Los Angeles-based fashion designer Andrew Christian had one goal in mind when he came up with the idea for his coffee table book, “SEX = POWER = FREEDOM.”
“If you’re free to have sex with who you want, when you want, you’re politically free,” Christian said.
Christian will celebrate his book tour in Philadelphia with a signing at ICandy’s annual Stoplight Party Feb. 11. “SEX = POWER = FREEDOM” includes 200 glossy pages of black-and-white photos featuring Andrew Christian male models in various forms of undress engaging in homoerotic poses.
“There’s quite a bit of imagery that revolves around S&M and puppy play and stuff like that,” Christian said. “It might be stuff that people might not be comfortable with or may not have ever been exposed to.”
Christian received funding for the book through fundraising-website Indiegogo. The campaign raised more than $100,000 from more than 900 backers. Each backer’s name will be written at the end of the book.
Additionally, Christian said the book includes subtle political messages. Brief text passages state messages such as, “Love is the only way to invoke positive change,” and, “Dogmatic, xenophobic, racist, sexist and homophobic views will not silence us.”
“I hope it’ll inspire people to stand up for their rights and give people hope that there is a way out,” Christian said of the current political climate. “There will be better days for us.”
Philadelphia will be the second of 27 cities Christian plans to attend as part of his book tour. He said he wanted to include the city because of its history.
“The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were all signed in Philadelphia,” Christian said. “It was kind of the trigger point of a U.S. revolution and I feel like right now we’re going to go through our own gay revolution with the current administration that’s in office.”
At the event, Christian will also raffle off 12 copies of the “SEX = POWER = FREEDOM” Gold Edition. Christian only supplied this version, which features a gold cover, to the Indiegogo backers and it will only be available to the public at Christian’s signings. Additionally, attendees can see a fashion show and participate in giveaways. Andrew Christian models Austin Waite and Cory Zwierzynski will also be in attendance.
Overall, Christian said all LGBT readers will get something out of “SEX = POWER = FREEDOM.”
“It’s super-sexy and it’s going to make them think a little bit,” Christian said.
Christian’s event will be held 10 p.m. Feb. 11 at ICandy, 254 S. 12th St. “SEX = POWER = FREEDOM” can be purchased at www.AndrewChristian.com.