Daddy

Christopher Lee's "Daddy: Collected Poems" retells books of the Bible with a fetish twist. Poems in this collection combine sacred scripture, erotica, and the Dad/son trope to affirm gay sex and sexuality. Meant as a metaphor, the terms of "Dad" and "son" are used to reflect deep, intimate love between all men and do not denote biological relations. In spite of many legal and religious milestones in gay rights gained from the prior century and this one, it remains hard to reconcile sexuality with religion. Far too many LGBT youth are still bullied, left homeless, and exiled from the same "supposedly loving" religious and familial communities that are supposed to take care of them. While there are many strides for which we should celebrate, there is much work to be done for tearing down walls, built of ignorance, fear, and abhorrence. The place of this book does not exist in any one city, or if it does, it remains a well-guarded secret. Instead, this book contributes to a gay mythology, a place where both men-who-sleep-with-men and gay men can express love for each other with genuine desire, admiration, and boasting. Its physical location may be "created," but through the book's verses, male bonding and the familiar devotion of male same-sex lovers is described with sincerity and truth.