Bloodstained Men and Their Friends Visit FIU

A member of the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends, a non-profit organization that protests against circumcisions, talks to an FIU student. Gabriel Dalcomune/PantherNOW

Jonathan Fields/Contributing Writer

Red, bloody-looking ink stains, positioned prominently in the groin-area of their otherwise spotless white outfits, helped draw attention to the passionate group of male circumcision protesters who made a stop at FIU.

The protest was organized by Bloodstained Men and Their Friends, a non-profit organization. 

“Every single day in America, the forced genital cutting of boys claims approximately 3,000 new victims… we protest in over 60 cities every year to raise awareness about this travesty,” said Erika Talvitie, the Director and Senior Advisor for the organization. 

The California-based group was visiting the Modesto A. Maidique Campus on Thursday,  Jan. 30 as part of a string of protests that they are staging around South Florida before the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami Gardens.

A member of the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends talks to an FIU student who was protesting against the organization.

The practice of male circumcision has roots that can be traced back to ancient times. Many Jews and Muslims still have their sons traditionally circumcised. 

In the United States, medical circumcisions are commonly performed on newborn boys as well. These procedures are typically performed in hospitals by obstetrician–gynecologists, usually within one to two days of the baby’s birth. 

Under Jewish tradition, the wait to circumcise babies is exactly eight days. 

“The health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks, but the benefits are not great enough to recommend universal newborn circumcision,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Male circumcision has been found to decrease the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections, but is also known to increase the risk of injury to the glans, as well as irritation and inflammation, according to the AAP.

For the Bloodstained Men, “intactivists,” as they call themselves, the risks of foreskin removal far exceeds what is acknowledged by the U.S. medical establishment. 

The group all seem to hold the shared belief that circumcision is both forced, not consensual, while also deeply traumatic. 

“Circumcision is sexual mutilation,” read one sign held up by a protestor.

A member of the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends holds a protest sign.

 Some protesters were also quick to point out that circumcisions are highly profitable procedures for hospitals and OBGYN doctors. 

“Nobody wants less penis,” another sign said. 

Some of the organization’s signage appears specifically intended to target the Jewish community. 

One of the slogans found on the group’s social media says in all-capped red letters, “cut bagels, not penises.”

Jon Warech, the director of FIU Hillel, a Jewish campus organization, commented on the protestors.

“While we respect everyone’s right to protest and free speech, we stand by our religious practices and encourage students not to engage with this group and give them the attention they seem to be desperately seeking,” said Warech. 

For the students making their way across the Graham Center Lawns, the response to the Bloodstained Men did appear to be lukewarm at best.

Many seemed to be taking a page out of Warech’s playbook, staring sheepishly at the ground as they strolled past. 

One student who had already managed to avoid a Jehova’s Witness pamphlet and the aggressive, firebrand preaching of an evangelical, who was mounted atop a small step-ladder, also appeared to be making remarkable efforts to ignore one B.S.M. protester as he blurted, “sex is better with a foreskin,” through a bullhorn.

While the group’s colorful style of activism seemed to meet a rather lackluster reception on campus, it does appear their sentiments could be gaining traction within the broader community. 

A member of the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends talks to three FIU students.

The rate of hospital circumcisions in the United States have declined from 64.5 percent in 1979 to 58.3 percent in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In other Western countries including the United Kingdom, the procedure’s prevalence has also seen a pronounced decline in recent years, according to research from the National Institutes of Health

Florida is one of the 16 states that do not cover circumcisions under medicare. 

For Miami locals, views on circumcision may also be influenced by the city’s vibrant international community. 

In all Latin American and Caribbean countries the prevalence of circumcision is well under 20 percent.

While many medical professionals and community leaders still disagree on the merits of this augmentation procedure, there is certainly no denying the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends seem passionate about their cause. 

According to campus police chief Alex Cosas, FIU provides free speech zones pursuant to FIU Regulation 110, with the exception of both commercial speech and speeches that call for violent action.

Organizations and individuals are otherwise free to exercise their first amendment rights on campus in the interest of the common good.

Photos by Gabriel Dalcomune/PantherNOW

Correction: The protest slogan “cut bagels, not penises” was found on the Bloodstained Men and Their Friends’s social media, not in the protest, as previously mentioned in the original story. Erika Talvitie, the Senior Advisor/Press Secretary of the group said, “The tendency to paint with a broad brush regarding the intactivist message and label our argument (and signage) as anti-Semitic is dangerous and inaccurate. We support the right of all people to decide their religious beliefs for themselves, and the practice of circumcision on infants robs that child of self-determination, robs him of his own religious freedom to decide how to express his beliefs and to what extent he wants his body to reflect those beliefs.”

3 Comments on "Bloodstained Men and Their Friends Visit FIU"

  1. I walked by the protest and the student groups seemed to enjoy talking to the protestors. They was an FIU sorority cheering them on in a video that’s gone viral on worldstar hip hop and barstool FIU. I didn’t see a sign about “cut bagels, not penis” and I took pics and even went to my photos and checked. Funny how there’s several pictures of the other signs in the article but none with the supposed bagel sign. One of their protestors is Jewish and pissed his penis was cut as a baby. Also, circumcision cuts off the foreskin which is an amputation not an augmentation. When you cut something off it makes it smaller and not adds to it. It’s obvious that cutting a babies penis is a human rights issue, it’s obvious this article is a poorly written opinion piece.

  2. What about religious freedom? Doesn’t everyone deserve to choose whether they want to follow whatever religious beliefs they want? Having part of one’s body removed before they have the opportunity to decide is the antithesis of that.

  3. Please correct your article. There was absolutely no sign about bagels at this protest. That is a lie or extremely poor fact checking. The Bloodstained Men have never made or used a bagel sign, or any sign in red letters. The Bloodstained Men do not “target” Jewish people, they stand up for Jewish people’s most basic human rights to their own bodies as all humans deserve.

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