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New debate on circumcision
Medical authorities poised to tout health benefits
and reignite controversy with reversal of opinion
MEGAN OGILVIE
HEALTH REPORTER
To some, it is a cultural ritual. Oth-
ers consider it a cosmetic proce-
dure that ensures a son will look
like his father. One faction believes
it can save lives. Still others say it is a
desecration of the human body.
Male circumcision has long incit-
THE PARADE
Leafs general manager Brian Burke and his wife, Jennifer, are cheered by the crowds as they walk in the Pride Parade on Sunday in memory of his son Brendan, pictured below, who died in a
car crash in February. Burke said he promised his 21-year-old son, who was openly gay, that they would march together in this year’s parade.
A father’s pride
Leafs GM marches for his dead son Brendan,
‘a hero’ who dared to be an openly gay athlete
AMY DEMPSEY
STAFF REPORTER
Neon and spandex, glitter and se-
quins, miscellaneous naked body
parts and the deafening roar of a
ready-and-waiting Pride crowd fill
the air.
In the middle of it all stands a
grey-haired man in a polo shirt and
END OF MINING STRIKE?
After being idled nearly a year, more
than 3,100 workers at Vale in Sud-
bury and Port Colborne are voting
on a tentative new contract this
week. The strike is the longest walk-
out in the history of the former Inco
mining operation. Story on A4
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ON0
ALL-STAR
JAYS
ed debate over its merit.
But the controversy over preserv-
ing an infant boy’s foreskin has
reached a new frenzy as Canadian
and U.S. health authorities are
poised to issue major evaluations
on circumcision and its potential
health benefits.
The reassessments by the Canadi-
Hundreds of thousands braved the sweltering heat Sunday for the 30th annual Pride Parade.
But, unlike the last big event in Toronto, police are getting good reviews. Page GT1
running shoes, thick hands folded
across his broad chest, piercing
brown eyes hidden behind dark
sunglasses.
He turns his head, looks around,
shifts from left to right.
As cheers and whistles signal the
parade is about to begin, the man
pulls off his blue polo shirt and
Mammoliti to drop mayoral bid, giving Ford a boost
Right-wing
candidate’s
votes likely
to migrate
to old rival
Jose Bautista and
catcher John Buck
join Vernon Wells
on the roster, S1
H thestar.com
an Pediatric Society and the Amer-
ican Academy of Pediatrics are wel-
comed by pediatricians who say
new guidance for parents is over-
due. But critics are incensed that
the procedure — which they liken to
genital mutilation — is even being
talked about in medical circles.
“Proponents of circumcision have
been chasing rationales for the last
150 years,” said Georganne Chapin,
executive director of the advocacy
group Intact America. “You cannot
slides a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey
over his head. The number 88 is
emblazoned on the back. The name
above it: Brendan.
A buzz zips through the crowd.
“Is that Brian?”
“Yup, that’s him.”
Last year, Brian Burke watched
the Pride Parade with his son Bren-
dan. This year he’s marching for
him.
“I promised my son I’d march with
him, and he’s not here,” Burke says.
ROBYN DOOLITTLE
URBAN AFFAIRS REPORTER
With Giorgio Mammoliti’s exit
from the mayoral race — a move he
is scheduled to officially make
around noon Monday — the candi-
date poised to gain the most is
Mammoliti’s longtime political ri-
val, Rob Ford.
Internal polling from the Mam-
moliti camp shows virtually all the
right-wing councillor’s support will
fall to his conservative rival.
While Mammoliti only holds
about 4 per cent of decided votes,
H MONDAY, JULY 5, 2010
be cutting off healthy body parts
from healthy babies and justifying
it for some punitive medical bene-
fits down the line.”
Currently, the Canadian and U.S.
pediatric associations say the pro-
cedure is not medically necessary.
That stance could change after re-
cent studies show circumcised het-
erosexual males are less likely to
contract HIV and other sexually
transmitted infections than men
whose foreskins are intact.
“He would have wanted us to do
this.”
Brendan Burke, 21, died in a win-
ter storm car crash in February.
Three years ago, Brendan told his
family he was gay. His father, Leafs
general manager and longtime
NHL tough guy, accepted his son’s
sexuality immediately and uncon-
ditionally.
When news that Brendan was gay
hit the media last November, the
Burke family became pioneers for
two June polls show Ford in near
deadlock with George Smitherman.
“For somebody like Rob Ford, who
is in close contention with George
Smitherman for the lead these days,
a difference of 2 to 3 per cent could
make all the difference,” said Jodi
Shanoff, a vice-president of Public
Affairs with Angus Reid Public
Opinion. “And if (Ford) doesn’t
need to compete with another voice
at that end of the spectrum, that
will also be very helpful for him.”
As of late Sunday, Mammoliti’s
spokesperson Dan Leggieri would
without
surgery,
1.877.356.7776
scarring or
downtime!
www.skinvitality.ca
The most compelling research,
conducted in three African coun-
tries, persuaded the World Health
Organization to state in December
that circumcision is an effective in-
tervention for HIV prevention.
The studies also pushed the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control to look
at circumcision as a possible pre-
vention strategy for HIV and other
sexually transmitted infections.
CIRCUMCISION continued on A9
To see a photo gallery of Sunday’s
Pride Parade, go to thestar.com
VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR
acceptance in a sport that has never
had an openly gay athlete.
And on Sunday Burke took the ulti-
mate step — marching with parents
and friends of other gays and lesbi-
ans past more than a million cheer-
ing onlookers at Toronto’s annual
Pride Parade.
Before the march, Burke anticipat-
ed the event would be “personal and
difficult despite its public nature.”
BURKE continued on A8
not confirm the councillor is drop-
ping out.
A press release promised: “Mon-
day’s announcement will be very
exciting, with an added surprise
that will alter the landscape of the
2010 municipal election.”
The added surprise? Little-known
candidate Rocco Achampong,
whose main contribution to the
race has been demanding to be in-
cluded in the debates, has been in-
vited to the news conference.
MAMMOLITI continued on A9