Like any politicised language, the use of intactivist terms like "male genital mutilation" has had a strong backlash from pro-circumcision parties. Understanding why intactivists use the terms they use can help to approach discourse from a place of knowledge rather than offense.
Intactivism is a political movement surrounding issues of non-consensual genital alteration including female and male circumcision and surgical reassignment for intersexed babies.
“Intact” vs “Uncircumcised”
Intactivists prefer to use positive term “intact” rather than the negative term “uncircumcised”. As one intactivist blogger points out, it is unusual to refer to a body part by the lack of a procedure performed upon it – an unamputated finger, for instance. The term “uncircumcised” therefore implies circumcision is necessary or pending.
Some intactivists use the term “cut” in place of “circumcised”; the corollary being “uncut.” While “uncut” is still a negative term, it lacks some of the connotations of “uncircumcised,” as cutting does not generally have a positive association.
“Male Genital Mutilation” vs. “Circumcision”
Intactivists also cause controversy by insisting on referring to non-therapeutic circumcision as "male genital mutilation" (MGM). Female circumcision has been known as "female genital mutilation" (or FGM) for some time, largely to make the procedure's severity known; because the public perceived the Western form of circumcision, male, as fairly benign, it was considered that “female circumcision” was not a strong enough term to describe the procedure. Now that the physical, sexual and psychological effects of male circumcision have been discovered, intactivists wish to give male circumcision a similarly descriptive name.
The free dictionary defines mutilate as:
- To deprive of a limb or an essential part; cripple.
- To disfigure by damaging irreparably: mutilate a statue.
- To make imperfect by excising or altering parts.
All three of these definitions apply to circumcision to some extent. While the foreskin is not essential to life or some measure of sexual function (sense 1), it is essential to the normal functioning of the penis (M. Davenport, "Problems with the Penis and Prepuce: Natural History of the Foreskin," British Medical Journal 312 (1996): 299-301). The second sense of the word mentions irreparable damage; while foreskin restoration can restore some of the functions of a foreskin, it cannot undo the loss of structures such as the frenulum. The third sense of the word is also applicable in the biological sense, although whether or not a penis is considered “imperfect” due to circumcision varies according to societal preferemces.
Therapeutic circumcision – that is, circumcision performed to alleviate an existing medical problem such as gangrene or cancer of the foreskin – is not referred to as mutilation. Similarly, situations in which adults consent to elective circumcision or other elective forms of genital alteration, such as labiaplasty, are not referred to as MGM or FGM.
Misunderstandings About the Term “Foreskin”
The male foreskin is also known as the prepuce. This term is useful for intactivists as it helps compare the foreskin to the female clitoral hood, also known as a prepuce. The two organs are homologous, a point often made by intactivists comparing FGM to MGM.
“Prepuce” also avoids a misconception about the foreskin, in which the term “skin” is taken to mean that the foreskin is simply a flap of skin. In fact the prepuce is a complex body part involving muscles, specialised nerve endings and other structures.
This said, “prepuce” is by no means the preferred term for intactivism, in part because it is lesser-known. Academic and political writings on intactivism use both “prepuce” and “foreskin.” “Clitoral hood” is generally used in both contexts for women.
Sarah Tennant - Sarah Tennant is a onetime English major who lives in New Zealand with her husband and two small children. Her interests range from ...
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