(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #442, April 26, 2012)
While the Minnesota Marriage Amendment is an unfortunate and unwelcome development, it nonetheless is creating teachable moments—like the following conversation I had recently with a (non-Lavender) co-worker.
This person is very supportive of GLBT people and causes, so I was surprised to hear her say, “I was just walking behind a guy in the skyway, and—why do some gay guys behave like that?” Like what, I asked. “Well, he was swinging his hips and flipping his wrists—you know what I mean. There are some gay men who act like that, and then there are the rest of you, who just act normal.”
I explained that there might be many reasons why someone would act “like that”: Maybe that’s just the way he is. Or he might have been “camping it up” either for fun (perhaps inappropriate in public) or to deliberately upset onlookers (generally not appropriate in public—you won’t get people to sympathize with your cause by antagonizing them). Or he might have been exhibiting learned behavior—when he was young he was told this was the way gay people acted. (All these same possibilities apply also to masculine women.)
Or he might not have been gay. Many effeminate heterosexual men and boys are assumed to be gay and are even sometimes bullied as a result. Too often people assume that one’s gender presentation (masculine women, effeminate men) is connected to one’s affectional preference (lesbian or gay) when, in fact, they’re not always connected.
I also explained that, in my experience, younger people tend to make these assumptions less often than older people, and younger people also grant themselves and others both more freedom and more fluidity in whom they love and how they present their gender image to the world.
I finished by explaining that I hope to see a society that lets everyone be who they are and express themselves authentically, as long as they are being civil and appropriate. An opposite-sex couple flaunting their heterosexuality in the skyway would not be appropriate public behavior, either. But there’s a difference between making out in public and simply holding hands.
I felt I had accomplished something when her response was, “Well, thank you for explaining. Now I’m going to go home and tell all this to my husband—because that guy in the skyway really would have bothered him!”
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Clark Bufkin, 1947-2012—An Appreciation
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #440, April 5, 2012)
Clark Bufkin, a notable GLBT-community activist, publisher, and former member of the Atons of Minneapolis, passed away suddenly on Jan. 13 in Palm Springs, Calif. Bufkin leaves an enduring and many-faceted legacy to the Twin Cities GLBT community.
Clark Cato Bufkin was born May 29, 1947, in Dallas, Texas, and was raised in Port Royal/Beaufort, S.C. by his mother, Mildred, and by his grandmother, who ran the guest quarters at Paris Island Marine Corps Depot. At age 11 Bufkin told his mother he was gay, and at age 14 he was picking up Marines at Paris Island.
As a young adult Bufkin lived in Savannah, Charleston, Atlanta, Norfolk, New York and Washington, D.C., working first as a hairdresser and then as a corporate manager of beauty salons in department stores. His corporate position eventually took him to Des Moines, where he moved with his partner Joe Miller. In 1977 the two men moved to Minneapolis.
Once in Minneapolis, Bufkin changed careers and in 1980 became the area’s first openly gay real estate agent who actively marketed to gay/lesbian clients. For many years he remained a prominent and successful real estate agent, and eventually he opened his own brokerage.
Much of Bufkin’s considerable social and political activism dovetailed with his career as a businessman. In 1981 he co-founded the Northland Business Association (NBA), the area’s first “gay chamber of commerce,” which was active until 1988. Bufkin later wrote that he co-founded NBA because his clients “would ask me who they could contact for other professional services. Gay and lesbian business people needed to talk to each other, and I found we could help each other.” He was also on the board of the National Association of Business Councils, an umbrella organization of local gay business associations.
Building on his Northland Business Association contacts, in 1982 Bufkin was instrumental in starting Equal Time, a GLBT newspaper that was published until 1994. Bufkin convened a series of community meetings to see what role the community wanted a GLBT newspaper to play, and he also reached out to underrepresented GLBT subcommunities to ensure they had a voice in the new publication.
Ten years later, Bufkin became involved in publishing again: In 1992 he bought Gaze, another Twin Cities-based GLBT newspaper, from Brad Theissen. Bufkin transformed the publication into Gaze Magazine, which he published until May, 1995. (Before being published in Lavender Magazine, your humble columnist had several articles published in Gaze.)
While never running for public office himself, Bufkin worked on the election campaign of his friend Brian Coyle, who in 1983 became the first openly gay city council member in Minneapolis. In the words of his former partner, Steve Johnson, “At a time when many in the gay community were either highly closeted or in-your-face radical activists, Clark was often sought out by local political leaders as someone you could have effective dialogue with; he was also frequently quoted by the mainstream press as a spokesperson for the gay/lesbian community, and did numerous television and radio interviews.”
Bufkin was a board member of the Minnesota Committee for Gay and Lesbian Rights (MCGLR) in the early 1980s; was the first board chair of the (reorganized) Gay and Lesbian Community Action Council (GLCAC, now OutFront Minnesota) from 1986 to 1989; and was a founding co-chair in 1987 and 1988 of the Twin Cities Gay/Lesbian Pride Committee, the organization known today as Twin Cities Pride. Bufkin was one of the Twin Cities Pride Parade’s Grand Marshals in 1992, an honor he shared that year with human-rights activist B.J. Metzger.
Bufkin was a proud leatherman, and was involved with the bear community as well. He was a member of the Atons of Minneapolis from 1981 to 1993, serving as the club’s president in 1988 and 1989. He also held the title of International Mr. Daddy Bear 1995, awarded at the International Bear Rendezvous in San Francisco. He was an active member of All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church in Minneapolis and served on its Board of Directors.
Bufkin relocated to California in 1995, moving first to San Francisco and later to Palm Springs/Cathedral City. He worked in the mortgage banking industry until his retirement two years ago. He is survived by his older brother Rusty and his nephew Emmitt, former partners Shawn Janes, Steve Johnson and Jack Gilmer, and by his canine companions. He was preceded in death by his mother in 1981, and by Joe Miller in 2009.
 |
| Clark Bufkin (early 1980s photo) |
Clark Cato Bufkin was born May 29, 1947, in Dallas, Texas, and was raised in Port Royal/Beaufort, S.C. by his mother, Mildred, and by his grandmother, who ran the guest quarters at Paris Island Marine Corps Depot. At age 11 Bufkin told his mother he was gay, and at age 14 he was picking up Marines at Paris Island.
As a young adult Bufkin lived in Savannah, Charleston, Atlanta, Norfolk, New York and Washington, D.C., working first as a hairdresser and then as a corporate manager of beauty salons in department stores. His corporate position eventually took him to Des Moines, where he moved with his partner Joe Miller. In 1977 the two men moved to Minneapolis.
Once in Minneapolis, Bufkin changed careers and in 1980 became the area’s first openly gay real estate agent who actively marketed to gay/lesbian clients. For many years he remained a prominent and successful real estate agent, and eventually he opened his own brokerage.
Much of Bufkin’s considerable social and political activism dovetailed with his career as a businessman. In 1981 he co-founded the Northland Business Association (NBA), the area’s first “gay chamber of commerce,” which was active until 1988. Bufkin later wrote that he co-founded NBA because his clients “would ask me who they could contact for other professional services. Gay and lesbian business people needed to talk to each other, and I found we could help each other.” He was also on the board of the National Association of Business Councils, an umbrella organization of local gay business associations.
Building on his Northland Business Association contacts, in 1982 Bufkin was instrumental in starting Equal Time, a GLBT newspaper that was published until 1994. Bufkin convened a series of community meetings to see what role the community wanted a GLBT newspaper to play, and he also reached out to underrepresented GLBT subcommunities to ensure they had a voice in the new publication.
Ten years later, Bufkin became involved in publishing again: In 1992 he bought Gaze, another Twin Cities-based GLBT newspaper, from Brad Theissen. Bufkin transformed the publication into Gaze Magazine, which he published until May, 1995. (Before being published in Lavender Magazine, your humble columnist had several articles published in Gaze.)
While never running for public office himself, Bufkin worked on the election campaign of his friend Brian Coyle, who in 1983 became the first openly gay city council member in Minneapolis. In the words of his former partner, Steve Johnson, “At a time when many in the gay community were either highly closeted or in-your-face radical activists, Clark was often sought out by local political leaders as someone you could have effective dialogue with; he was also frequently quoted by the mainstream press as a spokesperson for the gay/lesbian community, and did numerous television and radio interviews.”
Bufkin was a board member of the Minnesota Committee for Gay and Lesbian Rights (MCGLR) in the early 1980s; was the first board chair of the (reorganized) Gay and Lesbian Community Action Council (GLCAC, now OutFront Minnesota) from 1986 to 1989; and was a founding co-chair in 1987 and 1988 of the Twin Cities Gay/Lesbian Pride Committee, the organization known today as Twin Cities Pride. Bufkin was one of the Twin Cities Pride Parade’s Grand Marshals in 1992, an honor he shared that year with human-rights activist B.J. Metzger.
Bufkin was a proud leatherman, and was involved with the bear community as well. He was a member of the Atons of Minneapolis from 1981 to 1993, serving as the club’s president in 1988 and 1989. He also held the title of International Mr. Daddy Bear 1995, awarded at the International Bear Rendezvous in San Francisco. He was an active member of All God’s Children Metropolitan Community Church in Minneapolis and served on its Board of Directors.
Bufkin relocated to California in 1995, moving first to San Francisco and later to Palm Springs/Cathedral City. He worked in the mortgage banking industry until his retirement two years ago. He is survived by his older brother Rusty and his nephew Emmitt, former partners Shawn Janes, Steve Johnson and Jack Gilmer, and by his canine companions. He was preceded in death by his mother in 1981, and by Joe Miller in 2009.
Friday, March 2, 2012
A Visit to Leather/Gear Night
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #438, March 2, 2012)
A monthly “Leather/Gear Night” has been part of the Twin Cities leather scene for several years now. Promoted on Facebook by several younger leathermen, the event has been drawing big (and mostly younger) crowds. I decided to check it out.
The evening starts at 9:00 p.m. but doesn’t really get going until 10:15. Since the event is about leather and “gear,” I start to keep an eye out for what constitutes “gear” among this crowd. I see a few wrestling singlets. A uniform shirt. A kilt. Latex. Neoprene. Spandex. A black jock waistband peeking above low-cut jeans. Cadet cap. Muir cap. A leather Civil War cap that turns out to have a built-in blindfold.
Although the crowd is predominantly younger, there also are some older—excuse me, I meant to say more mature—men (including your humble columnist). Standing at the bar is someone I used to see when I first came out. We’re both still around, all these years later.
Lumberjack shirt. Leather armband. Mirrored aviator sunglasses. (Is there anyone who doesn’t look good in mirrored aviator sunglasses?)
Two guys at the edge of the crowd are making out. Someone sees I’m taking notes and asks, “Got any good recipes in there?” Very funny. For your information, sir, I haven’t heard a single recipe exchanged this evening. Yet.
Chain collar with lock and leash. Leather puppy paws. Blue jeans. Black jeans.
One of the bartenders estimates there are 100 people in the bar. It seems like more. I see people checking their cell phones—these guys are connected and tech-savvy, and many of them have really interesting wallpaper on the screens of their phones.
Leather harness. Chain suspenders. Tattoos. Mechanic’s shirt with patches. A porn star. A female—one of two I see this evening.
House music is pounding on the sound system and the lights on the dance floor are pulsing. Nobody’s dancing.
At midnight I think it’s starting to clear out, but am told people are just going upstairs to smoke. There’s a gentleman in contemporary sport-bike gear next to a gentleman in classic black biker leathers—a nice picture, and a perfect summation of the evening.
I hadn’t known what to expect tonight. I was afraid it might all be different, but what drew me to the leather scene years ago is still here. A companion says, “A lot of it has to do with the energy. The energy is good tonight.” I’m happy to see that, judging by this crowd, leather’s culture and legacy are in good hands.
A monthly “Leather/Gear Night” has been part of the Twin Cities leather scene for several years now. Promoted on Facebook by several younger leathermen, the event has been drawing big (and mostly younger) crowds. I decided to check it out.
The evening starts at 9:00 p.m. but doesn’t really get going until 10:15. Since the event is about leather and “gear,” I start to keep an eye out for what constitutes “gear” among this crowd. I see a few wrestling singlets. A uniform shirt. A kilt. Latex. Neoprene. Spandex. A black jock waistband peeking above low-cut jeans. Cadet cap. Muir cap. A leather Civil War cap that turns out to have a built-in blindfold.
Although the crowd is predominantly younger, there also are some older—excuse me, I meant to say more mature—men (including your humble columnist). Standing at the bar is someone I used to see when I first came out. We’re both still around, all these years later.
Lumberjack shirt. Leather armband. Mirrored aviator sunglasses. (Is there anyone who doesn’t look good in mirrored aviator sunglasses?)
Two guys at the edge of the crowd are making out. Someone sees I’m taking notes and asks, “Got any good recipes in there?” Very funny. For your information, sir, I haven’t heard a single recipe exchanged this evening. Yet.
Chain collar with lock and leash. Leather puppy paws. Blue jeans. Black jeans.
One of the bartenders estimates there are 100 people in the bar. It seems like more. I see people checking their cell phones—these guys are connected and tech-savvy, and many of them have really interesting wallpaper on the screens of their phones.
Leather harness. Chain suspenders. Tattoos. Mechanic’s shirt with patches. A porn star. A female—one of two I see this evening.
House music is pounding on the sound system and the lights on the dance floor are pulsing. Nobody’s dancing.
At midnight I think it’s starting to clear out, but am told people are just going upstairs to smoke. There’s a gentleman in contemporary sport-bike gear next to a gentleman in classic black biker leathers—a nice picture, and a perfect summation of the evening.
I hadn’t known what to expect tonight. I was afraid it might all be different, but what drew me to the leather scene years ago is still here. A companion says, “A lot of it has to do with the energy. The energy is good tonight.” I’m happy to see that, judging by this crowd, leather’s culture and legacy are in good hands.
Friday, February 3, 2012
A Letter to EricJames Borges
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #436, February 3, 2012)
Dear EricJames,
I didn’t know you, but I wish I would have been able to. I wish I could have given you hope by telling you what we have in common, how things worked out for me, how things could work out for you too.
You were a nineteen-year-old filmmaker. You were an intern with The Trevor Project, the nationally known GLBTQ youth suicide prevention hotline. On December 10, 2011, you posted an “It Gets Better” video in which you told a heartbreaking tale of being raised in an “extremist Christian” household. You spoke of being bullied from kindergarten through high school as well as at home. You told how your mother had performed an exorcism in an attempt to “cure” you.
A month later, you killed yourself.
Hearing your story brought me up short, because I, too, have been the subject of an exorcism. When I was nineteen, my mother discovered I was gay. She started fasting and praying that I would be cured. One evening she and her Christian fundamentalist friends held an exorcism in absentia in her living room to cast the demon of homosexuality out of me. (The exorcism was unsuccessful.)
My mother started writing a book which she thought would be about how her son had been prayed straight. But she later wrote: “As I watched him living his life, I was the one who began to change my ideas.” As it turned out, her book was subtitled “A mother struggles to accept her gay son and discovers herself.” That book, by Mary Borhek, was My Son Eric, and for many years she spoke out as an activist for GLBT rights.(Since my mother wanted to use pseudonyms in the book, I chose “Eric” for mine. So we also share a first name, sort of.)
I was very lucky—I was blessed with other supportive people who helped me deal with my mother’s initial reaction to my gayness. But as an intern at The Trevor Project, you certainly had supportive people around you too. Tragically, their support and love evidently was not able to overcome the years of painful bullying and other assaults you endured.
I cringe at some of the hateful things I hear about GLBTQ people from the mouths of supposed Christians. The words hurt. They wound. Sometimes they kill. They are the opposite of Christian love and charity. They are not the gospel that Jesus came to offer us.
How many more of our young people will have to be sacrificed on the altars of, in your words, “extremist Christian” hate before we as a society say, “No more”? I hope not too many. I would prefer none.
EricJames, wherever you are, I hope you are at peace and I hope you can forgive your tormentors. Truly, they knew not what they were doing.
Sincerely and sorrowfully,
“Eric Borhek”
(a/k/a Steve Lenius, a/k/a Your Humble Columnist)
P.S. You made a short film titled “Invisible Creatures” that showed such potential. The lighting, camerawork and composition were beautiful. I'm so sorry you won’t have a chance to make any more films. I would have wanted to see them.
Dear EricJames,
I didn’t know you, but I wish I would have been able to. I wish I could have given you hope by telling you what we have in common, how things worked out for me, how things could work out for you too.
You were a nineteen-year-old filmmaker. You were an intern with The Trevor Project, the nationally known GLBTQ youth suicide prevention hotline. On December 10, 2011, you posted an “It Gets Better” video in which you told a heartbreaking tale of being raised in an “extremist Christian” household. You spoke of being bullied from kindergarten through high school as well as at home. You told how your mother had performed an exorcism in an attempt to “cure” you.
A month later, you killed yourself.
Hearing your story brought me up short, because I, too, have been the subject of an exorcism. When I was nineteen, my mother discovered I was gay. She started fasting and praying that I would be cured. One evening she and her Christian fundamentalist friends held an exorcism in absentia in her living room to cast the demon of homosexuality out of me. (The exorcism was unsuccessful.)
My mother started writing a book which she thought would be about how her son had been prayed straight. But she later wrote: “As I watched him living his life, I was the one who began to change my ideas.” As it turned out, her book was subtitled “A mother struggles to accept her gay son and discovers herself.” That book, by Mary Borhek, was My Son Eric, and for many years she spoke out as an activist for GLBT rights.(Since my mother wanted to use pseudonyms in the book, I chose “Eric” for mine. So we also share a first name, sort of.)
I was very lucky—I was blessed with other supportive people who helped me deal with my mother’s initial reaction to my gayness. But as an intern at The Trevor Project, you certainly had supportive people around you too. Tragically, their support and love evidently was not able to overcome the years of painful bullying and other assaults you endured.
I cringe at some of the hateful things I hear about GLBTQ people from the mouths of supposed Christians. The words hurt. They wound. Sometimes they kill. They are the opposite of Christian love and charity. They are not the gospel that Jesus came to offer us.
How many more of our young people will have to be sacrificed on the altars of, in your words, “extremist Christian” hate before we as a society say, “No more”? I hope not too many. I would prefer none.
EricJames, wherever you are, I hope you are at peace and I hope you can forgive your tormentors. Truly, they knew not what they were doing.
Sincerely and sorrowfully,
“Eric Borhek”
(a/k/a Steve Lenius, a/k/a Your Humble Columnist)
P.S. You made a short film titled “Invisible Creatures” that showed such potential. The lighting, camerawork and composition were beautiful. I'm so sorry you won’t have a chance to make any more films. I would have wanted to see them.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Altered States
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #434, January 6, 2012)
Sometimes your humble columnist is startled to see concepts, ideas and practices associated with the modern-day leather/BDSM/fetish community appear in other communities, places and times. Throughout history, humans have yearned for altered states of consciousness. And they have arrived at similar ways to reach those altered states.
Example: Many descriptions of ancient “mystery” initiation ceremonies, whether in Egypt, Greece, Rome, the middle east or among the Celts and Druids, contain many similar details. The ceremonies supposedly took places in dark chambers, often underground. The initiate often had to undergo some kind of suffering but was able to transmute it into spiritual knowledge and enlightenment. One account of these ceremonies on the Web likened them to a crucifixion—except the initiate was lightly bound to a table “shaped like the Roman numeral X.” Sounds to me like a dungeon with a St. Andrew's cross.
According to The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, aboriginal native people and tribes throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia arrived independently at practices and concepts for healing that had many similarities. In their earth- and nature-based worldview, illness was seen as a loss of a person’s spirit, soul or power. With the help of hypnotic drumming (and sometimes plant-based hallucinogens) the shaman was able to enter an altered state of consciousness, journey to the spirit world and, often aided by “power animals,” retrieve their patient’s lost or stolen power, thus making the patient a whole being again.
Many people today say they find BDSM experiences have helped them “reclaim their personal power” after incidents of serious illness or domestic or sexual abuse. The repetitive sound of a flogger hitting a person’s back can induce the same kind of consciousness shift as a shaman’s drum. And it would appear that many in our community resonate with either puppies or ponies as their personal power animals.
The fact that our community’s archetypes have so many similarities to the archetypes of so many other communities in other places and times points to a conclusion: perhaps, based on history and human experience, kinky people are more “normal” than some non-kinky types might care to admit.
Sometimes your humble columnist is startled to see concepts, ideas and practices associated with the modern-day leather/BDSM/fetish community appear in other communities, places and times. Throughout history, humans have yearned for altered states of consciousness. And they have arrived at similar ways to reach those altered states.
Example: Many descriptions of ancient “mystery” initiation ceremonies, whether in Egypt, Greece, Rome, the middle east or among the Celts and Druids, contain many similar details. The ceremonies supposedly took places in dark chambers, often underground. The initiate often had to undergo some kind of suffering but was able to transmute it into spiritual knowledge and enlightenment. One account of these ceremonies on the Web likened them to a crucifixion—except the initiate was lightly bound to a table “shaped like the Roman numeral X.” Sounds to me like a dungeon with a St. Andrew's cross.
According to The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner, aboriginal native people and tribes throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia arrived independently at practices and concepts for healing that had many similarities. In their earth- and nature-based worldview, illness was seen as a loss of a person’s spirit, soul or power. With the help of hypnotic drumming (and sometimes plant-based hallucinogens) the shaman was able to enter an altered state of consciousness, journey to the spirit world and, often aided by “power animals,” retrieve their patient’s lost or stolen power, thus making the patient a whole being again.
Many people today say they find BDSM experiences have helped them “reclaim their personal power” after incidents of serious illness or domestic or sexual abuse. The repetitive sound of a flogger hitting a person’s back can induce the same kind of consciousness shift as a shaman’s drum. And it would appear that many in our community resonate with either puppies or ponies as their personal power animals.
The fact that our community’s archetypes have so many similarities to the archetypes of so many other communities in other places and times points to a conclusion: perhaps, based on history and human experience, kinky people are more “normal” than some non-kinky types might care to admit.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Atons Holiday Fundraiser
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #432, December 16, 2011)
The Atons of Minneapolis held their traditional annual Holiday Fundraiser on Sunday, December 4, at the Bolt Underground in Minneapolis. There was food, drink and general merriment, along with live and silent auctions, two bootblacks, holiday photos with Leather Santa and his Naughty Elf, and a food drive that collected 900 pounds of food for The Aliveness Project.
This year’s event raised approximately $2,000, which was donated to Outfront Minnesota Community Services to provide education about the benefits of marriage equality (in preparation for the November 2012 vote on the proposed Minnesota state constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman).
My thanks to Atons member Andrew Bertke for allowing me to share some of his photos of this event. You’ll find many more photos from this year’s Atons Holiday Fundraiser online at the Lavender Magazine website. Enjoy them all, and—whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate it—Happy Holidays from Leather Life!
The Atons of Minneapolis held their traditional annual Holiday Fundraiser on Sunday, December 4, at the Bolt Underground in Minneapolis. There was food, drink and general merriment, along with live and silent auctions, two bootblacks, holiday photos with Leather Santa and his Naughty Elf, and a food drive that collected 900 pounds of food for The Aliveness Project.
This year’s event raised approximately $2,000, which was donated to Outfront Minnesota Community Services to provide education about the benefits of marriage equality (in preparation for the November 2012 vote on the proposed Minnesota state constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman).
My thanks to Atons member Andrew Bertke for allowing me to share some of his photos of this event. You’ll find many more photos from this year’s Atons Holiday Fundraiser online at the Lavender Magazine website. Enjoy them all, and—whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate it—Happy Holidays from Leather Life!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Leather Life’s Holiday Gift Guide
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #430, November 18, 2011)
1. Uniform Flight Cap
Black cotton twill + red stitching = one sharp-looking hat. Fully lined. Also available in gray. Handmade in USA.
$28.50 at inseamclothing.com (until 12/14/2011, use code “lavender” for free shipping)
2. Engineered Uniform Shirt
Uniform-inspired design. Slightly fitted shape for a classically masculine and powerful look. Cotton twill with natural stretch. Handmade in USA.
$72 at inseamclothing.com (until 12/14/2011, use code “lavender” for free shipping)
3. Metallic-finish rainbow cuffs
Nor your average cuffs, these are embellished with rainbow-metallic stripes and adorned with faux jewels. Bling for your dungeon.
$50 at The Smitten Kitten
4. 2012 Men-ups calendar
Butch guys photographed in poses normally reserved for mid-century cheesecake babes. Equal parts art, social commentary and deliciously twisted hotness.
$15 at rionsabean.com
5. 2012 St. Paul Firefighters calendar
The perfect calendar for those who appreciate uniforms, gear and smoking-hot men. (Proceeds benefit The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.)
$15 at Rainbow Road
6. Bear hat
Is he a proud bear? Keep his head cozy and warm while dressing the part. Available in brown bear, polar bear or panda bear.
$52.28 at Cockpit Minneapolis
7. Liquid latex kit
Gives new meaning to the phrase “painted-on jeans.” Everything needed to get creative and discover the fun of liquid latex.
$54 at Cockpit Minneapolis
8. Candy posing strap
Imagine the possibilities of this sugary adult treat. Also available as a candy bikini and candy garter.
$9.95 at Rainbow Road
9. The Strut ring by Gear Essentials
Jewelry for his jewels that's functional, too. Premium stainless steel, made right here in Minnesota. Many other styles available.
$37 at GearEssentials.com
10. Life, Leather and the Pursuit of Happiness
Written by your humble columnist. Makes a great gift—and get one for yourself, too. Print or e-book (Kindle, Nook, or Apple iBookstore).
Print: $21.95 at Cockpit Minnesota, Rainbow Road, Smitten Kitten, True Colors Bookstore or lifeleatherpursuit.com
1. Uniform Flight Cap
Black cotton twill + red stitching = one sharp-looking hat. Fully lined. Also available in gray. Handmade in USA.
$28.50 at inseamclothing.com (until 12/14/2011, use code “lavender” for free shipping)
2. Engineered Uniform Shirt
Uniform-inspired design. Slightly fitted shape for a classically masculine and powerful look. Cotton twill with natural stretch. Handmade in USA.
$72 at inseamclothing.com (until 12/14/2011, use code “lavender” for free shipping)
3. Metallic-finish rainbow cuffs
Nor your average cuffs, these are embellished with rainbow-metallic stripes and adorned with faux jewels. Bling for your dungeon.
$50 at The Smitten Kitten
4. 2012 Men-ups calendar
Butch guys photographed in poses normally reserved for mid-century cheesecake babes. Equal parts art, social commentary and deliciously twisted hotness.
$15 at rionsabean.com
5. 2012 St. Paul Firefighters calendar
The perfect calendar for those who appreciate uniforms, gear and smoking-hot men. (Proceeds benefit The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.)
$15 at Rainbow Road
6. Bear hat
Is he a proud bear? Keep his head cozy and warm while dressing the part. Available in brown bear, polar bear or panda bear.
$52.28 at Cockpit Minneapolis
7. Liquid latex kit
Gives new meaning to the phrase “painted-on jeans.” Everything needed to get creative and discover the fun of liquid latex.
$54 at Cockpit Minneapolis
8. Candy posing strap
Imagine the possibilities of this sugary adult treat. Also available as a candy bikini and candy garter.
$9.95 at Rainbow Road
9. The Strut ring by Gear Essentials
Jewelry for his jewels that's functional, too. Premium stainless steel, made right here in Minnesota. Many other styles available.
$37 at GearEssentials.com
10. Life, Leather and the Pursuit of Happiness
Written by your humble columnist. Makes a great gift—and get one for yourself, too. Print or e-book (Kindle, Nook, or Apple iBookstore).
Print: $21.95 at Cockpit Minnesota, Rainbow Road, Smitten Kitten, True Colors Bookstore or lifeleatherpursuit.com
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