Intact Rhode Island

The Bloodstained Men & Their Friends, a traveling anti-circumcision protest group, set up outside Providence Place Mall yesterday in concert with Intact Rhode Island. Both groups have held protests in the past, but this year report that their message was greeted with more thoughtful consideration and less incoherent invective than in the past.

Circumcision is an issue that confronts Americans mores on sex, childcare, health and religion. It’s a hot button issue. The Bloodstained Men, wearing coveralls with a large red stain on their crotches, confront these issues in not so subtle ways. Their signs, such as, “STOP CUTTING BABY PENIS” and “STOP TORTURING BOYS” are jarring and unexpected sights. I’ve covered the arguments both groups make against circumcision here. I’ve covered previous “intactivist” protests here and here.

2015-10-02 Circumcision 013 — Mike Ferrara, proudly uncircumcised

Mike Ferrara, a Rhode Island native and contractor working at Gtech came out to briefly join the protest, saying that he was uncircumcised and proud. He offered to “whip it out” and show me, but I declined the offer. “If you’re circumcised you’ve lost a half inch,” said Ferrara.

Intact Rhode Island, a group opposed to the circumcision of children, held a demonstration outside the State House today to raise awareness. The event was held in collaboration with a series of nationwide protests taking place in front of the capitol buildings in all 50 states.

Some protests, I was told, have as few as one attendee. Given the emotions and pushback this issue generates, being alone on this issue takes real commitment. Many see the strong stance against circumcision taken by intactivists as anti-Semitic or as interfering with a parent’s right to raise their children as they see fit. The dangers of circumcision that the intactivists warn about are dismissed in deference to generations of culture and tradition. But in my brief conversations with them the intactivists seem sincere and not motivated by bigotry, but out of concern for their children.

Intactivist Michelle Merritt says that circumcision rates are dropping, and statistics seem to bear this out. The science around the putative benefits or dangers of circumcision seems muddled. The American Academy of Pediatrics sees some advantages to the procedure, but have not gone so far as to recommend it. A lot of the arguments are covered very well in the comments of a piece I did on the Intactivists nearly two years ago.

Intact Rhode Island doesn’t have a lot of political power. No legislators at the State House have publicly supported their efforts, and no legislation is being introduced on their behalf. The issue is seen as too divisive and flies too close to issues of religious freedom for the comfort of politicians. The public isn’t clamoring for something to be done about this in the way it has spoken out against FGM (female genital mutilation.)

But this doesn’t dissuade the Intactivists. They aren’t out to impose their ideas on others through legislative fiat, though their preference would be that circumcision be made illegal. Instead, they hope that their campaign to raise awareness will be enough to persuade people to voluntarily renounce the practice.

Tag: Intact Rhode Island

Bloodstained Men confront circumcision in Providence

‘Intactivists’ oppose male genital mutilation, aka circumcision