Volunteers (L to R): Tina Kimmel, Che Johnson, attorney Justine Block, Desmond Weisenberg, Tim Hammond, attorney Eric Clopper (not pictured: Brett Rosenberg)
GALDEF returned to L.A. Pride this year to promote children’s bodily integrity and genital autonomy. The 2024 L.A. Pride Block Party took place in Hollywood with GALDEF’s booth right near the famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
We were fortunate to have sufficient volunteers for the event, which ran from 10am to 8pm. Thousands of Pride-goers attended the block party and hundreds stopped at the booth throughout the day to collect information, make donations, and purchase our ever popular Pride flowers.
Michigan florist Glen Powell donates his time, skill and resources to make and ship these unique flowers to GALDEF. Glen happily responded to our request this year to make intersex flowers (yellow and purple), as well as transgender flowers (white, pink and blue). Intersex children are often subjected to violations of their genital integrity, as are those who identify as transgender female and are subjected to penile circumcision at birth.
Among visitors to the booth were a young woman who recently graduated from law school with a special interest in childhood genital cutting customs, numerous men who resented this violation of their bodies, and a YouTuber conducting video interviews.
The YouTuber asked us to clarify the differences and similarities between Female/Male/Intersex genital mutilation and the current debate over gender-affirming interventions involving transgender youth. We explained that one of the main differences is that F/M/I genital mutilation involves forced genital surgeries on unconsenting children, a form of sexual assault, whereas transgender teens do not have unwanted surgeries imposed on their bodies. However, the shared goal of sexual justice arises when the bodily integrity of non-binary children is violated by forced F/M/I genital mutilation, as well as when restrictive state laws are passed to prevent trans youth from accessing interventions that they, their parents and their health care providers deem beneficial. It’s also ironic that almost all anti-trans laws against “child genital mutilation” contain clauses exempting male circumcision from the definition of “mutilation.”
The day’s event resulted in hundred of Pride-goers receiving GALDEF materials advocating for bodily autonomy. To view the materials we distributed, please watch the brief videos linked below.
Desmond volunteered the entire day to help staff GALDEF’s booth
Tim discusses every child’s right to bodily integrity
Pioneering Jewish intactvist from the S.F. Bay Area, Tina Kimmel, was a day-long volunteer
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