At the end of May, Leif Thompson, MD (GALDEF/USA), David Smith and Jason Metters (15 Square/UK), and Jonathan Meddings (Darbon Institute/Australia) attended the 18th Congress of the European Federation of Sexology (EFS) in Porto, Portugal.

The four men presented a symposium titled: From Harm to Healing: Global Action Supporting Survivors of Male Genital Cutting. Jonathan introduced Darbon’s world-first online training course for psychologists and healthcare professionals on trauma-informed care for people affected by male genital cutting. Jason shared testimonials from men negatively affected from circumcision based on 15 Square’s research into the lived experiences of circumcised men. Leif rounded out the discussion identifying reasons for the lack of trauma-informed care for circumcision sufferers, and how peer support can help to fill the gap. Leif is a co-facilitator with 15 Square offering online peer support to the affected. Jonathan also presented separately on implications of recent Australian laws protecting intersex children for the legality of penile circumcision.

Left to right: Leif Thompson, Jonathan Meddings, David Smith, Jason Metters

A video from the event is available on YouTube titled Regulatory reform for protecting children from genital cutting.

A lot of positive movement is occurring in the genital autonomy world, and it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with it all, but one thing is certain: we need everyone to speak out about their lived experiences. This is sometimes difficult. Making ourselves vulnerable takes courage. Momentum is growing and the stories of affected persons can be one of the most effective ways to change minds and hearts on this issue. We at GALDEF, in collaboration with other organizations around the world, will continue to fearlessly give voice to these embodied experiences.