4 new york | january 3–16, 2022
Comments
1 ForNew York’s latest cover story,
Gabriel Mac wrote about how phallo
plasty saved his life (“My Penis, Myself,”
December 20, 2021–January 2, 2022).
Documentaryvideo editor Miles Hill
thanked Mac for his “vulnerability and for
putting this all on the page! Very helpful to
me in my own process,” and Elizabeth
C. McLaughlin called it“one of the most
beautiful and moving things I’ve ever read.
It gives me such hope, how the capacity to
self-define can break through every barrier
and transform us into something
glorious.” Gimlet’s Reyhan Harmanci
wrote, “Congrats ... on the new dick, and to
us, for such a visceral reminder that we are
flesh and bone and still something else.”
Some readers challenged the ethics of pub
lishing Mac’s essay. The popular Canadian
psychologist Jordan Peterson tweeted,
“Confused teenagers will take this as a
guide. Is that the point @NewYorkMag
@intelligencer? Do you completely lack
awareness and conscience? For shame.
Truly.” National Review’s Madeleine Kearns
added, “While the facts of the story suggest
one conclusion—i.e., this is not an advisable
treatment for gender dysphoria—the author
repeatedly boasts of its empowering capa
bilities. Indeed, the overarching narrative is
that the new penis is salvation, a deliverance
from torment, a redemption that’s worth
while no matter the cost (even death). As
gripping as such testimony often is, the ob
jective evidence tells a different story.” In the
feature’s comments section, drlindsay
c ons ading
a d ny of
th have eated
for centuries. Go back and read some
commentaries about gay people from the
1950s. We were psychologically sick, not
to be believed.”Writer Ephrom Josine
wrote, “Honestly, the main reason why
transphobes hate this article is because it
clearly lays out what gender dysphoria is like
in a way that anyone can understand.”2 Esther Wang reported on how the
Museum of Chinese in America is
caught in a fight over the future of China
town (“The Jail Money Trap,” December
20, 2021–January 2, 2022). David Eng
Chernack tweeted that it was the “most
detailed article yet on the ... brouhaha and
shedding light on the dangers of getting
into bed with the wrong funder.” Aaron
Yin, cohost of thePolitically Asian!pod
cast, critiqued, “As someone who’s been
attending these pickets weekly since May,
I dislike howthis piece largely centers
the feelings of upper-class Asians and
MOCA board members and puts the per-
spective of the unemployed restaurant
workers at the very end.”Ian Shin, an
assistant professor of history and Asian
American studies at the University of
Michigan, wrote, “This piece is hard but
vital read ... bc there are no heroes or
villains here. The tension between China
town needs and MOCA’s funding is a
microcosm of the broader discussion a/b
what happens when the Asian Am move
ment ‘grows up.’”3 In “Gina. Rosanne. Guy.,” Kerry
Howley traced what led three people
e Ca n January 6 and what they
(D er 20, 2021–January 2,
2). K ustin’s Matt Largey tweet
ed, “This is very, very good and you should
read it. Jan. 6 is always reduced to 2dimensions, but @KerryHowley made
this with incredible complexity and empa
thy.” Wasabi Ventures cofounder Chris
Yeh called the report a “chilling, mad
dening story of how ordinary people—a
salon owner, a cool dad, and a loving sister
and aunt—were radicalized by propagan
da, and ended up losing their careers, free
dom, and even life as a result of the Janu
ary 6 insurrection.” North Carolina State
associate history professor Brent Sirota
wrote that the story “is a morbidly com
pelling study in American social alien
ation.” Others praised the quality of
Howley’s storytelling. @linndaisy46 said,
“Beautifully written and poignant. It is so
easy to dehumanize the rioters that
attacked the capitol and see them as a
single unit. Understanding them at the
individual level may help us root out
what lead them to their actions and, per
haps, help us to stop this cycle.”4 “Bill de Blasio Did What New
Yorkers Wanted,” David Freedlander
wrote—so why is he leaving office so un
popular (December 20, 2021–January 2,
2022)? NBC News’ Ginger Gibson an
swered, “My theory this whole time: New
Yorkers just need something to complain
about. And so for 8 years, they all scratched
that itch complaining about de Blasio—
often with the dumbest complaints. It
wasn’t that they disliked the job he was
doing. It was that they loved to hate him.”
Peter Moskos, a law professor at John Jay
College, added, “It’s impossible to be a
good leader if you’re a horrible manager.
And being an arrogant ass doesn’t help.”Y D
T
A
M
AGINA BISIGNANOBY KERRYHOWLEY
ROSANNE BOYLAND32 new york | december 20 2021 january 2 2022 Photo il ustrations by John Ritter GUY REFFITT® December 20 2021 Ja uary 2 2022
I didn’t need
a penis to be
a man.
needed But I
to be one
myself.By
Gabriel MacSend correspondence to [email protected].
Or go to nymag.com to respond to individual stories.Banca do Antfer
Telegram: https://t.me/bancadoantfer
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