Bay Area Intactivists

Bay Area Intactivists staffed a booth at the 2012 Castro Street Fair. Intactivists have become a familiar sight at this annual event and their message advocating the human right of all individuals to be protected from genital mutilation was well received. A variety of literature, stickers, and bracelets were freely available to those who visited the Bay Area Intactivists booth.

I was fortunate to attend the recent symposium in Helsinki and was greatly encouraged by the presentations. Here are some of the highlights:

David Smith, a symposium host, NORM UK General Manager and Chief Officer of Genital Autonomy emphasized the outreach that is going on between his and other organizations in the UK, specifically support and counseling groups for victims of FGM. MGM victims are acting as trainers for staff so that operations can be expanded to support both men and women.

The Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason was abuzz with new and expecting parents last Sunday during the San Francisco Birth & Baby Fair. Among the childcare product and service exhibitors was Bay Area Intactivists, a local human rights organization working to end infant circumcision.

Although devoid of paddles, latex, and scantily clad models, the Bay Area Intactivists booth remained busy throughout the day during the Folsom Street Fair last Sunday in San Francisco. The human rights advocates were present to raise awareness of genital cutting practices (such as infant circumcision) that are performed without consent or medical necessity.

It was a warm and sunny day for those attending the Birth and Family Fair that took place yesterday at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Palo Alto. The free event was bustling with famlies and couples who showed up to attend educational sessions and to explore variety of childbirth products and services highlighted at the fair.

Several members of the human rights group Bay Area Intactivists staffed a booth yesterday at Solano Avenue Stroll, an annual street fair that takes place in Berkeley and Albany. Music from the festival filled the air as the intactivists distributed literature, stickers, and their signature orange bracelets to visitors of their booth over the course of the eight-hour event.

Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project (CAN-FAP) founder Glen Callender has returned to the bay area to advocate for the human right to genital integrity as part of the San Francisco Fringe Festival.

On Labor Day, members of Bay Area Intactivists teamed up with natural birth advocates at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, California as part of the Improving Birth National Rally for Change. The event aimed to empower women by educating them about evidence-based birth options that are known to reduce the incidence of complications, injury, and death.