WOULD YOU RATHER BE CIRCUMCISED OR UNCIRCUMCISED?

I am circumcised, and I regret the decision made by my parents. I have heard it cuts down on a lot of the sensitivity, and I know my glans [the head of the penis] is quite rough. Besides, there is nothing a circumcised guy can do that an uncircumcised guy can't, but the same thing can't be said in reverse.

- Age 15, Canada

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised. I think an uncut penis has a special look, and in some cases, makes the penis look longer. When in my teens, one friend in particular was uncut; he was as mystified about my cut penis, as I was about his foreskin. Ah well ... I can always dream about the "bit" that got away.

- Age 31, Australia

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I would like to be circumcised. This is because I wouldn't have to pull my foreskin down to see the head. All I would have to do is look down and jack away to my heart's content!

- Age 12, Indiana

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised and really wish I wasn't. A friend of mine can masturbate a lot easier with all that skin.

- Age 14, Texas

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised and my best friend is not. Until last year I was glad I was "cut" because when we would masturbate each other, it was hard for me to get the head of his penis to come out very far, so his semen would sort of "drool" out and not shoot like mine. (And the shooting was the cool part!) Now he has "grown into his skin," and I envy the way his foreskin can slide up and down. It feels so different from mine. And he can shoot twice as far as me now!

- Age 15, Ohio

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I'd rather be uncircumcised. I was cut as an adult, and believe me when I say sex with the skin is a lot more pleasurable. The skin protects the penis head from getting used to friction from clothing, and so it keeps the head a lot more sensitive. Also, during sex (alone or with someone), the penis skin can be used to make movement more flexible. Sex now is great, but when I had that extra skin, sex was even greater!

- Age 28, Massachusetts

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised, but I wish I weren't. I wouldn't have to use so much lube – I could just rub my foreskin over the head of my penis. I've also heard that masturbation and sex feel better if you're uncircumcised, because there are more nerve endings. I also find uncircumcised penises interesting to look at, because I don't have one and haven't seen very many.

- Age 16, Ohio

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised, and would prefer to be uncut. I wasn't given a choice in the matter (which makes me feel as if I was raped). For me, masturbation REQUIRES lubrication – what a bummer! Once in a while, when I find an uncut partner with enough extra skin, we "share" his foreskin as he covers my penis-head with his skin and beats us both off – it's really erotic, but depressing at the same time, as I realize what I'm missing.

- Age 30, New York

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I'd like to be uncircumcised (which I am) – it provides more when you are having sex with the girl. The extra skin provides an easy-gliding in/out action. Besides, a lot of girls think it's cute how the head sticks out.

- Age 15, New Jersey

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

After talking about it with my uncut college roommate, I think I'd rather be uncircumcised. Fortunately for me, though, I'm loosely cut, so I have a lot of skin that covers at least half of the head of my penis when soft, and skin can move over the edge of the head when it's erect. I guess I'd rather have a whole foreskin for more protection and fun, too.

- Age 25, Georgia

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I was circumcised three years ago, and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It was also a very good idea. My foreskin was too tight, you see, and it didn't retract. This made masturbation awkward from time to time, when I got a bit too vigorous, but it basically wasn't too big a problem. BUT, I was looking forward to actually having sex and was terrified that when I did, it would (a) hurt and (b) be embarrassing if my partner noticed and said, "your penis doesn't work" or something like that. I had the option of a dorsal cut, which leaves the foreskin in place but with a slit in it to relieve the tightness, but the image this conjured up in my head didn't appeal to me. And so I came out of the general anesthetic [recommended!] and looked at myself. It was horrible – swollen and tender and blood everywhere, and why did I ever do this, and so on. Cleaning the wound was unpleasant. Waking up in the morning – hard but unable to wank – was torture, all the more so because the stitches caught on my bedclothes. When I finally (and very carefully) managed to masturbate, about 10 days after the operation, the relief was incredible. I think it's the longest break I've had in my illustrious masturbating career. It was about six weeks afterwards that I could wank "normally" again, but of course, without a foreskin. My glans was not terribly happy about not having a protective layer of skin anymore, but I soon got used to it, and now I think my penis looks rather handsome. Anyway, the positive results of circumcision: I was no longer worried about having a "strange" penis, my sex life expanded to include other people, and I became much more comfortable with talking about my body/sex life – you have to, really, since doctors have to look at/prod you, and you have to tell people why you were in hospital/why you're walking strangely, etc. Yes, even your parents. Do I miss my foreskin? No – it was useless anyway. Funnily enough, my brother had the same problem, but the doctor advised him to do some stretching exercises, and everything was soon hunky-dory with him. All things considered, though, I cannot see the point of circumcision for the sake of circumcision – it seems like mutilation to me. Why remove something that (a) ain't broke, and (b) is a source of sexual pleasure when used correctly? I wouldn't wish it on anyone unless it was necessary. And I mean really necessary.

- Age 23, United Kingdom

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

When I was born I had foreskin, and I still have it. I think it's wrong to cut it. It's unnatural to be circumcised. I'm very happy with my foreskin; it gives me many ways to masturbate. I need to just move up and down my penis, and I don't need any lubrication, as do many circumcised boys. I want to say to American boys: Be happy if you are uncircumcised. You don't need be ashamed if you have foreskin. You must be proud of your penis.

- Age 29, Finland

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised. For a long time, I thought I had been deprived of some greater sensitivity. When my son was born, I didn't want him to be cut. But my wife was afraid he would be teased when he got older. I tried to suggest to the doctor that he be done just halfway, but to no avail. When he came home from the hospital, he was totally cut. I don't think he has suffered for it, though. Since he became sexually active, he has enjoyed sex A LOT! Over the years I have known some nurses and medics who have assured me we did the right thing in having our son circumcised. Also, lately I have decided that although I might have had slightly different sexual sensations if I were left uncut, I certainly have had my share of very pleasant sexual experiences that included the most exquisite orgasms! So I don't spend much time missing my foreskin.

- Age 59, New Jersey

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I would rather be uncircumcised, because I want to have all of my penis. God made me not circumcised, so I want to be not circumcised.

- Age 16, Minnesota

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

Circumcised. I'm kosher all the way.

- Age 25, Illinois

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I was circumcised three years ago. Now I'd rather be uncircumcised, because it felt better when I masturbated. It was more smooth, and I didn't have to put lotion on my "little brother."

- Age 20, California

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

Like a lot of boys, I'm circumcised, and I hate it! I didn't ask for it. It was not done for religious reasons, as my parents told me when I asked them about it. Their reason was that it makes the penis easier to clean. Hey, girls bleed a terrible mess once a month and have to go through a constant hassle – so why don't they get an operation? It disgusts me that my parents mutilated my body without my permission. You can't get your foreskin back. While my reasons don't really focus on the increased pleasure you can get during sex (which is a BIG plus!), circumcision is wrong. If its not broken, don't try to fix it!

- Age 14, Texas

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I have what my doctor refers to as a German circumcision. I appear to be uncircumcised when I am not erect but appear definitely circumcised when I have an erection. I prefer being circumcised, and I think the circumcision I have leads me to that conclusion. I have enough loose skin when erect to facilitate a pleasurable masturbation session without the mess of lubes. I also have friends whose circumcisions are so tight that when erect it hurts them, as well as uncircumcised friends who have problems with the size of the opening when extremely aroused. I think I have had a pleasant experience with my parents' decision, and unless I could assure the same results with a male child of my own, I would leave him uncircumcised.

- Age 28, Texas

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I have experienced both; I was uncircumcised up until I was about 14. Then my step dad said that I had to get circumcised. (I hate my step dad.) I preferred being uncircumcised. Also, the operation HURT!

- Age 17, Indiana

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am not circumcised. It is a great bonus for masturbation, as you have an almost self-lubing sheath. As far as being clean is concerned, as long as you "skin it back" when you bathe, you will be as clean as a cut [circumcised] male.

- Age 14, Texas

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am not circumcised. I would not want to be circumcised, because I love my penis, and my body, and I would never want to change it.

- Age 17, Connecticut

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am uncircumcised, and the foreskin has so many sensitive nerves that when you masturbate it sends a constant tingly feeling all over your body that feels great. I used to wish I was cut so I would look like everyone else; I used to be embarrassed about it, but then I realized nobody else ever cared, so I was worried about nothing. It's funny – I was supposed to be circumcised, but at the time (2 weeks old) I had a major surgery on my kidney, and the doctor ordered that I not be cut at the time. I never did end up being cut, and although I've never been circumcised and don't know what that feels like, I'm pretty happy the way I am now.

- Age 16, California

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am lucky to be an uncut male. From what I hear, everything does not feel as good when you don't have your foreskin. If God wanted us not to have a foreskin, he would have made us that way to begin with. Stay strong, all you other uncut males. We seem to be a commodity!

- Age 16, Canada

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I'm not circumcised, and I prefer it that way. I think circumcised penises are less fun to play with. You can't "do" as much with them; the feeling of a foreskin rubbing against the top of your penis must be better than a hand rubbing directly against it. Also, I understand that circumcised penises are less sensitive, because the head is always exposed. I think it's a shame people are routinely circumcised over there in the US. It's not like that here.

- Age 15, United Kingdom

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

My good friend is circumcised and I am not. Well, when I was younger I felt kind of like a freak – especially in the locker room after swim gym. My already-little penis would shrivel up and get a knot of skin at the end that made it look deformed. Now I'm glad to have more skin down there than anyone else I know. The added skin has three benefits, in this order of importance to me: 1. It makes my penis look about 1/2 inch longer than it really is, so now I get stared at in the locker room for a different reason! 2. It acts like a sort of insulator to keep me from getting sexually aroused at awkward times, like in school. (My friend, on the other hand, has a perpetual boner that sticks out like a rhino's horn most of the day.) 3. I can masturbate without lube, and it feels great, with no sore spots like my friend gets.

- Age 15, Ohio

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I'm not circumcised, and I prefer it that way. I think circumcised penises are less fun to play with. You can't "do" as much with them; the feeling of a foreskin rubbing against the top of your penis must be better than a hand rubbing directly against it. Also, I understand that circumcised penises are less sensitive, because the head is always exposed. I think it's a shame people are routinely circumcised over there in the US. It's not like that here.

- Age 14, California

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am uncircumcised, and I'm proud of it, too. Having the extra skin is like having another set of hands. You'd have more friction when you're uncircumcised than when you're circumcised. I heard that if you're circumcised, you aren¹t able to go up and down a lot because it hurts without that extra skin. I love my extra skin.

- Age 14, California

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I would rather stay the way I am – uncircumcised. I love being able to masturbate dry any time I want by just sliding the foreskin back and forth over the glans [penis head]. The popularity of circumcision here in the U.S. baffles me – who wants to have to spit on their penis or hand to enjoy masturbation? I owe my parents a debt of gratitude for their decision to not have me circumcised.

- Age 15, California

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

Many of my circumcised friends think being uncut is unclean, but I'm always kind of insulted when I hear this. It is very easy to keep an uncut penis clean – you need only to pull back the foreskin and wash the head while taking a shower – that's it. However, I've always felt kind of "left out" by not being circumcised. If any of you are feeling left out as well, just remember that 80% of the world's men are uncircumcised. It is a completely unnecessary operation, except for religious reasons. American doctors are finally waking up to the fact that the rest of the world sees no need for circumcision. In future generations, hopefully the uncut penis will be what is regarded as "normal" by American society. Why should something natural be seen as anything other than normal?

- Age 19, New York

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am very grateful to my parents for not having me circumcised as a baby. I didn't even know about circumcision until I was 12, and the very concept of it shocked me then, and it still shocks me now. Most of the "medical" reasons I have read about for circumcision are totally unfounded. How can your penis "get infected" by having a foreskin? It is there to protect the glans and keep it sensitive and moist – the way nature intended! There are some great circumcision Web pages out there, and I encourage you to go to them and learn the facts for yourself. Hopefully, people will realize how silly it is and not have their sons circumcised. My foreskin makes masturbation so much more pleasurable, and I have never had any problems with it.

- Age 20, California

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am uncircumcised. I love being that way – it makes me different from most of the other guys, but it also makes me a little uncomfortable because of that difference. I have heard it is much easier to masturbate with foreskin than without, but I have also heard cut guys can last longer during sex. I don't know which is true, but at this point my foreskin is great fun. I wouldn't trade it in.

- Age 17, Kentucky

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am uncircumcised and am happy to be the way I am. I don't find it hard to keep clean, and I believe it's worth a little more hassle for the extra sensitivity.

- Age 18, Australia

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am not circumcised and love the fact that I have a foreskin to masturbate with. I've tried being "circumcised" by pulling my skin back, but I can't stand it – the glans is far too sensitive having been protected for so long.

- Age 23, Australia

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am uncut and I think it is great my girlfriend said she dated American Men in the US and some thought they did not have to clean their penises and some when they used the toilet to poop the head of the penis would get hard and press against the dirty bowl which freaked her out during oral sex. If a girl told me to get cut, I would simply find another girl friend, plenty more fish in the sea. I do not get the whole cleaner thing, vaginas smell when sweaty, so to armpits and even butts. Go tell a circumcised guy after a long hard day to smell his ass and then tell him to surgically remove his but cheeks as it is cleaner. Even a girl has the same issue go tell her to remove her vaginal flaps as it is cleaner. Some of the logic in these people is just daft, the UK is a thriving uncircumcised country and we are not all infected or dying.

- Age 15, United Kingdom

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am circumcised, and I think I would stay the way I am. The people I talk to who are uncircumcised tell me the foreskin gets caught on things (like their zipper), and when you pee you have to pull it back all the time.

- Age 17, Arizona

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I'm circumcised and like it, for health reasons. It is a lot cleaner and safer. That's why the Jews have done it forever. God was really onto something!

- Age 17, Oklahoma

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

Well, I'm circumcised, and I don't have a problem with it. When I'm in the showers at the YMCA, or at school, all the other guys my age (and older, and younger) are cut. Sometimes you see a boy who hasn't been circumcised, and maybe it might feel better when he masturbates – but it seems like too much trouble. I'm happy the way I am, and so are my friends.

- Age 14, Maryland

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I would rather be circumcised, like I already am, because I have heard that all sorts of stuff can get caught under an "uncut" foreskin and cause infection. Also, I like stimulating my exposed head with lubrication – it feels great!

- Age 15, New York

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I would rather be circumcised, because girls are more used to the look of circumcised penises rather uncircumcised ones.

- Age 13, Pennsylvania

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

Circumcised is much better. I was done in my early 30s – it's far more pleasurable.

- Age 45, Louisiana

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am circumcised and can't imagine it any other way. I personally feel that the foreskin would just get in the way. I have a friend who isn't circumcised, and he says the sensations could be better if he didn't have his foreskin – however, I'm sure there are many out there who would argue this point.

- Age 20, Canada

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I'm cut and love it. There are a lot more things you can do with it. It's more sensitive, and you get to see more.

- Age 16, Canada

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am cut. I prefer it, simply for hygienic reasons. The thought of having to worry about yeast infections is not all that interesting to me. Also, I would rather look a little different from an animal.

- Age 16, Oregon

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am circumcised and glad I am. I think circumcised penises are much more attractive than uncircumcised penises. Plus, it's all sealed up when you¹re circumcised, and smegma [a secretion of the head of the penis] doesn't form around the head. That sounds disgusting. I'd rather grab on tight with a little Vaseline Intensive Care and stroke it firm until I ejaculate.

- Age 17, Ohio

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

Well, as a circumcised guy, I don't know which feels better – but certainly a circumcised one looks better, so I'll go for circumcised.

- Age 19, Mexico

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I'm cut, and don't think I'd change that if I could. The way I masturbate is that I wrap my hand around my penis about halfway and pull the skin up and down around the head. I guess you can do that with foreskin, but if for some reason I just want to stroke the head, being cut makes it easier.

- Age 15, New Jersey

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am circumcised and would prefer to be that way. A foreskin looks so ugly just hanging there. You've got to roll it back to piss, masturbate, and have sex, so why have it there?

- Age 15, Canada

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I am circumcised, and that¹s the way to be. Uncircumcised members are just so damn ugly!

- Age 14, Australia

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

Circumcised. It's the way I am, and I have always been use to it. Besides, I'd hate to be one of the uncircumcised guys that gets made fun of in the locker room.

- Age 14, New York

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

Circumcised. My girlfriend prefers circumcised men and will give oral pleasure only to circumcised men. She says they are cleaner.

- Age 18, Ohio

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Yes

I would rather be circumcised (I'm not). Most guys in the U.S. are circumcised, and that's what most girls expect – so why not just give them what they want? Plus, my girlfriend says that even though my penis looks, tastes, and feels great, she always fantasized about having a circumcised penis rather than an uncut one.

- Age 15, California

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am not uncircumcised, but I would rather be circumcised. It would be easier to clean up after a masturbation session, and also on other days when the penis had to be washed.

- Age 15, Singapore

- Circumcision Status: Uncut

- Are you happy about it? No

I am circumcised. When I was growing up, almost all the guys were. I think the few guys who weren't may have felt bad because they were "different" from everyone else. I guess it was the 7th grade gym showers when everyone found out what everyone else's penis looked like. I was kind of embarrassed that mine was not as big as some of the other guys' (basically they were half a year older and already into puberty). I think I would have been more embarrassed if I had also been uncircumcised. I understand from what I read that it is easier to keep your penis clean if you are circumcised and maybe a little more fun to masturbate if you are not; it evens out, I guess. I am happy being like I am. If I am missing out on something, I've never experienced it the other way, so I don't know what – if anything – I am missing.

- Age 44, Arkansas

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Indecisive

Who cares whether you are circumcised or not? Both have their advantages!

- Age 20, Holland

- Circumcision Status: Cut

- Are you happy about it? Indecisive