Viagra + Poppers = “Potent”ially fatal

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #83, July 31, 1998)

Have you experimented with Viagra yet, or are you thinking about it? Do you use poppers? Be aware: mixing the two can kill you. The mainstream media doesn’t seem to be mentioning this fact, so I will.

I first read about Viagra in USA Today, in an article that was written from a totally heterosexist point of view. Men were interviewed, along with their wives, and everyone agreed that Viagra was a far better method for dealing with impotence than shots, splints, and urethral pellets. Gay men, and the thought that they too might want to experience this miracle, were not even mentioned in the article. Nevertheless, I know at least one gentleman who experimented with Viagra at this year’s International Mr. Leather contest in Chicago. He was favorably impressed (and that’s putting it mildly).

Shortly thereafter the warnings started appearing in the media. Yes, Viagra was miraculous, BUT . . . it could have some side-effects, such as headache, flushing, and a bizarre vision problem in which everything appears blue. (Ironically, the Viagra pill is colored blue—one wonders if this is coincidence or macabre humor on the part of the drug manufacturer.)

Then came the REALLY bad news: To date there have been at least sixteen deaths attributed to Viagra, three of them caused by the interaction of Viagra with nitroglycerine heart pills. Media reports cautioned that mixing Viagra with certain heart medications containing nitrates could lead to a potentially fatal drop in blood pressure. So, the reports said, if you’re an older gentleman on heart medication, Viagra is not for you. The news reports did not mention that older gentlemen on heart medication are not the only men exposed to nitrates these days, and therefore potentially at risk. Informational inserts packaged with Viagra also warn against taking the drug in combination with nitrates.

Poppers are nitrates, folks. Real poppers are amyl nitrate; butyl nitrate is another chemical that many gay men inhale to enhance sexual pleasure. They’re called poppers because amyl nitrate for medical purposes used to be supplied in glass capsules which were held under the nose and crushed (or “popped”), thus allowing the vapors to be released and inhaled. Popper use as a sexual stimulant has been ubiquitous in the men’s leather community and in other areas of the gay male community for many years.

Some of us who have been around awhile may have found that age has taken a toll on certain of our abilities, sexually speaking. Even men who don’t have erectile function problems may be tempted to use Viagra by anecdotal reports that the pill enhances performance for all men. (Medical science says this is not so—that if you don’t have a problem for Viagra to fix, you won’t notice any difference with or without the pill. But that’s not what I keep hearing through the grapevine.) Viagra and poppers may seem like a natural combo—Viagra to get things rolling, and poppers to enhance things once the action has started. In reality, such a combination could be deadly. So, if you decide to try Viagra, lock up the poppers. If you just can’t have sex without poppers, don’t experiment with Viagra.

There’s been another development on the Viagra front: currently appearing in the gay press (but again, not in mainstream media that I’ve seen) are questions about interactions between Viagra and frequently-prescribed AIDS medications. There are concerns that one class of AIDS drug could increase the concentration of Viagra in the bloodstream, potentially leading to toxicity, while another class of AIDS drug may decrease the concentration in the bloodstream, rendering the Viagra ineffective. If you’re on the AIDS cocktail, that means you have another reason to approach Viagra with caution.

Remember, Viagra is a prescription drug. If you think it’s for you, talk to your doctor about it first.

Upcoming Leather Events


Pantheon of Leather Fundraiser and Beer Bust
Friday, July 31, 8 pm-close, The Town House
Presented by Renee Indehar, Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather, and B.D. Chambers, Mr. Minnesota Olympus Leather. Bootblacking will be available and entertainment will include “Top 10 Things You Don’t Do in a Dungeon.” Change from last issue’s listing: There is now no cover charge at the door for this event.

Beer Bust and Bondage Bingo
Friday, August 7, 8 pm-close, The Town House
What’s “bondage bingo”? You’ll have to come find out. A fundraiser for the Ms. Minnesota Leather Contest—call for more information.

Ms. Minnesota Leather Brunch
Sunday, August 9, Legends Café (825 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis)
An informational and social breakfast event. Contest representatives will be at Legends for most of the morning starting at, say, 9 am. Come have breakfast, ask questions about the contest or other topics, or just hang out.

Mr. Minnesota Drummer Fundraiser Weekend


Friday Fundraiser and Beer Bash
Friday, August 14, 9 pm-close, The Town House, St. Paul
If you haven’t experienced a Friday night leather event at The Town House, you’re missing out—come to this one. There will be door prizes. There won’t be a cover charge.

Saturday, August 15: Event to be announced—watch for it!

Sunday: Mr. Minnesota Drummer/Minnesota Drummerboy Send-Off
Sunday, August 16, 6-9:30 pm, The Saloon
Come wish Mr. Minnesota Drummer and Minnesota Drummerboy good luck as they represent us at the Great Lakes Mr. Drummer Contest in Columbus, Ohio August 28-30. Special guests to be announced. $5 at the door.

International Mr. Fantasy Weekend
August 21-23, Omaha, Nebraska
The ultimate Field Trip: a Fantasy Bus will be traveling from Minneapolis to Omaha for Fantasy Weekend. Roundtrip fare is $45 and seating is limited, so call right away if you’re interested. And you’ll need hotel and weekend package reservations. FFI write Fantasy Productions, Boystown, NE. The Radisson Redick is the host hotel; call to reserve your room.

Ms. Minnesota Leather 24-hour “Run”
Saturday, August 22, 11 am to Sunday, August 23, 11 am, Taylor’s Falls area
This fundraiser for the Ms. Minnesota Leather contest promises “24 hours of midsummer’s night fun.” Prepayment of $15 to $25 (sliding scale) includes food. Camp on the grounds, or just come for the day. Open to men and women. Info: call or write for registration form.

Mark Your Calendar . . .

October 16-18: Mr./Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather Contest Weekend. In addition to the contest there will be workshops, parties, and a Leather Community Service Awards ceremony, nominations for which are now being sought. The awards are given for commendable service to the leather/SM/fetish community. If you didn’t get a nomination form in the mail, or call if you want a contestant application.

Minnesota Leather Pride 1998 in review

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #82, July 17, 1998)

PHOTO: Street flags

PHOTO CREDIT: Sherman Ford

The 1998 Minnesota Leather Pride celebration, held on the same weekend as the Twin Cities Festival of Pride, was expanded from the single Sunday event of previous years. This year’s celebration covered the entire weekend with events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and all events drew a good crowd in spite of some major storms moving through the Twin Cities area.

Friday evening’s drenching rains didn’t dampen the spirits of those at The Town House for the Leather Pride Kickoff. The dance floor was active, inspired by DJ Jim’s mix of swing, disco and country/western music. The people-watching was great, the air was festive, and folks seems to be enjoying the party. The TH is becoming a popular venue for leather events, with more scheduled there in the coming months.

Saturday evening’s event at the Minnesota Bar & Grill was supposed to be a cookout/picnic on the rooftop deck, but tornado warnings and rain forced the party to move indoors to the MNBar’s second-story pool-table room. This caused some confusion initially because moving the event indoors meant the food had to be cooked in the downstairs kitchen and shuttled upstairs. With the cooperation of the MNBar’s kitchen staff and the help of several mem bers of Sober Leather, the details finally were worked out and everyone had a good time. (And the view of the Minneapolis skyline was impressive, whether from the deck or indoors.) The community should try an event like this again—maybe next time the weather will cooperate.

Sunday’s weather, unlike that of the two preceding days, was glorious—plenty of sun and moderate temperatures. It was perfect weather for the Twin Cities Festival of Pride Parade. For the first time, the leather contingent was toward the front of the parade in one group. Community members helped carry two huge flags (one rainbow, one leather pride) that measured 50’x75’ each and looked mightily impressive moving down Hennepin Avenue toward Loring Park. This was followed by an impressive two-part leather float. DJ Bubba, on the first trailer, mixed a pulsing, throbbing soundtrack for the leather segment of the parade. Leather titleholders and club officers were on the second part of the float, manning a mortar that shot leather-flag-colored streamers into the air at strategic points along the parade route.

The crowd watching the parade was quite impressed—especially one little four-year-old girl I heard about who was greatly amused by the fact she could see peoples’ butts, in this case the leather-framed bare butts that certain folks on the leather float displayed. (Her mother was taking it all in stride: “Yes, dear, those are butts.”)

When it was all over, and the parade reached the park, the two huge flags had collected many pounds of change, thrown there by spectators along the parade route. (That’s pounds as in weight, not as in British currency.) I heard several people voicing the same thing I was feeling: “This was fun—let’s go back and do it again!”

After marching in the parade (and stopping by the leather community booth at the Pride Festival in the park) community members headed for Sunday’s leather pride event at Tropix. I stopped to check out the Rock The Avenue block party on my way to the Tropix event, and I saw many other leathermen there as well. Later in the evening the party moved to the 19 Bar’s back patio. There must have been some budding interior designers in the group, because the patio furniture was promptly rearranged so that it was more to the crowd’s liking, with the umbrellas over the patio tables softening the harsh light from the single bare lightbulb. Thus, in a dimly-lit blaze of glory, ended another year’s Leather Pride celebration.

-----

Welcome to everyone attending the Atons’ Gopher Broke, Lucky 13 run this weekend, and a special welcome to you if you’re from out of town. Have a great and safe weekend. Here’s wishing you need lots of lube and almost no insect repellent.

Upcoming Leather Events

S.L.A.M. Presents “Come Roast Your Meat” Barbecue
Saturday, July 25, 4 pm-whenever, 1865 Englewood Ave., St. Paul
Mr. Minnesota Leather Roger and Mr. Minnesota Drummerboy David present a fundraiser for S.L.A.M. (Sober Leather Association of Minnesota). Featured will be demonstrations, play spaces, and refreshments. S.L.A.M.’s motto in connection with this event: “Drug and alcohol free, but we still know how to party.” Tickets $10, available from Sober Leather members or e-mail Soberlthr@aol.com.

Mr. Minnesota Fantasy: “Off To International” Fundraiser
Sunday, July 26, 6-9 pm, The Saloon
Presented by Mr. Minnesota Fantasy 1998 Ken Flanagan, who will be competing in the International Mr. Fantasy Competition in Omaha (August 21-23). Come wish him luck as he represents Minnesota (and, we hope, wows the crowd in Omaha). Food, drink specials, raffles, auction, special entertainment “and a whole lot of party.” $5 donation at the door.

Olympus Leather Minnesota Fundraiser and Beer Bust
Friday, July 31, 8 pm-close, The Town House
Presented by Renee Indehar, Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather, and B.D. Chambers, Mr. Minnesota Olympus Leather. Bootblacking will be available and entertainment will include “Top 10 Things You Don’t Do in a Dungeon.” $5 at the door.

Mark Your Calendar . . .

Saturday, August 8: Emperor & Empress Ball (Imperial Court)

August 14-16: Minnesota Mr. Drummer/Drummerboy Fundraiser Weekend and Send-Off. Details next issue—it will be BIG.

August 21-23: International Mr. Fantasy Weekend, Omaha, Nebraska. It’s not too early to make those hotel and weekend package reservations. FFI write Fantasy Productions, Boystown, NE. The Radisson Redick is the host hotel; call to reserve your room.

Interview: Leather singer/songwriter (and St. Paul native) Rick Beech

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Symbols of Pride

(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #80, June 19, 1998)

In honor of both Gay Pride and Leather Pride, this issue's column takes a look at the icons and symbols of the gay and leather communities. (Logos and other identity symbols happen to be one of my special interests, as well as one of the primary parts of my day job as a graphic designer.)

Green and Yellow: Color has always played an important part in enabling gay people to identify each other. In Victorian England the color green was associated with homosexuality. In the early part of this century, homosexuals identified themselves to each other by wearing green and yellow. What are the initials for "green and yellow"? G-A-Y. That's one explanation for how the word “gay” came to be identified with homosexuality.

Triangles—Pink, Black, etc.: Over time other colors, such as lavender and pink, became associated with homosexuality. One of the most prevalent gay symbols, the pink triangle, has its roots in Nazi concentration camps, where prisoners had to wear armbands emblazoned with colored inverted triangles to designate their crime. The most famous of these armband insignia are two yellow triangles overlapping to form a Star of David, which identified the prisoner as a Jew. Green triangles were for common criminals, and red triangles were for political prisoners. Lower on the totem pole, the pink triangle was for homosexual men. A yellow Star of David with a pink triangle superimposed on top identified the lowest of the low: a gay Jew.

Pink-triangle prisoners were often given the worst labor assignments and were subject to a disproportionate number of attacks by guards and sometimes by other prisoners. Even after the war was over many homosexuals remained prisoners, because the German laws making homosexuality illegal (which predated Hitler, incidentally, although he made them much tougher) weren't repealed until 1969(!).

In the 1970's gay liberation groups adopted the pink triangle as a symbol of the gay rights movement. It reminds us of the oppression and persecution we suffered then and still sometimes suffer today; among other things, it is the gay community's version of the Jewish Holocaust vow: "Never Again." The triangle is usually seen inverted (pointing down). But in the 1980's, ACT-UP (a group of radical AIDS activists) started to use the triangle pointing up to symbolize an active fight against oppression rather than a passive resignation to fate. If you've ever seen a "Silence=Death" bumper sticker, you'll notice that the triangle is pointing up. That's why.

Some prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps wore black triangles. This is not because they were lesbians—lesbianism wasn't included in the German laws against homosexuality, the idea evidently not being as threatening as homosexuality among males. No, black-triangle prisoners were those who exhibited anti-social behaviors. But in a Nazi society where women were expected to be good wives and mothers, lesbians certainly qualified as "anti-social," as did prostitutes and women who refused to bear children. Today, the black triangle has been reclaimed by lesbians and feminists in much the same way as the pink triangle has been reclaimed by gay men and the gay community in general.

Bisexuals have their own version of the pink triangle. It's really two overlapping triangles, one pink and the other purple or lavender. As far as I know, this is a modern adaptation and was not used in the concentration camps.

One final note on triangles: There have been apochryphal reports that burgundy triangles were used in the Nazi camps to identify transgendered prisoners, but this has never been definitively substantiated.

The Rainbow Flag: Some people don’t like the idea of the pink triangle as a gay symbol. They object to its Nazi origins and its focus on oppression. They prefer a more positive and uplifting symbol: the Rainbow Flag.

Rainbows have been connected with issues of gender and sexuality in Greek, Native American, African, and other cultures throughout history. In modern times, rainbows have served symbolic purposes for causes as diverse as Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition and Eva (Evita) Peron's Rainbow Tour. But it was in 1978 that San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker made the rainbow a gay symbol when he created the first Rainbow Flag.

Baker came up with the flag in response to a local activist's call for a gay community symbol that could be used year after year. The first rainbow flag had eight stripes: hot pink (which Baker felt represented sexuality), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sun), green (nature), turquoise (art), indigo (harmony), and violet (spirit). Baker and thirty volunteers hand-dyed and hand-sewed the first two flags, which appeared in the 1978 San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Subsequently, the 1979 San Francisco Gay Pride Parade Committee decided to use Gilbert's flag in the 1979 parade. However, some changes had to be made. When Gilbert asked the Paramount Flag Company in San Francisco to mass produce rainbow flags for the parade, he was told that "hot pink" was not a commercially available color in flag material. The flag was now down to seven stripes. Then the parade committee decided to make the flag six colors by eliminating the indigo stripe—that way the colors could be evenly divided along the parade route, with three colors on one side and three on the other. Royal Blue was substituted for turquoise, and the Rainbow Flag assumed the form in which we know it today.

From San Francisco in 1979, the Rainbow Flag has since spread around the world. (Imagine my surprise when I stopped recently at a factory outlet mall off a freeway in the middle of nowhere, and was greeted by the sight of rainbow flags hanging from the rafters as part of the decor. Was that just coincidence, or was the display person at that mall showing his or her "true colors"?) Rainbow flags appear on car windows and bumpers everywhere, and the six colors of the flag have been used in "freedom rings" and countless other products and fashion accessories.

Occasionally you will see variations on the Rainbow Flag, including a Rainbow Flag/Pink Triangle combination and a USA Rainbow Flag with a field of blue and 50 stars in the upper left-hand corner. And there is the "Victory Over AIDS" flag where the purple stripe on the bottom has been replaced with a black stripe to commemorate those who have been lost to AIDS. One of those we’ve lost is Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a gay Vietnam veteran whose tombstone in Arlington National Cemetery reads, "When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men, and a discharge for loving one." Before he died, he suggested that when a cure for AIDS is found, the black stripes should be removed from all the flags and ceremoniously burned in Washington, D.C.

Normally, the Rainbow Flag is displayed with the red bar at the top and the violet bar at the bottom. Occasionally, however, you will see an upside-down Rainbow Flag, and it's probably an intentional upside-down placement by a gay person who is also into new-age spirituality. I have been told that when the Rainbow Flag is inverted, the colors correspond to the first six of the body's chakras (in eastern and new-age spirituality, the chakras are the body’s energy centers). The color belonging to the seventh chakra (the crown, at the top of the head) is white, and white light is a combination of all the other colors of the rainbow.

The Leather Pride Flag: This flag was designed by Anthony F. DeBlase and was first displayed at the International Mr. Leather contest in the spring of 1989. DeBlase, still an active member of the leather community, is a noted artist, writer, editor and publisher who has been involved with many leather/SM publications over the years, including Drummer Magazine. Even though it's called a "Leather Pride" flag, it encompasses leather, levi, SM, BD, uniforms, cowboys, latex, and every other fetish that is identified as part of the leather/SM community. And just as the leather community includes all genders and sexual orientations, so the leather pride flag is not an exclusively gay symbol.

The common symbolism attached to the leather pride flag is this: the black is for black leather, the blue is for blue denim, the white stripe in the middle is for integrity, and the heart is love. Nice symbolism—but unlike Gilbert Baker, who knew the meaning of each of the colors of the Rainbow Flag, DeBlase has said he had no specific symbolism in mind when he designed the Leather Pride flag.

Some people outside the leather/SM community erroneously assume that the black and blue colors are derived from the phrase "beating someone until they're black and blue"; let me repeat that this is a mistaken assumption.

At least one person on the Web doesn't like the by-now-traditional Leather Pride flag. He thinks the heart is just too cutesy, and he has designed a more "masculine" leather pride flag which replaces the heart with rainbow-flag stripes in the upper-left-hand corner and adds chains in the upper-right-hand corner. There are two problems here, however—he seems to have forgotten that the leather/SM community includes more than just men and more than just gay people.

Bear Pride Flags: The Bear community, composed of men who are sometimes large and always furry, has gotten large enough in the last few years that the idea of a Bear Pride Flag seems a natural. But many competing flag designs are currently in circulation, vying for adoption as the "official" Bear Pride Flag. One common example of a Bear Pride Flag is shown here.

This year’s Minnesota Leather Pride Dogtag: Designed by your humble columnist, it superimposes a Leather Pride flag on the Minnesota state outline. This is the first year the Leather Pride dogtag has been produced in color. Show your Leather Pride by wearing it to the Pride Festival and while you’re marching in the Pride Parade. An invaluable addition to anyone’s dogtag collection, you can get yours at any of the upcoming Minnesota Leather Pride Weekend events; once you have it, it’s good for reduced admission for subsequent Leather Pride events during the weekend. (See details under “Upcoming Leather Events.”)

Upcoming Leather Events

Red Hanky Social
Wednesday, June 24, 7-9 pm, Minnesota Bar and Grill
This event is regularly scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of each month. If you’re into red hankies, this could be a nice prelude to this weekend’s Leather Pride events.

Leather Pride Kick-Off Bash
Friday, June 26, 9 pm-1 am, The Town House (St. Paul)
Start the weekend off right! Everyone who attends this events receives the 1998 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag, which is good for reduced admission to other Minnesota Leather Pride Weekend events. Free beer and sodas from 9 to midnight. There will also be door prizes. Bootblacking will be available to help you shine all weekend. Donation $6 at the door, or $5 with a 1998 Twin Cities Festival of Pride button.

Leather Pride Booth at Twin Cities Festival of Pride
Saturday and Sunday during the Pride Festival
This year the Leather Pride Committee is hosting an informational booth at the Twin Cities Festival of Pride for leather organizations. If you’d like to see your organization represented, call for more information.

Leather Pride Saturday Sun-Down Party
Saturday, June 27, 6 pm-sundown (barbecue 6-8:30 pm)
Minnesota Bar And Grill Patio And Pool Room (Cedar-Riverside Area)
Gather for a leather sundown supper on the rooftop deck of the MNBar; enjoy the fabulous views of the sunset and the Minneapolis skyline. Menu: chicken breasts or brats with all the trimmings, and a champagne toast at sundown. Happy-hour drink prices will be in effect. Donation $6 if you already have your 1998 Minnesota Leather Pride Dog Tag, $8 if you don’t (or if you want another one). Show up with a 1998 Twin Cities Festival of Pride button and get another dollar off the above prices.

Twin Cities Pride Parade
Sunday, June 28—gather at 3rd and Hennepin from 10:30-11 am, parade starts at noon
All clubs, club members, titleholders past and present, and GDI’s in the Upper Midwest are invited. Bring your colors, bring your regalia, bring yourselves, and help carry the largest Leather Pride flag ever built in the U.S. and the largest Gay Pride flag in the Upper Midwest. Both flags are 50’ x 75’, so lots of folks will be needed to help carry them. There will also be a Leather Pride float for titleholders, club officers, and those who aren’t able to walk the parade route. This will be the first time the leather community has been at the front of the parade as one group. (The parade route this year is up Hennepin Avenue from 3rd Street to Loring Park.)

Leather Pride Wind Down 
Sunday, June 28, afternoon and evening, Rear Entry at Tropix
After marching in the parade and stopping by the Leather Pride booth, this is the place to be—conveniently within walking distance from Hennepin Avenue. There will be drink specials and leather vendor displays. And it’s your last chance to get your 1998 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag! Donation $3 if you already have your 1998 Minnesota Leather Pride Dog Tag, $5 if you don’t (or if you want another one). Show up with a 1998 Twin Cities Festival of Pride button and get another dollar off the above prices.

Mark Your Calendar . . . 

July 10-12: The 6th annual North Star Regional Rodeo, presented by the North Star Gay Rodeo Association (NSGRA). They’re looking for volunteers to help with the rodeo—call if you’re interested.

July 17-19: The Atons present Gopher Broke, Lucky 13. It’s their thirteenth semi-annual run, and the theme is 1950’s leather in the spirit of Marlon Brando and “The Wild Ones.” For information and a registration form call; e-mail AtonsMpls@aol.com; visit www.starbase21.com/ATONS; or write Atons of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN.

Twentieth IML Contest Heralds Birth of Leather Nation

(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #79, June 5, 1998)

PHOTO: Tony Mills, International Mr. Leather 1998

PHOTO: IMLs #1 and #20: David Kloss, left, International Mr. Leather 1979, congratulates Tony Mills, right, International Mr. Leather 1998.

PHOTO: From left: Andrew Lennox, IML 1st runner-up; Tony Mills, International Mr. Leather 1998; Ed Ryder, IML 2nd runner-up; Matthew Duncan, International Boot Black 1998.

This year marked the twentieth anniversary of the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest in Chicago, but the contest shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, it just keeps getting bigger and more interesting.

This year’s contest weekend attracted so many people that six hotels (a record number) had to be used to house them all. Friday night’s contestant introduction at the headquarters hotel, The Congress, presented 62 contestants from 24 states, six countries, and Puerto Rico (including Mr. Minnesota Leather 1997, Roger Gregg). Also introduced were the judges and many previous IML titleholders including David Kloss, the first-ever International Mr. Leather (still looking extremely good twenty years later!)

Saturday night’s physique pre-judging was a new and worthwhile addition to the weekend: all the contestants were presented in their most appealing (i.e. minimal) attire. Being a first-time event, there were the inevitable staging difficulties—nothing that can’t be worked out next year, and nothing that stopped the crowd from enjoying the evening.

Sunday night’s contest at the Congress Theater started with the world premiere of “One Common Heartbeat,” a leather anthem by Gary Aldrich which got a standing ovation from the crowd. Other entertainment included the Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (ROTC), the She-Devils, and disco diva Linda Clifford, who got the audience standing, dancing and clapping along to her hit rendition of “If My Friends Could See Me Now” (an appropriate song for every one of the evening’s contestants). Another world premiere, this time of the leather documentary “In God We Trust, In Leather We Lust,” took place during the evening’s intermission. In his step-down speech, outgoing International Mr. Leather and Twin Cities hometown hero Kevin Cwayna had the vision to proclaim that leather is a community, a people, a tribe . . . and suddenly, we’ve become a Leather Nation. (He’s seen it first-hand this past year, so he should know.)

Production values for the evening’s show were uniformly high, and the pace was brisk. There were a few minor problems: contestants kept tripping over some poorly-placed on-stage loudspeakers, and a record number of contestants (including the winner) went over the allotted 90-second time limit and had their microphone turned off in mid-speech. (This also happened to Cwayna last year.)

The new International Mr. Leather 1998 is Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Tony Mills, whose physique is so well developed that they broke the sash trying to get it around his chest. He is 36 years old, is on the Board of Directors for the Tom of Finland Foundation, and is the Leather Archives & Museum’s Regional Coordinator for South Florida. He was sponsored by Centaur Motorcycle Club of Virginia. For the second year in a row, International Mr. Leather is a physician. Sober Leather members take note: Mills has been in recovery for 3-1/2 years.

First runner-up Andrew Lennox was born in New Zealand but now lives in Australia. He currently works as an executive chef and was sponsored by Mephisto Leathers of Australia. Second runner-up Ed Ryder was sponsored by Leather Central Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; he is a retired dentist who is evidently well known to the Washington, DC leather community. During the physique pre-judging portion of the contest, he revealed that he has “put more porcelain in [emcee Frank Nowicki’s] mouth than all the American Standard [plumbing fixtures] in this building.”

The International Boot Black competition is held each year in conjunction with IML. This year’s winner was Matthew Duncan, the boot black at the DC Eagle in Washington, DC. He was sponsored by the same club that sponsored the new IML: Centaur Motorcycle Club of Virginia.

One final item of interest: among the 62 contestants, one was a first for IML—Billy Lane, Seattle Mr. Leather ’98, is a female-to-male transsexual. Lest anyone think he was a token contestant, it should be noted that he was one of the top twenty semifinalists.

Upcoming Leather Events

Ms. Minnesota Leather Fundraiser and Beer Bust
Friday, June 5, 8 pm-close, Town House, St. Paul
Ms. Minnesota Leather—she's back and ready to party! But, unfortunately, she's broke. So come help the Ms. Minnesota Leather Contest Committee welcome Kevin Cwayna and Roger Gregg back from IML. There will be door prizes and wet T-shirt/jock contests. Enter your ideas for a Ms. Minnesota Leather logo design and win weekend passes and more! Incidentally, the Ms. Minnesota Leather Contest will be held September 18, 19 and 20. For more information e-mail or call W.I.L.L.O.W. Productions

Mark Your Calendar . . .

June 26-28: This year’s Leather Pride Celebration has expanded to three days. Friday night kicks off the festivities at The Town House in St. Paul. Saturday evening features dinner on the rooftop deck at the Minnesota Bar and Grill, with fabulous views of the Minneapolis skyline and a champagne toast at sundown. Sunday afternoon and evening, after marching with the leather contingent in the Twin Cities Festival of Pride Parade, the party is at Tropix. In addition, plans are being made to have a Leather Pride booth at the Twin Cities Festival of Pride in Loring Park, which will be staffed by representatives of the various leather community clubs and organizations. Watch for more details.

July 10-12: The 6th annual North Star Regional Rodeo, presented by the North Star Gay Rodeo Association (NSGRA). They’re looking for volunteers to help with the rodeo—call if you’re interested.

July 17-19: The Atons present Gopher Broke, Lucky 13. It’s their thirteenth semi-annual run, and the theme is 1950’s leather in the spirit of Marlon Brando and “The Wild Ones.” For information and a registration form call; e-mail AtonsMpls@aol.com; visit www.starbase21.com/ATONS; or write Atons of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN.

Date Change: August 21-23: The International Mr. Fantasy Weekend in Omaha, Nebraska. Minnesota will be represented by Mr. Minnesota Fantasy Ken Flanagan.

Flanagan is Mr. MN Fantasy ’98

(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #78, May 22, 1998)

PHOTO: Ken Flanagan, Mr. Minnesota Fantasy 1998

PHOTO: David Page, Mr. Minnesota Fantasy 1998 Runner-Up

The recent Minnesota Fantasy weekend, incorporating the Mr. Minnesota Fantasy 1998 contest, turned out to be quite entertaining and a little irritating as well. Ken Flanagan captured the Mr. Minnesota Fantasy 1998 sash—although the announcement of his victory had to be made on a dark stage without the benefit of a microphone.

The Minnesota Fantasy weekend producers (Dale Willman, Michael deLeon and Gary O’Neill) attempted to put together a string of events unlike any ever presented in the Twin Cities. Thursday night featured a kick-off party at Club Metro Underground in St. Paul. Friday night’s Party Bus tour was a Twin Cities first: a busload of leatherfolk started at the Minnesota Bar and Grill and visited The Brass Rail, Over The Rainbow, Trikkx, The Town House and The Saloon before finishing up with a Meet & Greet back at the MN Bar. The crowd at Over The Rainbow was especially supportive, cheering when the leather contingent arrived and giving them a rousing and appreciative send-off as they left. Manager Jim Andrews at The Town House succeeded in getting many of his leather visitors out on the dance floor for both country and swing dancing. (There were some great dancers on that bus!)

Saturday night’s contest at Club Metro Underground featured five strong contestants. None had ever competed in a contest before, but all have been around the leather/SM scene long enough that they just had to do what came naturally to make a very entertaining evening. Paul Nicholson performed a crucifixion fantasy, with electric and hot-wax play, with the 1812 Overture as background music. David Page, who captured Runner-Up honors, did a tailor-shop fantasy. Leowyn performed a sizzling and sensual pansexual fantasy in which a bouquet of roses was used as a flogger. Brian Preston, who performed a barber-shop fantasy, had already impressed the judges with his wit and comic timing; when asked during the contestant interviews which Spice Girl he would want to be, he replied without missing a beat: “Old Spice.”

Winner Ken Flanagan's fantasy cooked—literally. As he watched an on-stage television set which supposedly was showing a cooking program on how to stuff and truss a chicken, he performed each step on his “chicken,” a gorgeous twenty-something boy. The variety of expressions on the faces of both Flanagan and his “chicken” were fascinating to watch. Co-emcee Tiffany Cartier narrated the fantasy using her best Julia Child impersonation, and every line of the script had a delicious double meaning. The audience loved it. The final fantasy of the evening was performed by Michael deLeon, the outgoing Mr. Minnesota Fantasy, and Ariq Robinson, the current International Mr. Fantasy.

That brings us to both the high point and the low point of the weekend. Contest organizer and co-emcee Dale Willman had the judges’ results in his hands and was just about to announce the winners when the lights went out, the microphone went dead, a crew came out and started taking the stage apart, and throbbing dance music filled the room. After several anxious minutes the music was cut just long enough for Willman to hoarsely announce the winners while O’Neill illuminated the proceedings with a flashlight. Tempers flared, and many oaths were sworn.

What went wrong? Without editorializing, these are the facts: The Mr. Minnesota Fantasy Contest had an agreement to use the Metro Underground until a certain time, after which the room would host its normal Saturday-night dance crowd. The contest started late, and therefore ran out of time. Now, some opinions: I'd be willing to bet that everyone involved, on all sides, wishes this unfortunate situation could have been avoided. Perhaps with better communications between contest organizers and bar management things might not have blown up.

The people for whom I feel the most compassion are the contestants, and especially the winner and runner-up, for whom the thrill of victory was overshadowed by the unpleasantness of the situation. All the contestants were given a warm reception at Sunday's victory party at The Saloon, and Flanagan will go on to represent Minnesota at the tenth annual International Mr. Fantasy contest, August 14-16 in Omaha.

New Minnesota Mr. Drummer and Drummerboy

PHOTO: Mike Vintean standing; David McCammon kneeling

Due to space constraints this picture was not published with the Minnesota Drummer contest story last issue.

Appearing This Weekend in Chicago

PHOTO: Kevin Cwayna, International Mr. Leather 1997

PHOTO CREDIT: Roy Blakey

PHOTO: Roger Gregg, Mr. Minnesota Leather 1998

Two of Minnesota's leather luminaries will be on stage at the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest this weekend in Chicago. A big thank-you to Kevin Cwayna, who steps down from his post as International Mr. Leather 1997, for being such a great representative of Minnesota’s and the world’s leather communities. And good luck to Roger Gregg, Mr. Minnesota Leather 1998, who will be competing in the contest—and trying to bring the IML sash back to the Twin Cities again, for two-in-a-row.

Upcoming Leather Events



May 29-31, 1998: The Knights of Leather present Knights Tournament 10, their tenth-anniversary run. There's still time to register, but hurry—registration deadline is Monday, May 25. Knights of Leather, Minneapolis, MN  or e-mail SSCKOL@aol.com.

International Mr. Leather 1997: The Exit Interview

(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #77, May 8, 1998)

PHOTO: International Mr. Leather 1997 Kevin Cwayna will pass the sash to his successor at the 1998 International Mr. Leather Contest, May 22-25 in Chicago.

PHOTO CREDIT: Roy Blakey

A year passes quickly. Kevin Cwayna, M.D., International Mr. Leather (IML) 1997 and Minnesota's first-ever international leather titleholder, will complete his title year and sash his successor at the 1998 International Mr. Leather Contest, May 22-25 in Chicago.

Regular readers of this column will recall my first interview with Cwayna shortly after he won the title (an expanded version of that interview appears in the current issue of International Leatherman Magazine, Issue #17). Now, in a second interview almost a year later, Cwayna shares his thoughts as his title year comes to a close:

Your year as International Mr. Leather is almost over. What's it been like?

It's been an amazing opportunity. I feel quite privileged that I got to experience all the various corners of the leather community. As International Mr. Leather you get a very thorough tour of the leather world, and you meet a lot of wonderful people. Fetish groups, old guard, new guard, old and new clubs—you're bombarded with all this fascinating information. The schedule's a bit rigorous—it would be better if one didn't have a full-time job. But all in all, it's been an incredible experience.

What do you feel you've accomplished this year?

Well, I could have accomplished more with a full-time staff. There are lots of dreams and visions I would have liked to do, but in reality you have time during the year to set up a website, write up your platform and send it out, and start your whirlwind tour. A lot of time was spent helping people with their events, and talking to people who are new to the community, or who want to know how to become a contestant in IML, or who have other questions about leather and SM. As IML you become a very visible lightning rod for the community. I feel like I did a lot of "leather triage."

That sounds like a doctor talking.

I didn't start any sort of national leather movement anywhere, and I didn't add a new wing to the Leather Archives. But when I'm done holding the IML title, that's when I'll have time to do that sort of thing. I'll be able to be involved in the community as I choose—be on the board of the Leather Archives, or write more, or whatever. It turns out that this isn't the year when you get to do those things; it will be in future years that I can be involved in the areas where I can be most helpful.

So what are your immediate plans after you step down?

I'm going to reground myself in the local community. I'll enjoy a summer at home—I'll be very "around." I'm also interested in leather sexuality as a field of academic study; I think it's very fascinating historically. And I want to help the Leather Archives and Museum. I've seen a lot of postwar damage from HIV, and the leather community is still experiencing that and trying to regroup—like Eric Rofes writes about in his book Reviving The Tribe. I think the Leather Archives has been our community's attempt to try and culturally affirm ourselves and I'd like to contribute to that effort.

New Minnesota Mr. Drummer and Drummerboy Chosen

PHOTO: Mike Vintean standing; David McCammon kneeling

PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Lenius

Congratulations to Mike Vintean, Mr. Minnesota Drummer 1998 (standing), and David McCammon, Minnesota Drummerboy 1998 (kneeling). They won their titles in the Minnesota Drummer contest held April 18 at Club Metro Underground. Other contestants were Steve Eue, Mr. Drummer first runner-up; Scott Kelley, Mr. Drummer second runner-up; and Corey Austin, Drummerboy first runner-up.

The panel of judges, headed by current International Mr. Drummer Jeffrey Adler, had some tough decisions to make, as each of the contestants made a strong showing. Steve Eue's fantasy started as he collared his boy in the crowd, ripped his clothes off, and dragged him onstage—and it got steamier from there. Scott Kelley's fantasy was a conversation with G.O.D. (the Great Omnipotent Dragqueen); it was one of the most literate fantasies I've ever seen. Mike Vintean presented the final fantasy of the evening, and one that would have been hard to top: a real, honest-to-goodness wrestling match, complete with a real-life World Wrestling Federation wrestler as an opponent. Before it was done both men had been knocked offstage and were wrestling on the auditorium floor in front of the judges' table.

Vintean's next competition will be the Great Lakes Mr. Drummer Contest in Columbus, Ohio August 28-30. McCammon will be part of the Drummerboy pool at the International Mr. Drummer Contest in San Francisco September 26.

Upcoming Leather Events



Mr. Minnesota Fantasy Weekend



Friday, May 8:
Party Bus Bar Cruise leaves Minnesota Bar & Grill, 7 pm (must be pre-registered)
Meet & Greet judges and contestants at Minnesota Bar & Grill, 11 pm



Saturday, May 9:
Pre-contest Cocktail Party, Metro Underground, 7 pm
1998 Mr. Minnesota Fantasy Contest, Metro Underground, 8:30 pm



Sunday, May 10:
Victory and Wind-down Party, The Saloon, 7 pm, followed by The Tank at 9 pm

All the above events except the Party Bus Bar Cruise are available on an individual basis. Weekend packages are $45 and include all the events listed above plus Friday and Saturday night private play parties. Call Wolf Productions for weekend packages, single events or if you want to compete. The contest winner will represent Minnesota in the International Mr. Fantasy Contest in Omaha, August 14-16.

IML Kick Off ’98
Sunday, May 17, 6-10 pm, The Saloon

A send-off for current Mr. Minnesota Leather Roger Gregg, who will represent Minnesota at the International Mr. Leather Contest in Chicago the following weekend. Also appearing will be adult video star Steve Canon. Be there; you may be the lucky winner of the IML contest package that will be given away.



Red Hanky Social
Wednesday, May 20, 7-9 pm, Minnesota Bar and Grill

This event is regularly scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of each month. The first two Red Hanky Socials have been well attended, with newcomers to the scene asking questions and experienced men more than happy to answer them. If you're interested in red hankies you'll want to be here.

Mark Your Calendar . . .



May 22-25: International Mr. Leather Contest in Chicago. Up-to-the-minute details at www.imrl.com.

May 29-31, 1998: The Knights of Leather present Knights Tournament 10. Register by May 11 and save $10. Knights of Leather, Minneapolis, MN or e-mail SSCKOL@aol.com.