Some New Faces? -- Lurkers - Page 8

[EviesMom]

I lurk here. I have an intact 2 year old boy and any future boys will be too! Haven't had any problems and have a good, knowledegable family doctor (who came from the UK, actually) who said the majority of her boy patients are intact.

I have relatives who are supportive, a few who are a bit baffled, and 1 who is "concerned" about the "HIV risk," but understands that my son can choose for himself when he's an adult. (IMO, those studies are bunk anyway; and I think there are plenty of other ways to prevent HIV. But this is a relative who had close friends die of HIV, so he's very concerned about it in general, which I try to respect.)

[brant31]

Hi All,

I'm one of your minority of male members. I have read the boards on a wide variety of topics for a few years now , actually, and formally registered about a year ago. They've been a tremendous resource in my outreach work. I know some of you in person and a few others may recognize me, though I use my middle name here. I've been an ardent intactivist since high school, actually doing a research paper on circumcision for my senior year with the resources at the Library of Congress -- and let me tell you, those resources were meager when I started. But I sat there every week for months as a 17-year-old duly researching why we were doing this crazy thing to ourselves.

I appear a number of times in the PBS-aired video Whose Body, Whose Rights? -- now in 6 parts on youtube -- and have been involved with parenting and childcare issues for just about all my adult life. I'm passionate about doing right by our kids; they're our future.

My friends are well aware of my intactivist stance, and I estimate that I've saved about 200 boys from being routinely circumcised. I've worked so many fairs, parades, conferences and symposia that I've long since lost track of numbers . The first few years, I just absorbed all I could, but more recently I'm not hesitating to speak out. As you can imagine, I have about a million anecdotes, and from time to time I'll bore y'all with a story or two.

The only one I'll share here today fills me with pride. If Sherman will kindly set the WABAC machine a few years back, we'll find ourselves sitting in a riverboat restaurant in Cincinnati as my college roommate fills me in on the impending birth of his first child. He detailed the whole birth plan they'd worked out, and I asked him what they were thinking about circumcision. He was caught off guard that there was even anything to think about; they were just automatically going to circumcise. So, I briefly launched into my first-ever spiel about how unnecessary and harmful it was, and how his son would thank him later for having the presence of mind to actively keep him intact. I'd brought some reading material, and my buddy said he'd review it with me later that night after his wife had gone to bed. He wanted to know it thoroughly before even bringing up the issue with her. I'll save the long story for another day, but... tomorrow my brilliant, handsome, accomplished godson leaves behind his teen years and turns 20. He's intact, like his younger brother, and very, very glad to be. We're very close, and recently he's asked me how and why I'm involved with intactivism, so pretty soon he's going to learn the drill. I hope he influences many of his friends and of course keeps his own children intact when he becomes a dad. Billy was my first "save" and I could not be prouder of the fine young man he's become. I'm so proud of his folks, too, for going against the convention of the day and holding steady in the face of disapproval/doubt from just about every corner.

And finally, I'm in awe of the unity and sharing of information here. You truly are Mama Bears when it comes to protecting your kids and educating yourselves and your families and friends.

[Night_Nurse]

Brant31,
Your story inspires me and gives me hope!

[honey3]

Originally Posted by Night_Nurse

Brant31,
Your story inspires me and gives me hope!

Ditto! So wonderful.

[anne1140]

I am a lurker, and have posted maybe a handful of times.

I don't have any kids yet, but I will definitely not be circumcising. I hadn't really thought about it until a few years ago. As I do with practically everything, I began researching it when DH and I started discussing TTC. I quickly came to the conclusion that it was not anything that I wanted any part of. I tried to talk to DH about it, and of course, he shot me down right away. Basically like, I'm on board with most of your "weird" stuff, but this is taking it too far.

I brought it up a couple more times after that, to test the water, so to speak. He didn't really want to talk about it. Then, lo and behold, he decided to research HIMSELF without even telling me, and ever since, he's been totally on board.

Ever since that happened about three years ago, I'm becoming more and more pro-intact. It's one of the "parenting" things I am extremely adamant about. (CIO is the other one. Obviously against.)

Still TTC that baby, though.

[Fellow Traveler]

Originally Posted by EviesMom

I lurk here. I have an intact 2 year old boy and any future boys will be too! Haven't had any problems and have a good, knowledegable family doctor (who came from the UK, actually) who said the majority of her boy patients are intact.

I love hearing stories like this. It makes me think that there are more lucky boys than we think.


Glad to see so many check in, I hope to see you all contribute more in the future.

[Fellow Traveler]

[Umpqua]

I've lurked here for years and just started posting on the boards. I've learned so much from your threads here! Both of my sons are intact. With the first one we honestly had no clue what to do. When DH and I started to research, I came upon this board among many other resources. It was really a no-brainer for us. Once we saw how barbaric and unnecessary circ is, I've really become an opponent of it to anyone who will listen.

Oh, and my DH is circed (child of the early 70s) and he was completely open to our sons "not looking like him" LOL. In fact, he has no idea if his father is circed or not and I don't know about mine either! We also talked about the locker room argument (as a woman I honestly had no clue). He told me "guys do anything they can to avoid looking at each other's privates in those situations."

Thanks for all the wonderful info you've provided me over the years!

[laughingfox]

Hiya!

I lurk here because I'm on a few other mainstream message boards and every now and then I just need a breath of fresh air.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Just a quick reminder.
Per the TCAC guidelines:

The discussion of or reference to religion is outside of the scope of this forum. Any posts which bring any aspect of religion into the discussion are not appropriate and will be removed. Respectful discussion of a religious nature regarding circumcision, alternatives, etc. may be hosted in the Spirituality forum. The Spirituality forum is a debate-free zone. Members maintain a list of helpful websites in a Web Resources thread for further information about religious issues.

[Fellow Traveler]

Hey there! I love it when the lurkers come out. Please consider contributing more from time to time.

[Fellow Traveler]