. It’s not my desire to share all of myself with the Internet.

But it’s also compelling to think that a simple post by me could change someone’s views on circumcision. They might actually perk up if I’m the one who said it, because they’d know I’m someone who doesn’t post very often. When a very private person shares something, people tend to notice.

Well I’ve found a simple solution for shy guys (and gals) everywhere. There’s a new campaign that’s been spreading rapidly called #IfIWereABoy (If I Were a Boy).

The concept involves women holding up a piece of paper, declaring that if they were born a boy, their parents would have cut off a vital piece of their anatomy. The simple yet powerful campaign brings the imbalance of children’s rights to center stage. It’s illegal to circumcise a newborn girl in the United States, yet it’s considered legally and socially acceptable to circumcise a newborn boy. The messages help women think about how terrible it would be to realize that if they were born a different gender, they would have been cut too.

I love this campaign because it’s effective, yet non-confrontational, and it’s easy enough to understand at a glance, proving that a picture really is worth a thousand words.

I’ve Liked the page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ifIwereaBoyintact). I also Like posts from the page daily, which will show up in my Activity feed for family and friends to see. My hope is that this can send a message out about how I feel and if someone wants to learn more, they can click over to the page and learn for themselves at their own pace. If they have any questions or want to hear more about my personal views, they can always send me a private message and we can discuss it.

This seems to be a reasonable approach for shy people to take, and I think it could be a good strategy. I admire people who wear their heart on their sleeves and put it all out there, but at the same time, I know that’s just not who I am. I hope the new #IfIWereABoy campaign will help others come out as an Intactivist, and I think it’s a very powerful campaign too. It’s already received worldwide attention and is growing daily. Thank you to the women who got this movement going.

Related links:

– If I Were a Boy (Facebook)
– If I Were a Boy (Tumblr)
– If I Were a Boy (Google+)

Botched Circumcision Leaves Infant with Partial Penis

I shared this shocking story via the ForeskinFacts Twitter a few weeks ago, but it bears repeating again on my blog.

Earlier this year, when Maggie Rhodes took her three-month-old son Ashton in for a “routine” infant circumcision at Christ Community Health Center in Memphis, the doctor botched the surgery and removed part of the baby’s penis. Worse yet, the hospital sent the suffering infant home without anesthesia and without informing Ms. Rhodes of the error. This poor baby was sent home with a diaper filled with blood and the little guy was screaming his heart out. (Click here to read the full news story.)

I feel so bad for Ashton and the hard live he’s going to live, and it was all completely preventable. He was a healthy little baby brought in for an unnecessary surgery, and although I’m sure he’ll be awarded something in a lawsuit, I don’t think any amount of money will make up for his loss.

These types of circumcision horror stories illustrate exactly why I encourage all parents to think twice about having their son circumcised. This was a 100% preventable mutilation. Don’t take a healthy baby in for a surgery he doesn’t need. It’s not worth the risk.

I urge all parents and parents-to-be to really think about how precious and perfect your little bundle of joy is. Think about how much you’ll love him and want to protect him from the world. You would never want him to suffer any harm, would you?

In this case, you don’t have to. Your son is born healthy and happy, and if all goes well for him, he won’t need any kind of surgery for a very long time. That is the beauty of how nature designed our bodies. Newborn children are perfect the way they are. They don’t need a part of their organ cut off like some spare part.

Please bring your whole son home. Ask yourself how you could ever ask forgiveness from your son if he suffered the same fate as poor little Ashton in Memphis, Tennessee.

Foreskin Facts Gets a Mobile Update

The new site has been getting some great feedback via Twitter! Thank you to everyone for your positive words of support and encouragement.

The mobile version has been launched today, so the articles should be easier to navigate on phones. I realize a lot of people visit the site via their smartphones, so I want the mobile experience to be a breeze to use.

Mobile is still a new and changing landscape, so there may be so bugs on certain phones. Please tweet me @foreskinfacts if you run into any problems.

Thanks and stay tuned for new and updated articles about foreskins and circumcision.

Introducing the New Foreskin Facts Site

I started building this site in September 2010 with lofty dreams of setting the record straight on circumcision and foreskins. I already knew the foreskin was a vital and important part of the male anatomy, but I needed to find a way to explain this to others, particularly expectant parents who were thinking of circumcising their newborn son.

Why should you just take my word for it, though? I wanted to gather all the facts, studies, and research to provide to people with straight-forward information. It quickly became a daunting task, and nearly three years have passed since I started this project.

I’ve finally accepted that I must start somewhere, so I’m going live with this site, even in its incomplete stage. Please be patient as I finish pages and continue to expand on them. I have huge dreams for this site and I know they are achievable. I just have to start somewhere.

Welcome to phase 1.0 and please come back for future updates.

San Francisco May Ban Circumcision In 2011

This is great news and we look forward to researching and discussing this topic more in the future.

But for now, we just wanted to announce that we are very pleased with the dialogue that has been opened up!

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/13/san-francisco-circumcision-ban-ballot-_n_783191.html