Stop Exploiting Africans — Circumcision Does Not Stop AIDS

by

JerryTheOther

The ushers at the Brooklyn Academy of Music were as stunned as Bill and Chelsea Clinton – patrons usually don’t stand mid-performance and shout slogans at the stage – so no one should blame them for not restoring order.

That night, March 4^th, some cool intactivists and I pulled off an amazing protest: we interrupted a Clinton Foundation Millennium Network talk at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, standing and chanting “Stop Exploiting Africans” and “Circumcision Does Not Stop AIDS” to protest the misguided efforts to circumcise millions of African men to stop AIDS, stunning the audience, Bill, Chelsea, and actor Ed Norton. Already there’s been good press on the internet about our “action” and a lot of intelligent comments. See intaction.org or intactamerica.org or their Facebook pages to see some photos and videos.

I’m an MRA from way back, and I just happened to run across Anthony Losquadro’s group and website, intaction.org, and realized that he was local, so I wrote him and asked him to keep me in mind for any acts of protest, as I’d always wanted to do things like picket and hand out leaflets at a hospital or facility that performs circumcisions. So, about two weeks before the event Anthony asks if I’d like to be a “Bloodstained Man” to protest the drive to circumcise Africans, and I told him I’d think about it. Well, I knew I had to do it, for when duty calls and it falls in your lap like this, especially with talents like Anthony and the others who put themselves out there – it may sound corny – for the children, and now, for the Africans, I had to help these guys and maybe put some doubt in the minds of potential Clinton Foundation supporters about the drive to circumcise. It might even have the effect of putting a small grain of doubt in the Clinton Foundation’s support of mass African circumcision.

Botched circumcisions. How would you feel if it were your son? Would you feel that you had made the right choice? How would you feel if as an adult it was you? Would you be thankful that your parents decided that circumcision was in your best interest? Might it not be better to let men make the decision for themselves after they have reached the age of majority? Just asking…

The plan was to attend the Clinton Foundation talk by buying tickets and sitting together in the orchestra and then donning the “Bloodstained Men” jumpsuits (white w/bloodstained crotch) while seated, then standing while zipping up the jumpsuits.

Anthony on my right, the head Bloodstained Man, would nudge us to put on our suits and stand, holding hands in a spread-eagle position – to signify the strapping down of a baby boy – while he blew a whistle to get everyone’s attention, and then we’d start our chants. But midway through the talk, Anthony texted the guys – there were eight of us – that we were ditching the jumpsuit idea as the close quarters and darkness made that near impossible, but everything else was go at the next mention of “HIV” onstage. Then, we got the nudge and stood up, four of us, holding hands and chanting “Stop Exploiting Africans” and “Circumcision Does Not Stop AIDS,” which we changed to “Condoms Not Cutting.” It was great because the whistle and our appearance stunned and silenced everyone while we did our chants, until Bill Clinton finally responded with “OK, you guys had your chance to speak, now it’s my turn” and then cited the discredited 60% HIV reduction rate argument. We were still chanting but ready to exit so I took a parting shot, telling the Clintons that circumcising Africans would only encourage them NOT to use condoms and ultimately cause more AIDS deaths. We figured we’d made our point so we started our exit and to my amazement no one really was pushing us out but they did make sure that we all left the premises. We were elated how it all went, slapping each other on the back on the way out, glad to have made our point and not gotten arrested. We were, however, approached by two Secret Service agents who asked if we were anti-Clinton and if we had a leader or organization, to which I wasn’t volunteering any information. They were actually friendly and said they appreciated that we were well behaved and didn’t try to stay and cause trouble and mainly that we were simply a group of passionate activists.

I’d like to thank my fellow intactivists Anthony, David, Rob, Nick, Kevin, Adam, and George for a well-organized and effective protest and allowing me to join them in this “lesson” we gave Clinton and any circumcision sympathizers.

See my video on the protest at my YouTube channel JerryTheOther

See photos and videos of the protest at www.intaction.org

Photo courtesy of the Barefoot Intactivist and www.intaction.org

Circumcision does not stop AIDS!

Think about it. Try this, if we circumcised every male on the planet would the spread of AIDS stop? The answer is no. Or how about this, even if it is true that circumcision stops AIDS, how many thousands of babies, young boys, and even men are you willing to sacrifice to a botched surgery to gamble that some unknown men and women may or may not contract AIDS? There has to be other reasons for politicians like the Clinton’s to be pushing for mandatory circumcision having nothing to do with preventing AIDS, but what is it? Could it have something to do with spreading Clintonian feminism? Regardless, what we are talking about here is without a doubt, unquestionably, and indisputably a men’s rights issue.

Tags: bill clinton, bloodstained man, Chelsea Clinton, circucision, clinton foundation, hillary clinton, intactivist, president clinton