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Illustrations by Giacomo Gambineri 7

Photograph by Dan Winters for The New York Times

The Thread

Readers respond to the 3.22.2019 issue.

RE: THE WING

Amanda Hess reported on the co-working

space’s service staff.

Sisterhood, where women treat each

other fairly and respectfully, has long

been thought of as a utopia. This article

illustrates that very nicely. The day that

women like the C.E.O. and members of

the Wing clubs change their behavior

from entitlement to support of the less

privileged, hard-working women will be

the day that sisterhood fi nally arrives.

Lizzy, E.U.

I want to thank Amanda Hess for this

fascinating feature on The Wing. The

merchandising of feminism has nothing

to do with equal pay and equal rights for

women. This article is a useful remind-

er to all of us, regardless of sex, that the

issues for women are not paint color or

beauty products, but the lack of an E.R.A.

in our Constitution and the current chal-

lenge facing women’s abortion rights.

Rachel Kaplan, Paris, France

RE: LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

Christian Wiman wrote an appreciation

of gy ms.

I so laughed out loud with Christian

Wiman. Since childhood, I, too, have used

gyms to escape family stress, social stress

and work stress. Thank you, thank you,

thank you for describing the self-forgive-

ness we share in there, and for the poetry

of tearing ‘‘a spiritual tendon’’ when a fel-

low gym-goer shattered the peace with a

question about our current leader.

Nadine Maleski, Somerville, N.J.

creative nonfi ction at its most powerful.

Georgianna de la Torre, San Francisco

Sarah Viren is a wonderfully creative non-

fi ction writer. I was a bit spellbound read-

ing this. I look forward to more stories of

real people from her; stories written from

her curiosity and interest and care regard-

ing her subject, not from the pain and fear

and shock she endured to write this one.

Augusta, New York

I was riveted reading Sarah Viren’s truth.

I am so very sorry she had to endure the

harassment and I am equally glad that she

and Marta worked together to uncover

the facts. Of course, you know there is a

movie script here.

Kim, Port Charlotte, Fla.

I was in a dark mood already about the

state of the world, but then after reading

how Title IX, a federal law, was used to

maliciously attack two honorable pro-

fessors made it even darker. The article

was vividly written by Sarah Viren, and

the roller-coaster ride she and her wife

had to endure to clear their good names

was outrageous! Her compelling and bril-

liant writing demonstrates why she was

off ered her dream job; but still, the actual

outcome was such a travesty! As someone

from one of the fi rst classes of female stu-

dent-athletes to receive an athletic schol-

arship (a wildly novel idea in the 1970s),

I am one of the millions of women who

fought for Title IX and benefi ted from it.

I have always pointed to Title IX as a law

that worked as intended. This article is

a chance for Title IX administrators to

learn how they might fi x this part of it.

M.E. Schutten, Portland, Ore.

Send your thoughts to [email protected].

‘I was

delighted to

learn that

ultimately truth

triumphed.’

THE STORY,

ON TWITTER

Very unbiased

view of the man

and his values.

@hummuslite

I started going to the gym in my mid-

20s. I am now 69 and still go to the gym,

but I gave up ‘‘putting on muscle’’ and

‘‘getting a body’’ a long time ago. Thanks,

Christian Wiman, for explaining to me

why I continue to go even now. The

experience of oblivion and anonymity

is a very powerful pull.

Fred Fejes, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

RE: THE ACCUSATION

Sarah Viren wrote about the false allegations

of sexual harassment against her wife, and

the path to proving their innocence.

I was so emotionally moved by the article

written by Sarah Viren I was compelled

to refl ect on the toxic dangers of social

media. I have been a practicing attor-

ney for 60 years, where truth matters.

My initial response is to commend the

author for an articulate and beautifully

composed article. Although the author

and her wife suff ered greatly throughout

their ordeal, I was delighted to learn that

ultimately truth triumphed.

Barry R. Mandelbaum, New Jersey

Jaw-dropping. Thank you, not just for

sharing this story, but for giving it the

depth of context it deserves. The inter-

nal panic of not being believed (and not

knowing what to believe) is conveyed

here with alarming clarity.

Dave, Youngstown, Ohio

Thank you for this compelling and mas-

terfully written essay. I found the layers

of the narrative fascinating — the stark

bureaucracy against the hopes and dreams

of a married couple at midlife. The con-

fl icting stories told by people whose lives

are dedicated to writing stories. This is