Writing
fromThe New Yorker
2 hours ago"Half Man" Tests the Limits of Brotherly Love
Gadd's 'Half Man' explores themes of internalized homophobia and victimhood with a richer, more mature narrative than his previous work.
"When I told the kids, I just felt like all that bullying, all that fear and all of that, I guess, abuse I went through as a kid, I was putting on to them," Appleton told Attwood. "As a parent, all you want to do is protect your kids. If someone hits your kids in the playground, you want to go find the f***** and kill them. You just say, 'Who was it?' You have that protective instinct to protect them from harm."
In sessions with clients, I've noticed Valentine's Day tends to amplify pressure around dating, desirability, and how we present ourselves. One of the more common ways gay men manage these pressures is through vocal code-switching-adjusting the pitch or quality of their voice to sound more traditionally masculine or "straight-passing." While often framed as self-protection, vocal masking can undermine authenticity and connection in ways we don't always recognize.