FGM Movie

[jennyfah]

I did a forum search and couldn't find any threads on this, but if there's been discussion already I apologize for the re-post.

'Desert Flower' based on Waris Dirie's book has premiered in Germany, but I don't know if there will be a wide release in the U.S. The trailer looks very good. Apparently it's slated for release. . . now? I can't find a date.

http://www.desertflower-movie.com/


eta: The main purpose of the movie seems to be education about intactivism, which is why I posted here. The website has several links about FGM, and I am hopeful that the movie gets some good press so that a lot of people see it!

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by jennyfah

I did a forum search and couldn't find any threads on this, but if there's been discussion already I apologize for the re-post.

'Desert Flower' based on Waris Dirie's book has premiered in Germany, but I don't know if there will be a wide release in the U.S. The trailer looks very good. Apparently it's slated for release. . . now? I can't find a date.

http://www.desertflower-movie.com/


eta: The main purpose of the movie seems to be education about intactivism, which is why I posted here. The website has several links about FGM, and I am hopeful that the movie gets some good press so that a lot of people see it!

Really? education on intactivism? as in, the integrity of the human body regardless of gender?

btw, I can't wait to see this movie!

[Minarai]

Originally Posted by fruitful womb

Really? education on intactivism? as in, the integrity of the human body regardless of gender?

It doesn't look that way to me.
It just looks like the same old song and dance: FGM bad, MGM good; that's the message it sent to me.

[mama24-7]

I don't see anything in the trailer about MGM.

Sus

[MommaKitten21]

I watched the trailer and it looks like a great movie, however I didn't see anything about MGM either but it still looks great!

[Minarai]

Originally Posted by mama24-7

I don't see anything in the trailer about MGM.

Sus

Neither did I, but the message is all-too visible.
You can see it in other pop culture venues, e.g. a certain episode of Law & Order: SVU.

[Quirky]

I can't find a cite now but I know that Waris has said "if this were done to men, they'd be up in arms." She definitely does not believe MGC is a human rights violation last time I looked it up.

Well, newflash, it IS done to men, and they perpetuate it on their sons just like cut women perpetuate FGC on their daughters. It drives me ballistic when Westerners want to blame FGC on "men trying to deprive women of sexual pleasure" when this is a tradition carried on BY women ON girls with the insistence of their mothers. There is doubtless a huge component of it that is about male control of sexuality but in no way is this a male-centric tradition and to deny that reality is to deny the magnitude of how this abomination is so deep-rooted in many cultures.

I think all FGC is horrendous. But I think all MGC is horrendous too and I am tired of so-called "feminists" playing the "FGC is SOOOOO much worse" card. In some cases -- yes. In all cases -- no.

So much of the harm of FGC could be reduced if it were done by medical professionals under hospital conditions (as is done in Indonesia for example with Type I clitoral prepuce removal of pre-teens) but yet we don't want to implement a harm reduction approach and medicalize it because that would be justifying the practice as a whole. Yet because we don't see huge numbers of young boys dying of infections and suffering lifelong chronic injuries because of incompetent circs, we think MGC is "humane" and "civilized."

I think what was done to her is horrific, and what she has done to help stop this atrocity is fantastic, but I wish she didn't have to denigrate MGC as harmless to make her point.

[Minarai]

Originally Posted by Quirky

I can't find a cite now but I know that Waris has said "if this were done to men, they'd be up in arms." She definitely does not believe MGC is a human rights violation last time I looked it up.

Well, newflash, it IS done to men, and they perpetuate it on their sons just like cut women perpetuate FGC on their daughters. It drives me ballistic when Westerners want to blame FGC on "men trying to deprive women of sexual pleasure" when this is a tradition carried on BY women ON girls with the insistence of their mothers. There is doubtless a huge component of it that is about male control of sexuality but in no way is this a male-centric tradition and to deny that reality is to deny the magnitude of how this abomination is so deep-rooted in many cultures.

I think all FGC is horrendous. But I think all MGC is horrendous too and I am tired of so-called "feminists" playing the "FGC is SOOOOO much worse" card. In some cases -- yes. In all cases -- no.

So much of the harm of FGC could be reduced if it were done by medical professionals under hospital conditions (as is done in Indonesia for example with Type I clitoral prepuce removal of pre-teens) but yet we don't want to implement a harm reduction approach and medicalize it because that would be justifying the practice as a whole. Yet because we don't see huge numbers of young boys dying of infections and suffering lifelong chronic injuries because of incompetent circs, we think MGC is "humane" and "civilized."

I think what was done to her is horrific, and what she has done to help stop this atrocity is fantastic, but I wish she didn't have to denigrate MGC as harmless to make her point.

Every last word of it.

[Stardust27]

Originally Posted by Quirky

I can't find a cite now but I know that Waris has said "if this were done to men, they'd be up in arms." She definitely does not believe MGC is a human rights violation last time I looked it up.

You probably mean the statement "If genital mutilation were a problem affecting men, the matter would long be settled."

It used to be on the starting page of http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com, but the page has been given a complete revamp, and the statement doesn't seem to be there anymore. Maybe she removed it because she did get too much flak about it. Which would be a kind of success, I guess - people starting to be ashamed for ignoring the male side of the genital mutilation coin.

Stardust