Kyle, 26 - Southwest London
Where were you born?
Paddington, London
When did you first become aware of circumcision?
I was never really aware of circumcision until I was circumcised. Growing up in an affluent part of Southwest London and attending a private school in the same part of London, I never really saw any other circumcised penises. Even after I was circumcised I didn't know what had been done to my penis until I was about 12 or 13. I always thought something was wrong with my penis. In fact I only first saw another circumcised penis when I was 13. I suddenly didn't feel as isolated as before.
I started watching porn when I was 13 and gay porn from the age of 14. I have watched tons and tons of porn over the years, in virtually all legal categories. My favourite gay porn star was always Jesse Starr, a slim, smooth circumcised American twink. Watching lots of gay porn, most of which features American actors who are circumcised, helped me somewhat to like my circumcised penis but it still didn't help that much, as most UK porn actors were still uncut and I didn't really feel that American circumcised cock was relatable to my particular situation.
Are any members of your immediate family circumcised?
I am an only child and have never lived with my dad. As far as I'm aware, nobody in my entire family is circumcised and certainly not anyone in my immediate family.
At what age were you circumcised?
I was first circumcised when I was 8, in July 2002. I then had my frenulum completely excised when I was 17 in August 2011.
What is the main reason you were circumcised?
I was originally circumcised when I was 8 because of phimosis. My foreskin was far too tight and it was both bleeding and covering my urethra, making it difficult and painful for me to urinate. I had absolutely no way of retracting it and surgery was seen as the only way of relieving the symptoms.
My first circumcision was what you would probably consider partly botched. I was left with most of my frenulum looking quite ugly, multiple stitch tunnels and an uneven circumcision scar. I had a second operation at 17 to remove my frenulum and stitch tunnels to make my penis look cleaner. I think my circumcision looks far better now than before.
Paddington, London
When did you first become aware of circumcision?
I was never really aware of circumcision until I was circumcised. Growing up in an affluent part of Southwest London and attending a private school in the same part of London, I never really saw any other circumcised penises. Even after I was circumcised I didn't know what had been done to my penis until I was about 12 or 13. I always thought something was wrong with my penis. In fact I only first saw another circumcised penis when I was 13. I suddenly didn't feel as isolated as before.
I started watching porn when I was 13 and gay porn from the age of 14. I have watched tons and tons of porn over the years, in virtually all legal categories. My favourite gay porn star was always Jesse Starr, a slim, smooth circumcised American twink. Watching lots of gay porn, most of which features American actors who are circumcised, helped me somewhat to like my circumcised penis but it still didn't help that much, as most UK porn actors were still uncut and I didn't really feel that American circumcised cock was relatable to my particular situation.
Are any members of your immediate family circumcised?
I am an only child and have never lived with my dad. As far as I'm aware, nobody in my entire family is circumcised and certainly not anyone in my immediate family.
At what age were you circumcised?
I was first circumcised when I was 8, in July 2002. I then had my frenulum completely excised when I was 17 in August 2011.
What is the main reason you were circumcised?
I was originally circumcised when I was 8 because of phimosis. My foreskin was far too tight and it was both bleeding and covering my urethra, making it difficult and painful for me to urinate. I had absolutely no way of retracting it and surgery was seen as the only way of relieving the symptoms.
My first circumcision was what you would probably consider partly botched. I was left with most of my frenulum looking quite ugly, multiple stitch tunnels and an uneven circumcision scar. I had a second operation at 17 to remove my frenulum and stitch tunnels to make my penis look cleaner. I think my circumcision looks far better now than before.
"Unlike most other circumcised men, I very very rarely use any lube to wank."
Are you happy about being circumcised?
I am happy now but I used to be terribly unhappy about it, as both a child and a teenager. As previously mentioned, I always felt that something was wrong with my penis. I also felt like an outsider because all the other boys in my class (about 50) until the age of 16, still had their foreskins. So I was always incredibly shy about showing my penis to anyone. I was always very jealous of some of my friends who would show off their penises at any chance.
After my second operation when I was 17, it started to bother me less and less. I moved schools and more boys were circumcised (about 10 out of 60). From about the age of 22 I started to feel proud that I was circumcised and different. Which as any British man will know, the latter is very true.
I am happy now but I used to be terribly unhappy about it, as both a child and a teenager. As previously mentioned, I always felt that something was wrong with my penis. I also felt like an outsider because all the other boys in my class (about 50) until the age of 16, still had their foreskins. So I was always incredibly shy about showing my penis to anyone. I was always very jealous of some of my friends who would show off their penises at any chance.
After my second operation when I was 17, it started to bother me less and less. I moved schools and more boys were circumcised (about 10 out of 60). From about the age of 22 I started to feel proud that I was circumcised and different. Which as any British man will know, the latter is very true.
What is the best/worst thing about being circumcised?
The best thing now about being circumcised is knowing that I am in a fairly unique category and knowing that my penis looks different to most others. So basically I've done a complete 180 on how I used to feel as a child and teenager.
I started masturbating when I was about 12 and have been doing it very regularly ever since (my record is 8 times in one day), and trust me that is not an exaggeration! Unlike most other circumcised men, I very very rarely use any lube to wank. I probably only use lube about 1-2% of the time I wank. I find that I prefer the rough feeling of wanking raw, than my helmet being all slippery. As a general rule, I wank dry up until about the third time and then if I want more, I will use lube to make sure everything doesn't get too sore. Although a few years ago, I did end up with urethritis through wanking too hard, which took about a month to clear up and was very painful. I know it was due to masturbating because I hadn't had any sex anywhere near that period and I was also tested.
The worst thing about being circumcised is that I do sometimes wonder if I'm missing some of the sensitivity that I might have had, if I was uncut.
The best thing now about being circumcised is knowing that I am in a fairly unique category and knowing that my penis looks different to most others. So basically I've done a complete 180 on how I used to feel as a child and teenager.
I started masturbating when I was about 12 and have been doing it very regularly ever since (my record is 8 times in one day), and trust me that is not an exaggeration! Unlike most other circumcised men, I very very rarely use any lube to wank. I probably only use lube about 1-2% of the time I wank. I find that I prefer the rough feeling of wanking raw, than my helmet being all slippery. As a general rule, I wank dry up until about the third time and then if I want more, I will use lube to make sure everything doesn't get too sore. Although a few years ago, I did end up with urethritis through wanking too hard, which took about a month to clear up and was very painful. I know it was due to masturbating because I hadn't had any sex anywhere near that period and I was also tested.
The worst thing about being circumcised is that I do sometimes wonder if I'm missing some of the sensitivity that I might have had, if I was uncut.
Have you ever had any memorable conversations about being cut with mates?
I've never really had many conversations about being circumcised with my mates. To be honest only a few of them know I'm circumcised. A few of my sexual partners have commented when they saw I was circumcised but nothing more than just that they were surprised.
If you had a son would you circumcise him?
Well I'm gay, so I don't know if I will ever have children. To be honest if I did have a son, I don't know if I would have him circumcised or not if I still lived in the UK. I would probably give him a choice when he was a bit older.
I've never really had many conversations about being circumcised with my mates. To be honest only a few of them know I'm circumcised. A few of my sexual partners have commented when they saw I was circumcised but nothing more than just that they were surprised.
If you had a son would you circumcise him?
Well I'm gay, so I don't know if I will ever have children. To be honest if I did have a son, I don't know if I would have him circumcised or not if I still lived in the UK. I would probably give him a choice when he was a bit older.