November 14, 2023
The American Academy of Pediatrics held its 2023 conference in Washington DC during the weekend of October 21. After the Covid-19 pandemic, this marked the first time since 2019 that the Blood Stained Men group protested the AAP conference. Consequently Circumcision Choice was on hand to counter-protest in support of the doctors.
In previous years up to 50-60 anti-circumcision protesters participated. This year only about 15 showed up. The protesters set up outside the Washington DC Convention Center. Three Circumcision Choice counter-protesters were across the street. Most of the doctors passed by us to or from the convention center. We chatted with them, expressed our support, and handed out Circumcision Choice postcards. Several AAP members took photos of us and our sign.
We had a powerful megaphone that we used to great effect. We mocked the protesters, criticized their signs, and warned them not to harass the doctors. The protesters heard every word, as demonstrated by the videos that they posted on their Facebook pages. One of the protesters also used a loudspeaker, but her device was less powerful. We continually teased her that we couldn't hear her and she needed to speak louder.
One of the protesters was David Wilson, a 70 year-old man with dreadlocks. He is a longtime member of the Blood Stained Men and has protested with them more than a hundred times. Wilson has a lengthy criminal record in Brevard County, Florida. He has been charged with multiple counts of domestic violence via battery by strangulation. We have spoken with two of his daughters. They report that Wilson was abusive to all of his wives and two of his daughters, that he beat his children with a paddle, that he strangled his wives and one of his daughters while she was pregnant with his grandson, and that he has never paid child support. When notified of the birth of his grandson, Wilson's only concern was whether the boy was circumcised.
When we saw Wilson across the street, we taunted him, saying "David Wilson - We know what you've done." "David Wilson - your daughters have told us what you did." Wilson looked straight at us and with his hand made a cutthroat gesture. We took that as a death threat, and immediately called him out. This isn't the first time that an intactivist has threatened us with physical harm. We will not be intimidated.
We later learned that another protester was Parrish King, a failed candidate for the Jacksonville, Florida city council. Out of five candidates King finished in last place with just 2% of the vote. King has promoted vile antisemitic myths about the Talmud, the primary body of Jewish legal commentary. King spread a quote invented by a Palestinian terrorist group claiming that the Jews control America - a quote falsely attributed to an Israeli prime minister. If we had recognized King, we would have mocked him, too.