INTACT? NATURAL? UNCIRCUMCISED? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE AND DOES IT MATTER?
Intact or uncircumcised? Are you circumcised or cut?
What matters when it comes to being a men’s health organisation. We are working with as many organisations, charities and movements as we can to enact real change in the field of circumcision. We are producing vitally needed education materials for men and boys on how to care for their foreskins.
Here is what matters to us in 15 Square:
- It matters if you have an intact foreskin and want to know how to keep it healthy.
- It matters if you develop medical issues with your foreskin and want to get medical help without being pressured into a circumcision.
- It matters that we need to educate parents and doctors on the issues circumcision creates, so we can break the cycle of circumcision being a default when it should be a last resort.
- It matters if you have been circumcised and are NOT OK with it.
- It matters if you have been circumcised and are OK with it – It is OK to be OK with your own circumcision.
Photo by Dainis Graveris on SexualAlpha
The world is full of conversations and comparisons, but when it comes to the topic of men’s health, penis’s and foreskin health, what sort of language should we use?
The world around us is labelled by default
Labels have meaning:
Are you cut or uncut?
Are you circumcised or uncircumcised?
Are you Intact or altered?
What about natural or circumcised?
We have to think about how the words we choose affect those around us, we can never know what someone is going through, what personal journey or struggle they might be dealing with, the best advice is to be kind, and think about the effect our words can have and the meaning they convey whether we mean it or not.
We don’t say people have un-amputated arms? We don’t say un-lobotomised, so why is it socially acceptable when referring to a penis that is in its original state, as nature intended, before an invasive surgical procedure as uncircumcised?
Your Experiences Shape Your World
When we talk about our own experiences we all have to find the terms that we are most comfortable with, we might not get it right on our first try, but recognising that we can and should do better is how we achieve personal growth and mature as valuable members of society. We have to work out if there is a better way of talking about it, so we can all work together to move the fight for change and education in the right direction.
To help us understand what words are the most useful to those affected by circumcision issues, we produce our information with the careful thought of supporting people who can be in real need of a listening ear and a supportive presence that can work to understand their pain.
For parents, carers, guardians and educators those who are looking for information on how to care for their own and their children’s intimate health needs. This situation can mean that they may have to have a whole different set of terms that they use to find the information they need.
Guidance on how to care for an intact child’s penis can be found with our general information for parents.
You can also find great detailed information from Doctors opposing circumcision.
Information on phimosis, paraphimosis, balanitis, ballooning and other foreskin related concerns can be found on our information page for intact men.
We are constantly looking, evaluating and learning as an organisation, we know there is always more to do, always room for improvement, by recognising we are human and as such flawed, we can better help those who find us in a time of need.
We see our work not as anti-circumcision but as:
Pro – Choice.
Pro – Human rights
Pro – Foreskin
Pro – Child rights
Pro – Men’s health
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
If you see us about on social media give us a share, comment or like, a thumbs up a heart or any other reaction you feel like showing us. Every interaction helps us reach so many more people.
If you ever want to see the conversation on these issues here are some handy hashtags to have a look at, see what the world around you has to say on circumcised vs uncircumcised and let us know what you think.
#circumcision #menshealth #prochoice #humanrights #childrights #cut #uncut #foreskin #charity #nonprofit #support #advice #education #labels #itmatters #reddit #15square #education #i2 #intact
I am intact, thanks to my dad who was adamantly anti-circumcision. His sons were kept “whole”. I am now in my mid-seventies, having grown up on a small farm in America. I noticed when taking showers after gym class that most of us who were farm kids were intact; the “richer” non-farm kids were “cut”.
While serving in the US Military as a veyr young Sergeant, I noticed that most of the intact men were from the South or the Midwest. That was “affirming”!
Having watched a couple videos on infant circumcision left me nauseus and emotionally exhausted. The infant boy, violated by cruel butchery, is treated as an object; a slab of flesh. I felt such strong rage and outrage, what with the total LACK of humanity that occurs during infant circumcision.
I am a member of Intact America; one of their Ambassadors. I thank you at 15Square for your work. Oddly enough, I have always viewed the UK and Europe as NOT circumcising.
Godspeed!