CIN (Circumcision Information Network) 3:12

CIRCUMCISION INFORMATION NETWORK
Volume 3, Number 12, 24 March 1996
E-mail:  CircInfoNe@aol.com

The purpose of this weekly bulletin is to educate the public about and to
protect children and other non-consenting persons from genital mutilation.
 Readers are encouraged to copy and redistribute it, and to contribute
written material.  --Rich Angell, Editor.

PLAYGIRL ADDRESSES THE NATURAL
Contributed by jimdcombs@uky.campus.mci.net (Jim D. Combs)

"To Cut, Or Not To Cut? When it comes to circumcision, less may not be
more..."  By Judy Cole Playgirl Magazine Volume 23 No. 11, April 1996 pgs.
56-57 (two pages past the centerfold).  Edited for brevity.

Several weeks ago, my boyfriend and I were having a heated debate at 5 a.m.
in our local diner.  The subject of children had slipped into the
conversation.  Then, much to the dismay of my aching head, it made a left
turn and veered into...the circumcision zone.

My Irish (as in,born and raised there) beau was adamant.  "No son of mine..."
the speech began, punctuated by a fist pounding on the Formica counter top.
 He quickly pointed out that while circumcision is the *rule* in America,
it's the *exception* in most other parts of the world, and that *no one* was
going anywhere near *his* kid with the intention of snipping off anything
below the diaper line.  "When it comes to your manhood," he proclaimed,
"there's no such thing as *extra*!"

Being products of the 70's, my peers and I were indoctrinated into the
mindset of "uncut-unclean".  I'd never even *seen* -- much less handled -- an
uncut specimen "in the flesh" until the 90's, which only reinforced what by
then I'd come to believe.  And I don't think my experience was atypical of
American women my age.  The uncut penis has gotten a really bad rap in the
past couple hundred years in this country, and it will probably take a lot of
rethinking to overcome its negative rep.

According to Marylin Faye Milos, RN, a spokesperson for NOCIRC, "...No one
says to a girl, 'Oh, honey, we have to remove the hood of your clitoris --
"your" foreskin -- because it has germs under it.'...The glans of the head of
the penis, just like the glans of the clitoris, is meant to be an internal
organ, covered and protected.  Once you take the cap off of a ball point pen
and let it air out, it dries up.  The same thing happens to the head of the
penis.  When you remove that covering, the head becomes hardened and callused
(from all that friction and flopping around)."

The bad news, however, according to sex therapist/educator Patti Britton,
Ph.D, is that this same increased sensitivity can lead to premature
ejaculation.  "The trigger tends to go off a lot easier,"  she says.

Though I admit that sex with a "caped crusader" was an acquired taste, it was
definitely worth the time it took to plug into the learning curve. 

"If he's your first uncircumcised lover," [says Britton], "the experience
*will* be different.  But rather than concentrate on negative stereotypes,
you can break them with play.  He's got something you've never dealt with
before, so instead of fearing it, celebrate it."

Britton points out that many men have the same issues about going down on
women that women have about men, so hygiene is key.  She recommends
"ritualized, shared bathing" as a means to romanticize the experience for
both partners and take care of the hygiene issue at the same time. 

"We are just coming to realize that the foreskin is erotogenic tissue," says
Milos.  "It's heavily laden with nerve endings.  Women know that you don't
want someone touching the head of your clitoris directly; you always use the
clitoral hood.  That's *our* foreskin."

The spot just underneath where the outside and the inside of the foreskin
meet is a real erotic hot-button for men.  The woman who knows this and uses
her tongue along that area can treat her man to some great foreplay.

Another wonder zone for you uncut lover is called the frenulum (or the
Frenner band).  It runs from the urethral slit all the way down the length of
the foreskin and encircles it.  Its function is to hold a moveable part of
the body to an un-moveable one (we have them under the tongue and the
clitoris, as well).  For the man who is intact, the Frenner band is filled
with sex receptors, and is thought by many to be an orgasmic trigger.  These
advocates also claim that for a man who has been circumcised, whatever part
of the frenulum that is left behind becomes the most important, sensitive
part of the man's body.  Creative manipulation of this tissue can send your
man into raptures of ecstasy in no time flat.

As with any other prejudice, my distaste for the uncircumcised penis was due
to ignorance.  After I got acquainted with one "first-hand" and realized that
my misconceptions had been unfounded, I was pleasantly surprised to learn
that the "something extra" on an uncut penis afforded yet one more thing with
which I could create enjoyment for my partner.  His arousal was a big turn on
for me -- creating a win-win situation for all concerned.

Editor's note:  The notion that a foreskin can lead to premature ejaculation
is not true.  The very concept of premature ejaculation is a man-made
concept, experienced by men both with and without foreskins. 

CIRCUMCISION PRESENTATION SUCCESFUL
Contributed by svoboda@igc.apc.org (J Steven Svoboda)

On 22 February   and 7 March, two panel presentations were held at the
 University of San Francisco, both entitled "Routine Infant Circumcision:
 Examining the Legal and Constitutional Issues."  Both presentations included
a showing of the first half-hour segment of Tim Hammond and Lawrence Dillon's
video "Whose Body, Whose Rights" as well as panel discussions and questions
from the audience.  Panelists at the February event included Steven Svoboda,
Martin Novoa, and Wayne Hampton, with Tim Hammond answering questions in his
capacity as the video's executive producer.  At the March presentation, the
panelists were Steven, Wayne, Marilyn Milos, Miriam Pollack, Tom Morris, and
Leland Traiman, with Tim again answering questions in his role as filmmaker.

Both events provoked great interest and spirited discussion, and each ran
over the scheduled two-hour length by about a half-hour.  The first
presentation was given for the law students and was attended by at least
thirty students over the course of the event, while the second event for the
undergraduates had a smaller turnout due to a conflict with a highly popular
speaker but nevertheless attracted great interest from those present and may
have led to NOHARMM gaining two new activist members.

The panels have also had some welcome fallout, including followup calls to
Steven from USF human rights activists.  Steven has written a report on the
event for publication in the newsletter of Human Rights Advocates, a Bay Area
publication for human rights attorneys.

Thanks to all for your help in organizing and putting on these events.  There
will be more in the fall!

SCREAM OF THE WEEK 
(Statements Documenting Infant Circumcision Pain)
Submitted by Johnny4444@aol.com

"I repeatedly asked the doctor if it [the circumcision operation] would hurt
Shawn and he repeatedly said no."  (Shawn's mother, Vicki Campbell [quoted],
Circumcision: The Painful Dilemma, p. 317) 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION call NOCIRC, the National Organization of
Circumcision Information Resource Centers at (415) 488-9883, fax (415)
488-9660.  Ask about the resource provider nearest you.  For written
information, write NOCIRC, PO Box 2512, San Anselmo, CA 94979, with SASE
and/or donation if possible.
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