A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Intactivist

SeanMichael Rau discusses personal issues around forced genital surgery and working with the issues of genital integrity, body ownership and foreskin restoration in his art.

SeanMichael works with the Bay Area Intactivists:
http://www.bayareaintactivists.org/

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• forced
• circumcision
• art
• creativity
• genital
• integrity
• foreskin
• restoration
• penis
• intactivist
• human
• rights
• psychology
• sex
• sexual
• abuse
• wounding
• artist

[MelancholyLogic]

This was profoundly moving. Sean Michael, you have my deepest gratitude for sharing such an intimate part of your life with the world. I have no doubt that your testimony will help to spare men of the tremendous suffering that you have felt. Thank you for speaking out against the genital mutilation of children.

[ChocTigress]

Thank you, SeanMichael. I was moved and brought to tears. It is why I will go to my grave saving baby boys from this atrocity. I have saved many a baby boy from having his genitals altered but wish I could save them all. Good luck with your restoration and I wish you the best, my fellow intactivist!

[gdcat777]

That quack just wanted to make money with the "cleaner" nonsense, and I'm sure the father wanted to believe it too. Sorry you couldn't save him. I'm sure my messages have fallen on open ears only to be crushed by the voice of a so called healer. "Doctors" can be so malevolent, even the nice ones. Its so sad that they are addicted to the cycle of abuse.

[endofscene]

@SillyTurtleToes The cleaner statement is just an excuse. Genital Mutilation runs deep. It affects the psyche in a very profound way. It does this for both men and women. Obviously this man's brother or his wife or one of their relatives or whatever had a very strong attachment to circumcision. There was no around it. This man did what he could, but it was, unfortunately for him, an act of denial of all the pain he had confided to his brother.

[LethalDozePL]

Human body is a perfect design.

No one should correct it.

[SillyTurtleToes]

Your video was very powerful and eloquent. I am sorry that your brother and his wife could not place more importance on the information you shared and on your obvious pain. I can relate. That one myth, "cleaner", was the same one given by my husband's cousin after we tried to convince he and his girlfriend not to circumcise their son. We shared our pain. But his girlfriend sent me a very sterile email telling me not to send anymore information. I cried when you shared this part of your story.

[Stretchalot1]

Wonderful! Thank you so much. 

[bdodonnell]

Thank you for such a powerful and courageous interview. We are so fortunate to have you representing our efforts with such dignity and grace. I'm looking forward to more of your work. The poster you showed for sfmgmbill is fantastic. Be proud!

[areseejay]

Very moving. Brought tears to my eyes. I'm so sorry for your nephew. Just wanted to let you know that it is because of intactivists (you and people like you!) that I have three perfect intact sons (because they were perfect just the way they were born!) and it's one of the decisions in life that I feel the most confidant about and proud of. THANK YOU for all you do!

[dts6b]

I was also crying at the end of this video. I want to thank SeanMichael for saying this and assure him that as difficult as it is to know his nephew was cut, it would be so much more distressing if he had not tried to save the baby. I know. I knew better and didn't protect either of my nephews because of my silence. There is not a day that goes by that I am not racked with guilt. You did the right thing. Your brother did the wrong thing.

[Hugh7777]

12:40 "It was cleaner" - horror of dirt trumped all other considerations. Except that for another couple it could equally be "A boy should look like his father" or "HIV" or "It's a Commandment". It sounds from the email (12:00) that SeanMichael's nephew was also a vidtimof the Adamant Father Syndrome. Circumcision is a very peculiar thing, and exposing that pecuilarity is one way to help to end it.