What kind of connection can I make from Calvin and Hobbes?
That’s the setup. Here’s the payoff:
Girls need protection from the actions of adults. Boys don’t need that protection because they’re tougher and can handle anything. Even a scalpel to the genitals, right?
Yes, I understand the humor, but I don’t find the extreme version of this thinking funny or compelling. Believing that the recipient’s gender determines the acceptability of a specific action is indefensible sexism. Equality considers human beings, not different standards based on whether the person has a penis or a vagina. This is as true with circumcision as it is with equal pay.