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No, Trump is not 'Daddy': a queer explainer
Words have meaning. That's a phrase conservatives love to throw around when talking about sex and gender. So why, when it comes to stealing gay terms, do conservatives toss the real meaning out the window?
One of the many, many disturbing trends among those on the right is the dubbing of current President Donald Trump as “Daddy.” Many of his fans shout from the rooftops how much they love "Daddy Trump" and how they trust him with their lives. Do they know that for most people who use the slang term, Daddy has sexual, and often gay, meanings? Do they care?
Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson spoke at a Trump rally ahead of the election last year, where he said that Trump winning the presidential election would be like that old childhood threat when "dad gets home," meaning punishment would be doled out and order restored. He compared America to a "hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter" who slams her bedroom door.
"When Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl, you’ve been a bad little girl, and you’re getting a vigorous spanking right now,’” Carlson said to thunderous applause. “And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it’s not. I’m not going to lie. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. You’re getting a vigorous spanking because you’ve been a bad girl."
Not satisfied with how far he had gone, the crowd began chanting, "Daddy's home!"
"Dad" wasn't enough; they needed the raw sexual energy of "Daddy."
The trend took off again at the end of June when NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called Trump "Daddy" during a NATO meeting.
Trump had compared Israel and Iran to "two kids in a schoolyard" who are fighting "like hell."
"Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop," Rutte said.
Rutte later told Reuters that he was referring to the United States as "Daddy," rather than Trump.
"In Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, 'Hey, Mark, will the U.S. stay with us?' And I said that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, 'Hey, are you still staying with the family?'" Rutte said.
Trump, however, embraced it, saying, "He did it very affectionately, 'Daddy, you're my daddy,'" per Yahoo News.
Now, the Trump White House is running with the title, releasing a video posted to social media that says, "Daddy's Home." The video features images of Trump at the summit and includes Usher's song "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)".
Trump is even selling shirts for his fans to wear, emblazoned with his infamous mugshot and the word "DADDY." Now, voters everywhere can let the whole world know Trump is their Daddy and they are his boys.
When conservatives are calling Trump "Daddy," what do they think they are saying?
As gay Michigan state senator Jeremy Moss told republican lawmaker Jonathan Lindsay when he suggested that more people should call the president "Daddy Trump," "You don't want to know what daddy means in my community."
Still, we're going to tell you.
The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang lists the oldest recorded use of "Daddy" as slang in 1681 when prostitutes used it to refer to their pimp.
Maybe conservatives aren't using it so wrong after all…
In more modern usage, the term took off in popularity in the 1970s in the gay leather subculture, where Leather Daddies were typically dominant, masculine figures in the BDSM community.
It's also a popular term in the straight BDSM and kink community. The term may not be as gay there, but it's still about sexual domination and a paternalistic role.
Daddies are everything men want to be as they get older. If you take all the things that are attractive about aging, being established, emotional maturity, and life experience, and you get a Daddy.
Trump is old, and he is a man, we'll give him that. And technically, he is a father. But the Daddy stops there.
According to countryqueer.com, one of the key characteristics of a Leather Daddy is hypermasculinity. "Emphasis on rugged, mature masculinity — beards, muscles, body hair, and a strong, confident posture."
Daddies are well-dressed, with impeccably tailored suits, well-maintained haircuts, and sharp grooming.
They don't wear ill-fitting suits, layers of fake tan, and ever-moving comb-overs.
They are charming and likable. These aren’t bad dads. A daddy is the best dad you can imagine. He's someone you want to spend time with and someone you want to emulate.
"Daddies are eroticized versions of the father figure, authoritative and in control," The San Francisco Standard writes."Sexually, a daddy is usually the top. If the relationship is rooted in BDSM, as many are, he’s also the dom, or even a master."
Richard Prott, a professor of sexual identity development, is quoted in The Standard, saying, "In the context where I run, that flair tends to be one of protector, guide, mentor."
A Daddy is strong and steadfast. He knows what he’s doing, he’s capable and good at what he does. He provides stability and protection from all the chaos of the world; he doesn't cause it.
He is an alpha and a leader. He's not the kind of man who kowtows to any foreign leader who might have something to offer him. He's not the kind of weak-willed man who turns his country into an international pariah so that he can appease the one world leader who puffs him up.
Daddies are providers and authority figures and have their community's best interests at heart. They take care of the people who call them Daddy, making their lives better. They make them feel safe and cared for.
They don't cut health insurance and nutrition programs. They don't break Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs that have been working for years. They don't end federal HIV prevention programs.
They don't rush into a military airstrike against Iran that could further destabilize the region and cause Americans across the country to fear that a world war is starting.
A Daddy fights his own battles. He doesn't rely on curable "heel spurs" to avoid serving in the military.
A Daddy respects women and people who are different from him, and earns respect in return. They aren't found liable for sexual abuse and ordered to pay millions of dollars by a judge.
You know who is a Daddy? Wilson Cruz. Not only is he handsome, talented, well-spoken, and well-dressed, but he's a true leader for his community. In addition to being a groundbreaking queer Latino actor, his work with GLAAD and GLSEN saves lives and gives queer youth hope for a better future.
Anderson Cooper is a Daddy. The CNN anchor is a proud father and silver-haired fox, but he also knows when to stand up for what is right. He's not afraid to speak truth to power, and he doesn't compromise his morals to make himself more popular. He also doesn't resort to homophobic insults when talking about people he disagrees with.
Despite having almost no attributes usually found in a "Daddy," conservatives still insist on using the term for Trump. They still feel drawn to it and the sexual connotations that come with it.
If you’re calling Trump "Daddy," you may as well start saying you're bottoming for him, too.
No, Trump is not 'Daddy': a queer explainer
Words have meaning. That's a phrase conservatives love to throw around when talking about sex and gender. So why, when it comes to stealing gay terms, do conservatives toss the real meaning out the window?
One of the many, many disturbing trends among those on the right is the dubbing of current President Donald Trump as “Daddy.” Many of his fans shout from the rooftops how much they love "Daddy Trump" and how they trust him with their lives. Do they know that for most people who use the slang term, Daddy has sexual, and often gay, meanings? Do they care?
Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson spoke at a Trump rally ahead of the election last year, where he said that Trump winning the presidential election would be like that old childhood threat when "dad gets home," meaning punishment would be doled out and order restored. He compared America to a "hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter" who slams her bedroom door.
"When Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl, you’ve been a bad little girl, and you’re getting a vigorous spanking right now,’” Carlson said to thunderous applause. “And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it’s not. I’m not going to lie. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. You’re getting a vigorous spanking because you’ve been a bad girl."
Not satisfied with how far he had gone, the crowd began chanting, "Daddy's home!"
"Dad" wasn't enough; they needed the raw sexual energy of "Daddy."
The trend took off again at the end of June when NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called Trump "Daddy" during a NATO meeting.
Trump had compared Israel and Iran to "two kids in a schoolyard" who are fighting "like hell."
"Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop," Rutte said.
Rutte later told Reuters that he was referring to the United States as "Daddy," rather than Trump.
"In Europe, I hear sometimes countries saying, 'Hey, Mark, will the U.S. stay with us?' And I said that sounds a little bit like a small child asking his daddy, 'Hey, are you still staying with the family?'" Rutte said.
Trump, however, embraced it, saying, "He did it very affectionately, 'Daddy, you're my daddy,'" per Yahoo News.
Now, the Trump White House is running with the title, releasing a video posted to social media that says, "Daddy's Home." The video features images of Trump at the summit and includes Usher's song "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)".
Trump is even selling shirts for his fans to wear, emblazoned with his infamous mugshot and the word "DADDY." Now, voters everywhere can let the whole world know Trump is their Daddy and they are his boys.
When conservatives are calling Trump "Daddy," what do they think they are saying?
As gay Michigan state senator Jeremy Moss told republican lawmaker Jonathan Lindsay when he suggested that more people should call the president "Daddy Trump," "You don't want to know what daddy means in my community."
Still, we're going to tell you.
The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang lists the oldest recorded use of "Daddy" as slang in 1681 when prostitutes used it to refer to their pimp.
Maybe conservatives aren't using it so wrong after all…
In more modern usage, the term took off in popularity in the 1970s in the gay leather subculture, where Leather Daddies were typically dominant, masculine figures in the BDSM community.
It's also a popular term in the straight BDSM and kink community. The term may not be as gay there, but it's still about sexual domination and a paternalistic role.
Daddies are everything men want to be as they get older. If you take all the things that are attractive about aging, being established, emotional maturity, and life experience, and you get a Daddy.
Trump is old, and he is a man, we'll give him that. And technically, he is a father. But the Daddy stops there.
According to countryqueer.com, one of the key characteristics of a Leather Daddy is hypermasculinity. "Emphasis on rugged, mature masculinity — beards, muscles, body hair, and a strong, confident posture."
Daddies are well-dressed, with impeccably tailored suits, well-maintained haircuts, and sharp grooming.
They don't wear ill-fitting suits, layers of fake tan, and ever-moving comb-overs.
They are charming and likable. These aren’t bad dads. A daddy is the best dad you can imagine. He's someone you want to spend time with and someone you want to emulate.
"Daddies are eroticized versions of the father figure, authoritative and in control," The San Francisco Standard writes."Sexually, a daddy is usually the top. If the relationship is rooted in BDSM, as many are, he’s also the dom, or even a master."
Richard Prott, a professor of sexual identity development, is quoted in The Standard, saying, "In the context where I run, that flair tends to be one of protector, guide, mentor."
A Daddy is strong and steadfast. He knows what he’s doing, he’s capable and good at what he does. He provides stability and protection from all the chaos of the world; he doesn't cause it.
He is an alpha and a leader. He's not the kind of man who kowtows to any foreign leader who might have something to offer him. He's not the kind of weak-willed man who turns his country into an international pariah so that he can appease the one world leader who puffs him up.
Daddies are providers and authority figures and have their community's best interests at heart. They take care of the people who call them Daddy, making their lives better. They make them feel safe and cared for.
They don't cut health insurance and nutrition programs. They don't break Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs that have been working for years. They don't end federal HIV prevention programs.
They don't rush into a military airstrike against Iran that could further destabilize the region and cause Americans across the country to fear that a world war is starting.
A Daddy fights his own battles. He doesn't rely on curable "heel spurs" to avoid serving in the military.
A Daddy respects women and people who are different from him, and earns respect in return. They aren't found liable for sexual abuse and ordered to pay millions of dollars by a judge.
You know who is a Daddy? Wilson Cruz. Not only is he handsome, talented, well-spoken, and well-dressed, but he's a true leader for his community. In addition to being a groundbreaking queer Latino actor, his work with GLAAD and GLSEN saves lives and gives queer youth hope for a better future.
Anderson Cooper is a Daddy. The CNN anchor is a proud father and silver-haired fox, but he also knows when to stand up for what is right. He's not afraid to speak truth to power, and he doesn't compromise his morals to make himself more popular. He also doesn't resort to homophobic insults when talking about people he disagrees with.
Despite having almost no attributes usually found in a "Daddy," conservatives still insist on using the term for Trump. They still feel drawn to it and the sexual connotations that come with it.
If you’re calling Trump "Daddy," you may as well start saying you're bottoming for him, too.
