Author, activist and advice columnist extraordinaire, Dan Savage was recently in Toronto to discuss his new book American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics, which is being released on May 28.

In a sneak preview to a conversation he had with xtra.ca, Savage speaks about a series of sexy photos of his husband, Terry Miller, in a speedo. The pictures had just gone viral, and revealed more than just the face of the notorious reclusive Mr. Miller.

“It’s funny, it’s a real sea change in Terry,” Savage says. “He is really a private person and for years he wanted nothing to do with the spotlight.”

Part of that need for privacy and anonymity is because of safety issues with the pair’s son. The family has received death threats and, as Savage says, there are some crazy people out there, “people [who] say horrible things about us and that DJ should be kidnapped.“

But once DJ got into middle school and high school, Savage says Miller had a lot of free time on his hands as a stay at home dad, so he started going to the gym, “a lot.”

So when a swimsuit manufacturer asked him to model some of their collection, Miller obliged, showing off his well-defined abs, pecs and buttocks. “And I don’t have a problem with that!” Savage states with a wide grin. “I don’t have a problem with people knowing I get that when I get home.”

Watch for Xtra’s exclusive full interview with Savage on May 28.