Clitoraid
Clitoraid is a non-profit project started by the Raelian movement to combat female genital mutilation.
The project was started in 2005[1] or 2006.[2] The Raelian movement sees sexual gratification as a positive thing and Clitoraid has sponsored clitoral reconstruction for African women and sought to build a hospital in Burkina Faso[3][4] where they can also receive post-operative instruction in masturbation.[5] Clitoraid has an Adopt a Clitoris sponsorship program,[6] which it has promoted at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.[1][7]
In 2010, on the encouragement of sexologist Betty Dodson, the San Francisco-based sex shop chain Good Vibrations pledged financial support to Clitoraid including asking customers to make donations; the company rescinded the offer after protests that the effort was misplaced, especially from Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco.[2][8] In 2013 Clitoraid designated the week of 6–12 May as "International Clitoris Awareness Week".[9]
In 2014 opening of the Kamkaso Hospital or The Pleasure Hospital at Bobo-Dioulasso was delayed by the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health.[10] Clitoraid blamed the Catholic Church.[11]
In 2015, in response to a dispute over the circumcision of a 4-year-old boy in the US, Clitoraid issued a press release supporting the mother who did not want the circumcision. They also called on the United Nations to ban the practice: "Bodily harm is against the fundamental rights of all children, and we can’t understand when a so-called civilized country such as the United States would allow its male babies to be so readily mutilated legally!"[12]
References
- ^ a b "Clitoraid at the AVN Porn Convention in Las Vegas". Raelia News. 23 January 2007.
- ^ a b Blue, Violet (19 May 2010). "Good Vibrations And The Clitoris Saving Alien Cult". SF Appeal.
- ^ Strickland, Eliza (19 February 2008). "Raelians Rocket From Clones to Clitorises". Wired. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010.
- ^ "Deploring death of teenage Kenyan FGM Victim". Newstime Africa. 23 April 2014.
- ^ "'Pleasure hospital' in Burkina Faso to restore clitoral functioning for women mutilated in childhood". Raelia News. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ^ "Adopt A Clitoris". Raelia News. 15 May 2006.
- ^ Fretwell, Alonzo (31 January 2011). "Clitoraid at 2011 Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas". Raelia News.
- ^ Millner, Caille (14 April 2010). "Wrong approach to ending genital mutilation". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Moye, David (5 February 2013). "'International Clitoris Awareness Week' Takes Place May 6-12 (NSFW)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ Lloyd-Roberts, Sue (16 March 2014). "FGM, Clitoraid and The Pleasure Hospital: US sect the Raëlians' quest to 'restore' women scarred by female genital mutilation in Burkina Faso". The Independent.
- ^ Clitoraid Inc. "Catholic Church prevents March 7 opening of Clitoraid's 'Pleasure Hospital' - Clitoraid.org Restoring a Sense of Pleasure and Dignity". clitoraid.org. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Press release: "Clitoraid supports Florida mother who faces prison for refusing to have her little boy Genitally Mutilated. Clitoraid asks U.N. to ban childhood Genital Mutilation worldwide for both genders"". Clitoraid. Retrieved 6 August 2015.