Gay Mormon Dad

Graymalkin Lane podcaster Anderson and indie cartoonist Burke debut with an inspiring graphic memoir detailing Anderson’s path from an unhappy childhood steeped in Mormon doctrine to an out-and-proud gay man and father. Anderson traces his history of traumas, including sexual abuse from an older brother and emotional and physical abuse from his stepfather (who his abused mother ultimately gets a restraining order against), and the constant pressure to stifle any desires deemed unacceptable by the strict Mormon moral code. As an adult, Anderson attempts to live as a straight male, marrying a woman named Maggie and raising two sons with her. But walking a tightrope while “keeping himself so small” throws everything off-balance, resulting in his “constant state of depression.” At one point, his therapist offers the insight that Anderson has been the victim of multiple abuses, not only sexual or physical: “Verbal. Psychological. And spiritual.” Finally, Anderson leaves the church, redefines his relationship with Maggie and his boys (“We aren’t friends, but we are respectful co-parents”), and begins to date men. Throughout, Anderson intersperses brief prose pieces that deepen the narrative, while Remy Burke’s drawings keep the action clear and concise. Anderson concludes with a brief mediative piece titled “You are alive. Are you living?” that gracefully sums up his journey. The hard-won insights here will resonate for fans of queer memoir—and any reader who has faced major life transformations. (May)