(Un)cut - Jeffrey Braverman
(Un)cut - Jeffrey Braverman reviews the controversy that erupted in San Francisco in 2011.
Video
Throughout history, circumcision has been a sensitive subject. The debate over whether to cut flared most recently during the summer of 2011, when a group of activists (“intactivists”) collected more than 11,000 signatures to propose a measure to ban circumcision in San Francisco. The initiative would have made the practice a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to one year in jail. It offered no exemptions for religious customs. The proposed ban outraged Muslim and Jewish communities alike, uniting them around a proposal to protect their right to perform a ritual they have observed for millennia. While the measure failed to make the ballot, it ignited many conversations on a subject rarely addressed.
(UN)CUT explores circumcision’s medical, sexual and religious complexities against the backdrop of San Francisco’s latest ban controversy. Interviewing key players on both sides of the issue, the documentary illuminates opposing perspectives to inspire more dialogue and understanding. While circumcision remains mainstream in the United States, trends are shifting and the intactivist movement is gaining momentum. (UN)CUT takes a personal, and sometimes humorous look at what happens when religious freedoms intersect with modern law and collide head-on with infant rights.
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