By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Where do cultural norms originate and are they good for people? That's one take on a protest scheduled for Great Bend Tuesday afternoon. Next Level Intactivism has teamed up with Bloodstained Men, a traveling protest group, to warn about the dangers of genital cutting. The Bloodstained Men will be stationed at 10th and McKinley wearing their trademark outfits from 2-4 p.m.
"They kind of have a little gimmick, said Intactivist Daniel Rold. "It's the bloodstained suit. What is it, it's a white outfit and they have red on the crotches. It's attention-grabbing, but it also indicates the wound that's inside our pants. We can't see it. This is part of the reason our culture is so lacking in education or awareness about this."
The group looks to bring awareness to genital cutting, which has lifelong implications for children who are too young to give consent to the surgery. The group stresses the evolutionary importance of the male anatomy and how altering it to meet cultural norms can have many unwanted side effects.
"It's found in 5,488 mammal species, and they all live just fine with all their genitalia," Rold said. "If your rat and your hamster has a prepuce, then why can't a baby?"
The Great Bend stop Tuesday afternoon is one of 13 days the group has planned as part of the 2023 Great Plains Circumcision Crisis Protests. Other nearby stops include Hays, Dodge City, Garden City, and Wichita.