The Diary of a Sugarbaby

Book excerpt: “I was a sugarbaby, I admit. I am not proud of it, though others seem to sensationalize the lifestyle. They see glitz and glamor, never food or a place to sleep. Film and literature have only shown one side of a sugarbaby’s life. They villainize us and make us out to be either sluts or golddiggers or airheads. And well, they’re right. I am no saint. I am a whore—a selfish, greedy, ageist whore who is worth nothing except in bed. Life was no fairytale as a sugarbaby. But it was one grotesque, unlawful act after another. Yet somehow, that life pales in comparison to my life as a Minor. While sugaring and Minority have similarities, no one could’ve prepared me for what the Divided did to us.” In J. Q. Gagliastro’s dystopian future, the aging patriarchy and rising hate crimes have led to a mass genocide of queer Americans. Oppression has killed what was left of the United and sired what has now become the Divided, a world where human trafficking is legal, the youth are sexualized, and heteronormativity is enforced. Dime—a former sugarbaby—chronicles his experiences as the nation around him embraces gerontocracy, and he himself becomes the property of an Elder. Deprived of his freedoms, his family, and even music, Dime clings to his memories all the while grappling with the concepts of family, home, and depth in love. A scathing satire, a cautionary tale, and a reflection of its time!