Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 26
Michael Phillips Raises $9,500 for $22,000 Micropenis Surgery as Urination Problems Drive Appeal
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 26

Michael Phillips Raises $9,500 for $22,000 Micropenis Surgery as Urination Problems Drive Appeal

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 26

Summary

  • More than $9,500 had been pledged by Friday morning to Michael Phillips’s GoFundMe, which seeks $22,000 for enlargement surgery and injections.
  • Phillips said the procedure is aimed at improving urination rather than curing his micropenis, which he says measures 0.38 inches erect and leaves him relying on adult diapers.
  • GoFundMe said it verified the campaign, and Phillips confirmed by text that he created it after saying he had already saved as much as he could toward the operation.
  • Phillips drew global attention in February by claiming to have the world’s smallest penis and framing his publicity as advocacy against body shaming around the rare condition.

Insights

Will a risky $22,000 surgery solve his medical issues or just the insecurities amplified by online fame?
Does crowdfunding this surgery fight body shaming, or does it reinforce the very standards causing the problem?
With new FDA-cleared implants available, is this proposed traditional surgery the safest and most effective medical path?