Being circumcised in Spain

In Spain circumcision is rare, even information is non-existent. It is generally practiced either for religion such as Jews and Muslims or for medical reasons.

Currently, due to the large number of migrants from Africa and other countries where the practice is common, there has been an increase in its practice, although it is difficult to say by percentage how many are and how many are not, due to the lack of a registry open to the public. According to Wikipedia, about 4.4% of the population is Muslim, and 0.2% is Jewish (ed).

I grew up in the Catalunya (Catalonia) area where the topic is even rarer, since it is in the north of Spain. In the south you may find a little more on this topic since they are close to Morocco. In my case, I was circumcised for a recurrent infection as a child at the age of 6. I don't know what style or method was used. I only remember the visits to the doctor since I was 5 years old and the constant inflammation of my foreskin. The first time the doctor recommended cream and a lot of hygiene. But it didn't work because at my 6-year check-up the doctor detected inflammation. So he recommended surgery and my dad accepted. The operation was in a public hospital and was scheduled one month after that appointment. On day 0 my dad took me to the hospital and the doctor was already waiting for me, they put the gown on me and the doctor started talking to my dad, from then on I no longer remember just waking up and receiving attention and gifts from my parents. The next few days were very annoying because it was summer, I lived naked because I couldn't put on clothes, I was wearing my older brother's t-shirt.

I remember this state that lasted all summer. Hence the typical discomfort when playing sports due to friction with clothing when running, nothing that a good Vaseline will prevent.

Growing up being the only one circumcised was very strange because I used to be the center of attention in the bathrooms of public pools, in the shower after sports, on the beach where it was normal to go naked or with minimal clothing, and living with my cousins. Here this topic is so taboo that no one says they circumcised you, rather they usually say they operated on you for phimosis even though that was not the reason. This is due to the time of Francoism, where freedom of worship was prohibited and only Catholicism was recognized, so circumcision was prohibited. This lasted until Franco's death, from there it has been a long road where the fears and traumas on this and other issues continue.

From 6 to 12 I only met one child with my same condition at school and he was a foreigner whose father was working in the country. From 12 onwards I had to live in the US for a while where I finally felt somewhat normal, since I was part of the majority.

At 16 I returned for a brief time to Spain and from there at 18 I returned to the US to do an exchange year, but I ended up staying because I met my wife. I currently live in the US where I married a Mexican, and I have 3 children. At the moment none circumcised.

Koa