I applaud individuals that dedicate their lives for a cause, something that helps others, something that gives a voice to the people that have none. Jonathon Conte seemed like that kind of person. He took his life this week, leaving behind a grieving partner, friends, family, and fellow Intactivists.
Four out of five men in the United States are circumcised as a baby, either for a religious or a cultural reason.
For one man, he felt like a part of him had been cut away without his consent, and he saw it as a ‘blatant human rights violation’. He said he suffered from depression, was angry, and felt like his parents had betrayed him.
Jonathon Conte, 34, was a visible face in the world of ‘intactivism’, the campaign for the end of routine male circumcision. His 42-year-old partner of five years, Christopher Holden, confirmed he was found dead in their shared apartment in San Francisco.
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Since his partner’s death, many intactivists have got in touch to express ‘so much support’. Many have written about their memories on Conte’s Facebook page. He said it helps, ‘in a way, to know how many people cared for him’. Holden described Conte as a ‘methodical planner’ and ‘very sweet’.
Conte often marched in Pride parades with intactivists, protested against circumcision, and devoted the majority of his money into his work.
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A memorial will take place on 21 May at the San Francisco Eagle. – gaystarnews.com
To read more about his passing, go to gaystarnews.com. Apparently there was no note left behind.
So how would you define the beliefs of an Intactivist? One of our readers wrote, “An intactivist is a person who is opposed to non-medically-indicated genital surgery on any minor, whether that minor is a boy, a girl, or an intersex child. An intactivist is not opposed to genital surgery on an adult who has given informed consent. I think that is how most self-identifying intactivists, myself included, would express their ideas with regard to genital cutting.” Thanks Kurt True!
To know more about Jonathon, you can view one of his videos he made from 2011 or view his active Facebook page.
Our thoughts are with those that were fortunate enough to know Jonathon in this world.
Source : gaystarnews.com
Thank you for brining awareness covering Jonathon Conte’s life quest. Always equitable and inclusive, he carefully made this distinction: Intactivists are against FORCED genital modification. (Not ageist nor sexist.) Forced is key as it’s all about power.
The Parent’s job is to protect their child, meaning the whole child, not just parts. His mother did not honor nor accept all of Jonathon by forcing infant circumutilation (he discovered at age 14) coupled with forced conversion therapy throughout his high-school years. She used him against his self. No doubt devastation was compounded by his mother declaring she would still do the same to him, regardless.