I was cir
cised just after birth. In 1960s US, 83% of newborn males were cir
cised, compared to 77% in 2010. I know it wasn't religious or "you want the boy to look like daddy" -- we were Methodists; dad is, and both grandfathers were, uncir
cised. Mostly, it was the thing to do then and thought to be cleaner.
Interestingly, dad always taught me to pull the skin back when peeing and how to wash thoroughly. I guess that's what he knew and what he was taught. I'm not tightly cut -- when soft, the skin does
just cover the ridge. I do recall dad's foreskin not being tight, having seen him changing clothes and explaining about when taking or giving me a bath as a kid.
I do wish I hadn't been cut, though. My first boyfriend was uncut -- well, for the first couple of years we were together. I think he felt some peer pressure and asked his parents to have it done. (We were junior high/high school aged.) I've been with other guys since who mostly were cut, and some who were not. I do prefer an uncut one, as long as he keeps it clean. My last boyfriend was not one of those -- and in general, not a clean or hygienic guy.
Also, foreskin is there for a reason. We don't cut off boys earlobes or eyelids or lips when they're born. As with the case of eyelids and lips, it's meant to cover the area, keep it moist -- or at least, not completely dry out like exposed skin. It does increase sensation of the glans (head). In the late 1880s, Kellogg -- yep, the Corn Flakes guy -- was a proponent of cir
cision and, like his namesake product, both were intended to cure/curb male masturbation. The Puritanical American-Victorians thought masturbation led to sex addiction and/or insanity, among other social evils like alcoholism and homosexuality. I think many Americans are stuck in a puritanical view and are generally not very sex positive -- but that's another rant for another time. (Yes, I am American for many many many generations and do disdain this country's backwards thinking of lots of things.)
I do think, unless cir
cision is done for a religious reason (I'm specious of that, at best) or for medical reasons (more supportive), then it should be the boy's decision when he is old enough to make an informed, conscious decision.
I'm also less likely now than I was in my past to compare it to female cir
cision -- yes, it is a thing where the hood of the clitoris is removed in the same way (that is comparable to foreskin and glans) -- or to female genital mutilation which is an act of subjugation making just about everything down there painful or dangerous for women.
