Changes

Barely anyone is comfortable with the idea of publicly talking about [[Sexual effects of circumcision| sexual ]] or [[Psychological issues of male circumcision| psychological ]] problems. The inhibition threshold to disclose one's weaknesses and vulnerabilities is high. Many are not even able to overcome the shame face to face with their family, friends or doctors.

In the [[USA]], several groups have been campaigning against the usual routine (non-therapeutic) infant [[circumcision]] for over 30 years; in Europe, the debate, which had previously hardly come to public attention, gained a significant boost in the wake of the [[Cologne circumcision court judgment| Cologne judgement of 2012]], and found its way into the spotlight of public attention. Since then, more and more negatively affected men have spoken out, and documented their ordeal. The number of unidentified cases must be considerable, since the image of the tough "superman", who is expected to be free from mental and bodily problems, is still very much present in people's consciousness.

Many overcome their problems or blame their symptoms on other causes, to avoid having to face the unpleasant truth that they are suffering from the consequences of an operation their parents caused on the assumption of doing the best for their child. The subconscious refusal to comprehend parts of their upbringing as something negative can be observed in many childhood traumas. Especially in the context of religious [[circumcision]], dealing with with the consequences of the [[circumcision]] often also means a critical examination of the religion itself, because, when a ritual that was praised as good and important - — that is meant to be a blessing and a gift for the [[circumcised - ]] — is the cause of personal grief, it may put the validity of religious commandments in question. Often religious families and communities lack the understanding and willingness to scrutinize the ritual critically, and those affected are met with little or no empathy.