So if you are reading this an unaware of things that bother me this past year has pissed me off. I am pretty much a live and let live kind of person. There is one social justice cause that gets under my skin and makes is crawl like nothing else. I was circumcised as an infant against my will like so many in my country, and I fall within the group of people that responded to the discovery of this in a way that psychologically resembles what happens to a person after getting sexually assaulted, it took over 10 years from finding out for me to start finding acceptance. I won't go into the whole process it was mostly a personal one. It was around this time that my parents started sending me to a child psychologist for irrational behavior and I did talk with her on the subject. However I will say that it has effected me on an emotional level and I take the opportunity to spread awareness where I can, and have been blessed with being informed that I have prevented this fate to a handful of others. This is the reason none of my personal characters are circumcised, and why I have a habit of instantly hitting like on any picture with a guy that appears intact. While I have voiced my concerns over routine infant circumcision of males I was pleased with knowing that it was a fate that was not shared with the females around me because they had legal protections making it a federal crime.

Last November I found out that it was discovered that there was a doctor in Michigan that was discovered to be performing female genital mutilations on young girls in opposition to 18 US Code § 116, and she was being tried in federal court with a possibility of being put behind bars for a long time. While I was saddened for those girls that had been maimed in such a fashion in such a personal area, I was looking forward to justice being served. The doctor defended her actions as freedom of religion, this did not work because laws are to be made without respect to religion and since the law specifically stated that no religion would be targeted or exempt it was good.

Well things took a turn for the worse last month when the case was dismissed. No jail time. No fine. No apology. I was furious, and to some regard I still am. I will say that one of the things, on a short list, that I have going for me is with anger comes a deep seated need for understanding. I took the time to not only find but read the very dry court opinion from the judge that dismissed the case. Turns out that there is a precedent stipulating that federal law can only cover criminal law in situations where commerce is involved. The appeal to a higher court was rejected, meaning that the case is dead in the water and FGM has been effectively de-criminalized. Much like pot in most places it is still illegal by the books but no one is going to enforce it. With the only course of action left, per the judge, if for the individual states to start passing their own bills to outlaw the practice.

This has hit me deep, and filled me with sadness. While not a female myself I have been touched by this atrocity. The part that makes it worse, at least to me, is the deafening silence that there has been. I know people that are very vocal feminists that I have taken the time to forward everything that I have found to them and they are silent. I keep looking for someone to share my horror and have been trying to find someone in a place that is able to do something anything and I have not even gotten back a form e-mail with a "thank you for your interest in this matter". I am pissed. I am sad. FUCK FGM. FUCK all genital cutting.