Tough Guy

Mathew Rodriguez (they/he) is an award-winning Brooklyn-based freelance writer and editor who has previously served as a senior editor at The Atlantic, Them, and The Body. Rodriguez’s work has also been featured in Teen Vogue, Slate, The Village Voice, SELF, Out, The Advocate, INTO, The Body, POZ, and Remezcla, among other publications. Their essay “Are You My Papi?” was featured in the anthology Modern Loss: Candid Conversations about Grief (HarperWave, 2018), and an essay of his on queer sexuality is featured in A Great Gay Book: Stories of Growth, Belonging, & Other Queer Possibilities (Abrams, 2024). Rodriguez’s debut YA graphic novel, Carlos Alejos Has to Lose His Chichos, illustrated by Charlot Kristensen, was published by FSG Kids in 2025. He holds a BA in English and Comparative literature from Fordham University and an MA in journalism from NYU, and has served as a guest lecturer at Fordham, the City University of New York, and NYU.