(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #85, August 28, 1998)
Mike Vintean Relinquishes Title
Mike Vintean, who won the 1998 Mr. Minnesota Drummer title in April, relinquished the title during the recent Mr. MN Drummer/Drummerboy Weekend. Vintean would not have been able to fulfill the requirements of the title due to a recent, unforeseen change in employment.
In a Friday night ceremony at The Town House Vintean passed the sash to Steve Eue, first runner-up in last April’s contest, who became the new Minnesota Mr. Drummer 1998. He and 1998 Minnesota Drummerboy david will be representing Minnesota’s leather/SM community at this weekend’s Great Lakes Drummer Contest in Columbus, Ohio.
PHOTO CAPTION #1: Mike Vintean, left, prepares to turn the 1998 Minnesota Mr. Drummer title over to Steve Eue, right.
PHOTO CAPTION #2: Good luck and best wishes to newly-designated Minnesota Mr. Drummer 1998 Steve Eue (back) and Minnesota Drummerboy 1998 david (front) as they compete in the Great Lakes Mr. Drummer/Drummerboy contest this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
Mr. Minnesota Leather Contest Returns to Club Metro
Remember last year’s Tom of Finland bash at the Gay 90s? The advice from this column at the time was “Yes, it’s at the 90s—go anyway.” Here we go again.
After several tense encounters between Club Metro and various leather event organizers (most notably the unpleasantness connected with the recent Mr. Minnesota Fantasy contest), many in the community are asking why anyone would hold another leather contest there. Here’s why, according to Mr. Minnesota Leather contest producer Colin Spriestersbach: An abundance of upcoming leather contests, combined with a shortage of suitable venues for those contests, required schedules to be adjusted and compromises to be made. (These same circumstances have also persuaded Spriestersbach to put his proposed American Leathermaster contest on hold.) In the opinion of the contest’s organizers and other interested members of the community, the reasons to hold it at Club Metro outweighed the reasons not to hold it there.
Spriestersbach emphasized several points when I talked with him recently:
• The management of Club Metro is cooperating with contest organizers and is eager to have us back. According to Spriestersbach, leather functions were never banned at Club Metro, and any rumors to that effect are false. (Personally, I never heard any of those rumors.)
• In the aftermath of the Mr. Minnesota Fantasy contest debacle, both contest organizers and Club Metro management agreed that the problem happened because of miscommunication. All those involved with this contest will, I’m sure, take great pains to make sure such miscommunications don’t happen again.
• These contests include a charity fundraising component, as do many other leather community events; at this contest Spriestersbach expects to present checks for over $3,000 to various charities, representing money raised at some of this summer’s events.
This is an instance in which you get to vote with your feet, folks, but it’s not just a referendum on what you think of Club Metro. If you’re uncomfortable going to Club Metro, ask yourself if your discomfort is great enough to keep you from supporting the contest, the contestants, the new titleholder who will be selected and the charities for which money will be raised. That’s what you’re really voting on.
No Sex, Please, It’s An Election Year
Part of the Mr. Minnesota Leather Contest weekend is the “Trash III” party on Friday night at the Metro. Those attending will be free to drink, dance and be trashy—up to a point, of course, after which the nice bouncer will ask you to kindly re-button your fly. Don’t blame him, and don’t blame the bar management. Blame it on election year politics.
The Twin Towns are a nice place to live and are reasonably accepting of “people like us.” But laws and public policy in both Minneapolis and St. Paul are extremely hostile to sex and/or nudity in public spaces, and the fact that this is an election year means efforts at enforcing such bans are redoubled. X-rated videos are no longer allowed to be shown in leather bars. There’s a greater police presence at the Mississippi river flats in both Minneapolis and St. Paul and at Twin Lake in Minneapolis. Backroom-type activity in bars is not tolerated. (It’s not just the Twin Cities, by the way—it’s even affecting places like New York City, where mayor Rudy Giuliani recently closed down many sex-related businesses or forced them to move.)
Hypermoralistic politicans love to decry the scandalous, evil activities which are going on RIGHT IN OUR VERY MIDST. If we give them incidents to publicly fume about we’re playing into their hands. So—at least until the election is over and things settle down again—dance, party, have fun, meet people, but try to maintain some sense of decorum (at least in public, anyway).
Upcoming Leather Events
Mr. Minnesota Leather Contest Weekend
Four days of Labor-Day-weekend party brought to you by Minnesota Leather Productions in partnership with The Black Guard, Sober Leather, and ISCIC. Weekend package is $40 and includes a souvenir T-shirt as well as admission to all the weekend’s events—available at Rainbow Road and at Friday’s event. Portion of proceeds goes to Sexual Violence Center. (If you want to compete call for information and an application.)
“Trash III” Meet & Greet Dance Party
Friday, Sept. 4, 9 pm-close, Club Metro Underground, St. Paul
$7 at the door includes first drink free.
Decadent Bus Bar Tour
Saturday, Sept. 5, Minnesota Bar & Grill. Cocktails at 7 pm, bus departs at 8 pm.
$15 at the door includes drink tickets for all bars visited and admission to Champagne Party (below).
Champagne Party
Saturday, Sept. 5, 11 pm-close, Minnesota Bar & Grill (2nd level)
$5 at the door includes champagne toast at midnight.
Daddy’s Tea Dance
Sunday, Sept. 6, 4-8 pm, The Town House, St. Paul
Special surprises and shuttle bus service to the contest for those who bought weekend packages. No admission charge.
1999 Mr. Minnesota Leather Contest and Show
Sunday, Sept. 6, Doors open 8 pm, Club Metro Underground, St. Paul
This is what it’s all been building up to. $18 at the door.
Victory Brunch
Monday, Sept. 7, 2-6 pm, Brass Rail
Brunch and drink specials, no cover.
Mark Your Calendar . . .
Sept. 18-20: Ms. Minnesota Leather Contest Weekend. Friday is the return of “Bare As You Dare” at The Saloon from 6:30-9:30 pm; it’s “Bat Night” with the first 10 in the door getting a complimentary slapper. On Saturday there will be pre- and post-contest parties at times and locations to be announced; the contest will be at the University Film Society at Bell Museum Auditorium on the U of M Campus. Bus service between venues will be available. A Survivor’s Brunch on Sunday (hosted by Gary and Michael, catered by Joy, and with limited attendance of 50 people) will lead into an informal wind-down at The Tank that evening. Weekend Package is $30 with brunch or $20 without; events (except the brunch) are also available separately. Call Deb or Renee for further event or contestant information. Winner competes in International Ms. Leather Contest in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 1999.
October 16-18: Pantheon of Leather presents the Mr. & Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather contest, “your local pansexual fetish contest.” Call for event or contestant information.
Friday, August 28, 1998
Friday, August 14, 1998
Fred Phelps Hates SM, Too
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #84, August 14, 1998)
In the recent cable-TV presentation of “More Tales of the City,” the inclusion of film clips of Anita Bryant discussing homosexuals took me back to my younger days. It was either 1978 or 1979 and Ms. Bryant, who at the time was still a spokesperson for Florida oranges, visited the Twin Cities for the opening of a fruit warehouse on Kasota Avenue. I was among the many people who picketed her appearance there—and who made sure we drank only California orange juice and lemonade that summer.
How times have changed. Anita Bryant, whose supposed attitude about homosexuals was “Love the sinner, hate the sin,” has become Fred Phelps, a hatemonger (and proud of it) whose message is summarized in the title of his website: www.godhatesfags.com.
Fags, however, aren’t all that God hates, according to Phelps. Bryant’s public personna was too demure and polite to allow her to discuss some of the grittier topics that are included on Phelps’ website, such as his ostensibly documented claims that 33% of gay men are into fisting, 29% are into golden showers and 17% are into scat. (By the way, those numbers seem a bit inflated when compared to the actual number of red, yellow and brown hankies I see in peoples’ pockets.) All of these activities are considered totally depraved by God aka Phelps. God also hates exhibitionism, fetishism, all forms of sadomasochism, bondage, crossdressing, voyeurism—and the list goes on. God evidently hates anyone who does any of these things, even if they happen to be straight. And God certainly hates baby-killers (the majority of whom, I’m sure, are straight). Apparently, to paraphrase Bryant’s orange juice commercials: “Hatred—it’s not just for homosexuals anymore.”
How does one respond to such hatred? Is it better to not dignify it with a response, to dismiss it rather than gratify the ego of the hatemonger by responding? Will ignoring it make it go away? Perhaps a case could be made for this viewpoint, but a case can also be made for the famous quotation that “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” The GLBT community, the leather/SM community, and humanity in general all need to be aware of what the Fred Phelpses of the world are saying and doing. As I read Phelps’ website, the thought occurred to me that if one changed every occurrence of the word “fag” to the word “Jew,” that’s probably what Hitler’s website would have looked like if he’d had one. Phelps supposedly disavows the use of physical violence, but his words could certainly incite hate crimes to be committed by others who have no such inhibitions.
I had another thought about Phelps’ website: A lot has been written about pornography on the World Wide Web and its effect on children, but a hate-filled website like this one seems to me truly obscene.
It was recently brought to my attention that I have been a bit lax in a matter of protocol. A recent edition of this column referred to “Mr. Minnesota Drummerboy,” which is an oxymoron. A boy is never addressed as “Mr.” My apologies for the error. Now, for the record, here’s how it works: We have Mr. Minnesota Leather 1998 Roger Gregg and his boy, david (note that a boy’s name is not capitalized), whose title is Minnesota Drummerboy 1998. (The “D” on Drummerboy is capitalized, because “Drummer” is the proper name of a magazine.)
Congratulations to new International Ms. Leather 1998 Megan DeJarlais of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She won the title July 18 in Atlanta. For the full story, check out www.theleatherjournal.com/sashbash.htm.
Upcoming Leather Events
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 (see below). 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 . . .
August 28-30: Great Lakes Mr. Drummer/Drummerboy Contest, Columbus, Ohio. Be there to support Mr. Minnesota Drummer 1998 Mike Vintean and Minnesota Drummerboy 1998 david as they represent our community. A full weekend of events is planned, including a Black Toga party and a Tough Customer party. For further information contact Boy Toy Productions at boytoyprod@iwaynet.net, or Columbus, OH. Host hotel is the Courtyard Marriott–Downtown (special rates when you mention Great Lakes Drummer).
In the recent cable-TV presentation of “More Tales of the City,” the inclusion of film clips of Anita Bryant discussing homosexuals took me back to my younger days. It was either 1978 or 1979 and Ms. Bryant, who at the time was still a spokesperson for Florida oranges, visited the Twin Cities for the opening of a fruit warehouse on Kasota Avenue. I was among the many people who picketed her appearance there—and who made sure we drank only California orange juice and lemonade that summer.
How times have changed. Anita Bryant, whose supposed attitude about homosexuals was “Love the sinner, hate the sin,” has become Fred Phelps, a hatemonger (and proud of it) whose message is summarized in the title of his website: www.godhatesfags.com.
Fags, however, aren’t all that God hates, according to Phelps. Bryant’s public personna was too demure and polite to allow her to discuss some of the grittier topics that are included on Phelps’ website, such as his ostensibly documented claims that 33% of gay men are into fisting, 29% are into golden showers and 17% are into scat. (By the way, those numbers seem a bit inflated when compared to the actual number of red, yellow and brown hankies I see in peoples’ pockets.) All of these activities are considered totally depraved by God aka Phelps. God also hates exhibitionism, fetishism, all forms of sadomasochism, bondage, crossdressing, voyeurism—and the list goes on. God evidently hates anyone who does any of these things, even if they happen to be straight. And God certainly hates baby-killers (the majority of whom, I’m sure, are straight). Apparently, to paraphrase Bryant’s orange juice commercials: “Hatred—it’s not just for homosexuals anymore.”
How does one respond to such hatred? Is it better to not dignify it with a response, to dismiss it rather than gratify the ego of the hatemonger by responding? Will ignoring it make it go away? Perhaps a case could be made for this viewpoint, but a case can also be made for the famous quotation that “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” The GLBT community, the leather/SM community, and humanity in general all need to be aware of what the Fred Phelpses of the world are saying and doing. As I read Phelps’ website, the thought occurred to me that if one changed every occurrence of the word “fag” to the word “Jew,” that’s probably what Hitler’s website would have looked like if he’d had one. Phelps supposedly disavows the use of physical violence, but his words could certainly incite hate crimes to be committed by others who have no such inhibitions.
I had another thought about Phelps’ website: A lot has been written about pornography on the World Wide Web and its effect on children, but a hate-filled website like this one seems to me truly obscene.
-----
It was recently brought to my attention that I have been a bit lax in a matter of protocol. A recent edition of this column referred to “Mr. Minnesota Drummerboy,” which is an oxymoron. A boy is never addressed as “Mr.” My apologies for the error. Now, for the record, here’s how it works: We have Mr. Minnesota Leather 1998 Roger Gregg and his boy, david (note that a boy’s name is not capitalized), whose title is Minnesota Drummerboy 1998. (The “D” on Drummerboy is capitalized, because “Drummer” is the proper name of a magazine.)
-----
Congratulations to new International Ms. Leather 1998 Megan DeJarlais of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She won the title July 18 in Atlanta. For the full story, check out www.theleatherjournal.com/sashbash.htm.
Upcoming Leather Events
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 (see below). 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 . . .
August 28-30: Great Lakes Mr. Drummer/Drummerboy Contest, Columbus, Ohio. Be there to support Mr. Minnesota Drummer 1998 Mike Vintean and Minnesota Drummerboy 1998 david as they represent our community. A full weekend of events is planned, including a Black Toga party and a Tough Customer party. For further information contact Boy Toy Productions at boytoyprod@iwaynet.net, or Columbus, OH. Host hotel is the Courtyard Marriott–Downtown (special rates when you mention Great Lakes Drummer).
Friday, July 31, 1998
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.
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.
Friday, July 17, 1998
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.
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.
Friday, July 3, 1998
Interview: Leather singer/songwriter (and St. Paul native) Rick Beech
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Friday, June 19, 1998
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.
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.
Friday, June 5, 1998
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.
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.
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