I have been debating publishing this post for a while, unsure of what I feel about this situation. I feel like he would have wanted the truth to be known. I feel like his sadness, his life, and his dark truth deserve a legacy of their own.
The young man in the photos above is Brian Mathew Brandt.
He was born on October 7th, 1983.
Brian grew up in Santa Cruz where he attended Westlake Elementary School, Mission Hill Junior High School, and was a graduate of Santa Cruz High School.
After graduating from SCHS, Brian went on to take on a few jobs after high school, finally ending up working at a local gym for about two and a half years.
Brian enjoyed traveling and playing the guitar. Brian also loved skateboarding.
Brian would have been 29 this year.
Behind his smile and his brown eyes, Brian was harboring a deep and and haunting pain.
He hated both himself and his mother over a botched circumcision that had been performed on him shortly after birth.
He felt that he was mutilated and could never have sexual relations.
He used to speak frequently about intactivism at his workplace when he was still alive.
He sought out closure on the botched circumcision that had haunted him his entire life—he tried to go through court, judges, and doctors only to have door after door shut on him. None of them took his feelings or concerns seriously.
On November 2, 2011, Brian passed away in his home. He took his own life.
He left behind his parents, a sister, a step sister, maternal grandparents, and many nieces, uncles, cousins, and aunts.
His obituary was published a little over a year ago.
His Facebook account is still around.
His Twitter account tells of the torment that he felt.
He is more than just another name.
He joins the ranks of people like Jamaal Coleson, Ryleigh McWillis, and David Reimer.
He is more than a statistic.
He was a human being with life, hope, emotions, and dreams.
He is a casualty of male genital mutilation.
May he rest in peace, and may his memory and his message live on.
(Source: nocirc.org)
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