Considering Consensual (ie Adult) Circumcision?

By Glenn Epps

If any male is considering circumcision, he should educate himself sufficiently on the anatomy and dynamics of the intact penis, specifically his foreskin. Most intact men do not know what they have. This decision, if carried out, will have lifetime consequences which most males, intact and circumcised, are not aware. Intact men will become fully aware of the consequences if they follow through with the excision (circumcision) of their foreskins'.

Untold thousands of men in North America have restored or are restoring a facsimile of their lost foreskins in an attempt to regain some of what circumcision took away. The idea of deliberately excising such physically and sexually significant tissue for any considerations, social or other perceptions, might likely be a profound loss. A very significant number of males who have chosen this surgical intervention dearly regret it--immediately or a few years later.

Most men around the world have never been circumcised and never give any serious thought to ever submitting themselves to such a procedure. Occasionally some men do give serious consideration to getting circumcised. These are men who generally are living in a heavily circumcised (non-religious circumcisions) society.

Such a situation is almost endemic to that of the United States but exists to lesser degrees in other countries that previously had higher rates of non-religious circumcision such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Many parents simply elect circumcision either out of lack of knowledge or because others are doing it. Basic empathy is lacking--many parents are willing to submit their healthy newborn sons to traumatic genital surgery because they feel "pressure" to do so and just don't say "no." Those who have not been circumcised can be thankful to their parents for not going along with a "group mentality." If anything, your parents demonstrated their respect for your body--allowing you to be able to make this very personal decision as an adult.

Many who promote circumcision say that this is one of the oldest operations. It is true that genital alterations have been performed for millennia but only a tiny fraction of the world's males have been subjected to it. We also know is that throughout this long-standing history there have been thousands of men who have resorted to various methods to restore their foreskins!

While male circumcision may be one of the oldest operations known to man we also know that throughout humankind's history there has always been a "fascination" with the genitals of both sexes and arguably more so with the infamous "phallus" (the penis).Given that we are talking about sexual organs, the altering of such organs on non-consenting males' or females' has profound psychological consequences.

Likely, most of these men have done a "number on themselves" likely as a result of lack of information and "tools" to deal with such situations. When one is considering circumcision one should also consider a number of other issues--this resource attempts to provide some insight, thoughts and tools for such a person.

A great many intact (uncircumcised) men have usually never spent any time to really understand the function and purpose of the penile structures that are typically lost to circumcision. These men have often not paid much attention, if any, as to where the feelings and sensations they get from sexual interaction. Simply, they take for granted their "intactness" or don't appreciate or truly comprehend the benefits of not having been circumcised (i.e. being intact). It's probably a classic case of, "you don't appreciate what you have got until you haven't got it."

A circumcision generally removes most of the foreskin (inner and outer) and part or all of the frenulum. Also, the foreskin is actually two separate structures. The inner foreskin is a mucosal membrane and not just "skin." The most erogenous and pleasure sensitive nerves found in the penis are found in the foreskin (tactile nerve endings, including Meissner corpuscles). These are concentrated in the frenar band (corrugated bands at the juncture of the inner and outer foreskin and these bands are behind the sulcus when retracted during erection) the frenulum, where it is attached to the inner foreskin. The frenar tissue itself which is like a web between the inner foreskin around the bottom portion and the shaft and hemispheres of the glans and the small tendon-like structures from the inner foreskin and the area on each side of the midline of the upper shaft just below the glans and attached to the shaft below. Also, the foreskin is designed to stretch down the shaft during the in stroke and all the parts mentioned above are "excited." On the outstroke it accumulates behind the glans and acts as an O-ring to keep the natural lubrication within the vagina. (The intact penis and a woman's vagina really work in harmony. These are just more features of the human body, which has so often been referred to as the "incredible machine.") Intact men and their partners often do not need any lubrication for sexual activities.

Make sure you have "explored" the feelings that you get from the structures of your penis--the frenulum, the frenar band, the movement of the foreskin and the unique sensuousness of these tissues; each part should be separately and sensuously explored. In doing this you are likely to learn something yourself but you'll also be able to share this with your sexual partner. It's also important to do this as intact men report different feelings, that is, some find the frenulum to be extremely sensitive, others may find the tip of the foreskin very pleasurable, it might be the movement the foreskin back and forth over the glans and so forth. You will lose some or all of these sensations and the question is: Are you willing to give these sensual feelings up?

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ALTERING THE DYNAMICS OF A MALE'S SEXUAL

ORGANS--CIRCUMCISION

The vast majority of circumcised males have said little about their state. It is only now that more and more of circumcised men are beginning to speak up revealing the psychological and physical harm done to them. The silence of the "circumcised" is being broken but one must remember that many circumcised males will find it difficult to speak up. Why? First, they did not have a choice in the matter but they must live with the results--they can't opt for a circumcision as an intact man can. Circumcision, particularly in the United States, has been so pervasive that many circumcised males do not encounter intact males regularly. How does a circumcised male know what he is missing? A glance in the change room will provide little information. They must work by sound reasoning and logic--the foreskin moves, the foreskin is loaded with nerves, the frenulum is loaded with nerves--by deduction it must provide unique sensations and feelings.

What can a circumcised man do? He can use lotions to try and help increase sensitivity of the glans or at least help offset decreases in sensitivity. He can start a regime of foreskin restoration by stretching. And, most importantly, he can make a positive change and not submit his sons to circumcision--allowing them to make an informed choice as adults.

What about those men or boys who tease or make fun of another man or boy who has not been circumcised? Many men, when they start to think about it, realize that if it did occur it wasn't that many who did the teasing or it was a situation where one or two boys started it. We are only beginning to explore the reasons behind teasing. Teasing by those who have been subjected to circumcision who are "making fun of" another who has not been subjected to genital surgery has deep psychological implications. One man wrote a letter saying that he was very angry that he was circumcised in the years when few boys were circumcised and all of his friends and peers were intact. He said he has always been grateful to the intact boys who never teased him for having a different appearing penis, "his penis being chopped-up."

Do these boys/men have a problem with self-esteem? Are they distressed that they have had a portion of their penis removed? Ultimately they will know that they are different from an intact male because it was they who had a surgery. Does the teasing give themselves the illusion that since they are circumcised it is good? The search for justification for them may have just begun--justification of their circumcision. If you were teased think back to the situation. Was it a situation wherein it might have been the boy's (man's) or a group of boys (men) first or more rare occasion to have come across a intact boy/man? This of itself may put the situation into perspective.

Here is how some intact men have handled a "tease" type of situation (Remember, some situations well may be with friends who don't intend to make either a circumcised man or an intact man feel bad--it is more of a mechanism used to deal with the phenomenon of infant circumcision):

Some intact men relate, when speaking with circumcised men about their "intact" state, "At least a third to a half of my penis has not been cut off," or, "Well, I've got an inch on you guys." One fellow told of his first year of high school and the way some of the other boys were staring at his intact penis, that he asked them, "You mean you got chopped-up and don't even question it?" Or, "You guys are all hard tops. I have the combination, convertible and (retracting his foreskin) hard top."

Teasing may also be an inquisitive probe! Remember that circumcised males have little means of knowing what being intact is like. Such curiosity or inquisitiveness only seems natural given that a circumcised man will likely be aware that he was born like the intact male.

The "Oh, so I see you aren't circumcised" comment may be nothing more than a statement of fact or some form of curiosity. The question is how do you handle this type of comment, other comments or a glance? If you take these as negatives could you be a victim of your own devices? Does the following, quoted from a song by country singer Clint Black, "The trouble I found could have never found me....I use to think my way into some hard times...now here I go thinking again" perhaps apply to you?

Most intact men never consider the fact that as many or more men with a circumcised penis feel bad that they aren't intact, or at least be able to experience an intact penis. Intact men also rarely consider the fact that these circumcised men, either curious or angry over having had their foreskins taken from them, do not have the choice later in life that the intact man has.

"The power of conformity often overwhelms the individual, preventing many from investigation or objective reality, and is difficult to change. Blindly following particular ideas, practices or concepts, which may be harmful to the individual and the society, is a common human failure that often takes a long time to correct. I wonder if individualism is becoming a thing of the past. Is trusting what we believe in our hearts and our minds being discarded and neglected because of what others are saying and doing? Do we neglect investigating what is important, if there are motives or particular agendas behind the perpetuation of practices? If we are ruled more by our perceptions of what others MAY think of us or our actions than how we perceive ourselves and our actions, we are in some profound problems with self-image, self-esteem, self-reliance and emotional self-sufficiency. This applies not only to circumcision, but many of life's perplexities and dilemmas" --Ken Derifield, The Intact Network.

Ultimately you are free to make a decision as to whether you would like to remain intact or to get yourself circumcised. I dare say that few intact men realize that thousands of circumcised men wish to be able to have the right and the ability to decide.

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