There’s a phrase I keep coming back to when I reflect on the state of genital autonomy activism, especially in the U.S.:

“Most intactivism is controlled opposition.”

That’s not a throwaway insult. It’s a diagnosis.

Intactivism as it’s commonly practiced has existed for over 50 years, with roots going back to the 1970s. It has educated millions. It’s produced documentaries, books, conferences, and social media movements. Yet, ask yourself this:

How many states have actually banned non-consensual infant male circumcision?

Zero.

Not one.

All this time, all this awareness… and still:

No legal protection for boys. No federal ban. No politician with a spine to address it. No consequences for doctors. No class-action suits that changed policy.

That’s not just stagnation. That’s design.

Education ≠ Liberation

Here’s one of the most common phrases you’ll hear in this space:

“People just need to be educated.”

As if the issue is simply ignorance.

Let’s be real: the medical establishment is not confused.

They know what the foreskin is.

They know it’s functional.

They know it’s sexually significant.

They know anesthesia is inadequate.

They know infants can’t consent.

And they do it anyway because of money, cultural inertia, and legal immunity.

If education alone were the answer, we wouldn’t still be fighting this after five decades.

Education is safe. It’s sanctioned. It’s toothless.

You’re allowed to educate because it won’t stop the machine.

So What Is Controlled Opposition?

Controlled opposition isn’t always some shadowy conspiracy. Sometimes, it’s just activism that’s allowed to exist because it poses no real threat.

If your “activism”:

Avoids legal demands Refuses to name perpetrators Censors anger Rejects confrontation Centers “awareness” instead of action

…then you’re not fighting power. You’re managing dissent.

That’s not resistance that’s containment.

The System Rewards the Soft-Spoken

There’s a reason why polite, educational, emotionally neutral intactivists get more mainstream attention.

They’re safe to platforms.

They’re not controversial.

They make people feel comfortable.

But this is not a comfortable issue.

It’s trauma. It’s mutilation. It’s betrayal.

It is bodily harm done to defenseless children under the lie of care.

If your advocacy doesn’t match the weight of that reality it’s not advocacy. It’s optics management.

What Real Resistance Would Look Like

Want to end forced circumcision?

Stop pretending words alone will do it.

Real movements don’t just educate. They:

-Demand legislation

-File lawsuits

-Build economic pressure

-Hold practitioners accountable

-Accept moral conflict And refuse to water down the truth.

If you can mutilate boys and still face no public consequence, no reputational damage, no legal liability then the system isn’t broken. It’s functioning exactly as designed.

Final Word

I’m not here to slap bumper stickers on trauma.

I’m here to say:

If your “movement” hasn’t protected a single child in 50 years, then maybe it’s not a movement.

Maybe it’s a pressure valve keeping people angry, but harmless.

And if you feel that truth in your gut, then it’s time to ask:

Who’s setting the tone? Who’s funding the message? Who benefits from keeping it “civil”?

Because it’s not the kids.

You can’t educate your way out of sanctioned violence.

We need laws, not lullabies.

Stop managing outrage. Start building consequences.