Friday, November 18, 2011
Leather Life’s Holiday Gift Guide
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Friday, October 21, 2011
A Beginning and an Ending
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #428, October 21, 2011)
Two local leather/BDSM events with similar names, held the same September weekend, represented a beginning and an ending.
The beginning: the first Northern Lights (and Kinky Nights) regional BDSM education weekend was held in St. Paul. The weekend included 24 educational seminars, a vendor area, two nights of dungeon/playspace action, and a silent auction benefiting the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF).
The creation of the Northern Lights weekend was inspired by Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) XI, which was held in Minneapolis in 2007 and on which many of the Northern Lights organizers worked. The aim of the Northern Lights organization is “to bring the best of Minnesota to the world and the best of the kink world to Minnesota.”
Apparently the event’s organizers succeeded in their goal; organizers felt the event “went really, really well.” Survey feedback from attendees was good, vendors said they’d be back next year, and presenters were pleased with how the event was run. Northern Lights drew over 230 attendees from the region (Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa) and presenters from Chicago, Boston and Denver.
The ending: Minnesota Storm Patrol’s third Northern Xposure run apparently will be the club’s last. The theme of this year’s run was Totally Twisted Fairy Tales, and the run also incorporated the fall meeting of the Mid-America Conference of Clubs. In addition, the Atons of Minneapolis supported the run by making its banquet the venue for their monthly Leather/Levi Dinner.
At the run’s Sunday morning brunch the announcement was made that, now that the Minnesota Storm Patrol had presented its run, the club would start the process of dissolving itself. Many questions remain, such as whether some Minnesota Storm Patrol members will seek to join other existing clubs or whether a new club will be started.
Until such time as all arrangements for the club’s dissolution are made, the Minnesota Storm Patrol will continue holding their monthly beer busts at The Town House in St. Paul. And watch for details on a possible last Minnesota Storm Patrol bar event, at which the club’s colors will be retired.
Two local leather/BDSM events with similar names, held the same September weekend, represented a beginning and an ending.
The beginning: the first Northern Lights (and Kinky Nights) regional BDSM education weekend was held in St. Paul. The weekend included 24 educational seminars, a vendor area, two nights of dungeon/playspace action, and a silent auction benefiting the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF).
The creation of the Northern Lights weekend was inspired by Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) XI, which was held in Minneapolis in 2007 and on which many of the Northern Lights organizers worked. The aim of the Northern Lights organization is “to bring the best of Minnesota to the world and the best of the kink world to Minnesota.”
Apparently the event’s organizers succeeded in their goal; organizers felt the event “went really, really well.” Survey feedback from attendees was good, vendors said they’d be back next year, and presenters were pleased with how the event was run. Northern Lights drew over 230 attendees from the region (Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa) and presenters from Chicago, Boston and Denver.
The ending: Minnesota Storm Patrol’s third Northern Xposure run apparently will be the club’s last. The theme of this year’s run was Totally Twisted Fairy Tales, and the run also incorporated the fall meeting of the Mid-America Conference of Clubs. In addition, the Atons of Minneapolis supported the run by making its banquet the venue for their monthly Leather/Levi Dinner.
At the run’s Sunday morning brunch the announcement was made that, now that the Minnesota Storm Patrol had presented its run, the club would start the process of dissolving itself. Many questions remain, such as whether some Minnesota Storm Patrol members will seek to join other existing clubs or whether a new club will be started.
Until such time as all arrangements for the club’s dissolution are made, the Minnesota Storm Patrol will continue holding their monthly beer busts at The Town House in St. Paul. And watch for details on a possible last Minnesota Storm Patrol bar event, at which the club’s colors will be retired.
Friday, September 23, 2011
At the Great Lakes Leather Alliance weekend, a picture is worth . . .
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #426, September 23, 2011)
Wow, have I taken a lot of photographs over the years! I never realized how many until I was asked to give a leather history presentation and started going through all my photos.
The presentation was part of the recent Great Lakes Leather Alliance (GLLA) weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. A leather weekend in the heart of conservative Indiana? Yes, and in its tenth year, too. GLLA brought together members of the gay, lesbian, and pansexual leather/BDSM/fetish community primarily but not exclusively from the Great Lakes region. It was a jam-packed weekend with four concurrent leather contests and over 40 educational seminars. The seminar I presented was called “I Was There: A Photojournalistic Review of Leather History.”
To put that presentation together, I went through all the photos I’ve taken or collected since getting into leather in 1993. The cliché with photos is that most people have them crammed in a shoebox. My photo library fills three large boxes, the equivalent of 12 shoeboxes each. And those are just the ones taken using a film camera. (Remember film?) The more recent photos were taken digitally and occupy space only on my computer’s hard drive. But still, film and digital, there were lots of photos to go through, and lots of happy memories came back to me as I went through the photos.
For the presentation I used about 350 photos that best told the story of the last eighteen years of the leather community as I saw and photographed them. The presentation included photos of club events, contests and titleholders, evenings at leather bars and bar events, and Leather Pride celebrations and parades through the years.
Some of these photos have been exhibited at the Leather Pride booth at the Twin Cities Pride festival or at other Minnesota Leather Pride events. Some of them will be included in a book I’m planning to publish. But right now, you can visit the Lavender website and see a selection of photos from the presentation.
So, what’s a picture worth? A thousand words, and a ton of memories.
Wow, have I taken a lot of photographs over the years! I never realized how many until I was asked to give a leather history presentation and started going through all my photos.
The presentation was part of the recent Great Lakes Leather Alliance (GLLA) weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. A leather weekend in the heart of conservative Indiana? Yes, and in its tenth year, too. GLLA brought together members of the gay, lesbian, and pansexual leather/BDSM/fetish community primarily but not exclusively from the Great Lakes region. It was a jam-packed weekend with four concurrent leather contests and over 40 educational seminars. The seminar I presented was called “I Was There: A Photojournalistic Review of Leather History.”
To put that presentation together, I went through all the photos I’ve taken or collected since getting into leather in 1993. The cliché with photos is that most people have them crammed in a shoebox. My photo library fills three large boxes, the equivalent of 12 shoeboxes each. And those are just the ones taken using a film camera. (Remember film?) The more recent photos were taken digitally and occupy space only on my computer’s hard drive. But still, film and digital, there were lots of photos to go through, and lots of happy memories came back to me as I went through the photos.
For the presentation I used about 350 photos that best told the story of the last eighteen years of the leather community as I saw and photographed them. The presentation included photos of club events, contests and titleholders, evenings at leather bars and bar events, and Leather Pride celebrations and parades through the years.
Some of these photos have been exhibited at the Leather Pride booth at the Twin Cities Pride festival or at other Minnesota Leather Pride events. Some of them will be included in a book I’m planning to publish. But right now, you can visit the Lavender website and see a selection of photos from the presentation.
So, what’s a picture worth? A thousand words, and a ton of memories.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Leather Legacies
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #422, July 28, 2011)
Two leather/GLBT activists leave us
It has been sobering and sorrowful to learn recently of the passing of two significant GLBT and leather activists—George Wong of Los Angeles on June 6, 2011, and Roger “R.J.” Chaffin of Chicago on June 17, 2011.
Both made significant contributions, on both local and national levels, to the GLBT and leather communities. You might not know their names but, if you’re reading this column, their accomplishments have touched your life.
Wong was Public Relations Officer for Avatar Club Los Angeles since he joined the club in 1995. He presented educational seminars, judged or worked behind the scenes at many local and national leather contests, and produced events including the Mr. Los Angeles Leather Contest in 2007 and 2008. He also was one of the producers for Leather Leadership Conference VI in Los Angeles in 2002 and, on a personal note, his advice, mentorship and encouragement was a huge help in putting together Leather Leadership Conference XI in Minneapolis in 2007.
Chaffin was one of Chicago’s most prominent gay businessmen and activists for over 30 years. He started and ran several retail businesses including R.J.’s Video, Gay Mart and Ragin’ Rae Jean’s. He held several positions with Chicago’s Gay Life newspaper. He produced many leather and non-leather fundraising events for AIDS-related and other charities. For 18 years he directed the International Mr. Leather Weekend’s Leather Marketplace, building it into the world’s largest vendor fair of its kind. Among many notable awards and honors, he was inducted into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1997.
Both men have created huge and inspiring legacies. They leave very big boots to fill. And they leave many, including your humble columnist, who miss them tremendously.
Two leather/GLBT activists leave us
It has been sobering and sorrowful to learn recently of the passing of two significant GLBT and leather activists—George Wong of Los Angeles on June 6, 2011, and Roger “R.J.” Chaffin of Chicago on June 17, 2011.
Both made significant contributions, on both local and national levels, to the GLBT and leather communities. You might not know their names but, if you’re reading this column, their accomplishments have touched your life.
Wong was Public Relations Officer for Avatar Club Los Angeles since he joined the club in 1995. He presented educational seminars, judged or worked behind the scenes at many local and national leather contests, and produced events including the Mr. Los Angeles Leather Contest in 2007 and 2008. He also was one of the producers for Leather Leadership Conference VI in Los Angeles in 2002 and, on a personal note, his advice, mentorship and encouragement was a huge help in putting together Leather Leadership Conference XI in Minneapolis in 2007.
Chaffin was one of Chicago’s most prominent gay businessmen and activists for over 30 years. He started and ran several retail businesses including R.J.’s Video, Gay Mart and Ragin’ Rae Jean’s. He held several positions with Chicago’s Gay Life newspaper. He produced many leather and non-leather fundraising events for AIDS-related and other charities. For 18 years he directed the International Mr. Leather Weekend’s Leather Marketplace, building it into the world’s largest vendor fair of its kind. Among many notable awards and honors, he was inducted into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1997.
Both men have created huge and inspiring legacies. They leave very big boots to fill. And they leave many, including your humble columnist, who miss them tremendously.
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| George Wong (Credit: JayPG Photography) |
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| Roger “R.J.” Chaffin |
Thursday, June 30, 2011
“International” Mr. Leather, Indeed
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #420, June 30, 2011)
This year’s International Mr. Leather contest showed once again how truly “international” the contest has become. Eric Guttierez, Mr. Leather Europe 2010, was chosen as the new International Mr. Leather on Sunday, May 29.
In his speech during the contest Guttierez described himself as “a typical European mix.” His parents are from Spain, he grew up “near the Belgian frontier,” and he now lives in the French Alps near the Swiss border.
First runner-up was Douglas Pamplin, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2011. Second runner-up was Anthony Rollar, Mr. San Diego Leather 2010. The new International Mr. Bootblack is Jim Deuder from New York.
PHOTO: Left to right: Jim Deuder, Anthony Rollar, Eric Guttierez, Douglas Pamplin.
PHOTO: Left to right: Anthony Rollar, Eric Guttierez, Douglas Pamplin, Jim Deuder.
This year’s International Mr. Leather contest showed once again how truly “international” the contest has become. Eric Guttierez, Mr. Leather Europe 2010, was chosen as the new International Mr. Leather on Sunday, May 29.
In his speech during the contest Guttierez described himself as “a typical European mix.” His parents are from Spain, he grew up “near the Belgian frontier,” and he now lives in the French Alps near the Swiss border.
First runner-up was Douglas Pamplin, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2011. Second runner-up was Anthony Rollar, Mr. San Diego Leather 2010. The new International Mr. Bootblack is Jim Deuder from New York.
PHOTO: Left to right: Jim Deuder, Anthony Rollar, Eric Guttierez, Douglas Pamplin.
PHOTO: Left to right: Anthony Rollar, Eric Guttierez, Douglas Pamplin, Jim Deuder.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Pride and Humility
(Published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #418, June 2, 2011)
The theme of the recent Leather Leadership Conference in Los Angeles was “Lost Angels,” and a running theme throughout the conference was the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins. A welcoming video at the opening ceremonies helpfully listed the Sins: wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy, lust, and pride.
Say what? “Pride”? You mean we, the Twin Cities GLBT and leather/BDSM/fetish communities, are spending the entire month of June celebrating one of the seven deadly sins?
Yes, according to the thinking in certain theological circles, we are celebrating not just one of the seven deadly sins—we are celebrating the worst and most serious one of them, the one that gives rise to the other six.
It gets worse. Over the centuries people have formulated pairings of the seven deadly sins and the demons who represent those sins. In at least two of these pairings, pride is associated with Lucifer, the foremost of those “lost angels.”
But let’s define our terms here. In the Seven Deadly Sins, pride (and its synonym hubris) is a translation of the Latin word superbia and means excessive love of self—thinking that one is better and/or more important than everyone else. Dante defined it as “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbour.” Lucifer supposedly fell from heaven and became a lost angel because of his desire to compete with God.
That’s not what we’re celebrating. That’s not what GLBT Pride and Leather Pride are all about. June, and its various Pride celebrations, are not about saying we’re better than anyone else. For members of both the GLBT and leather/BDSM/fetish communities, Pride celebrations are about saying, and believing, that we’re as good as anyone else.
We are able to say and believe this despite all the hurtful messages we’ve heard, and all the hateful things done to us, over the years. Whether it’s whom we love or how we love them, many people have felt, and continue to feel, so threatened by people like us that they do their best to paint us as sick, twisted, immoral, perverted, and evil. They tell themselves and the rest of the world very loudly that they are not like us.
When confronted with people saying things like this, I remember that often they are speaking first and most loudly to themselves, and to the part of themselves they feel a need to disown. For their sake, I hope one day they will be able to accept and integrate that part of themselves. They will be happier, and they no longer will need to bully us to make themselves feel better or more righteous.
Fortunately, there are many people who don’t feel a need to attack us. Paradoxically, because they know they are not like us, they don’t perceive us as a threat and they therefore can accept us and support us as we are. They are allies, and we are blessed to have them. (One example: During a recent hearing on Minnesota’s proposed constitutional ban on marriage equality, Minnesota Rep. Steve Simon asked: “How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wanted them around?”)
Back to theology: The Seven Deadly Sins, of course, have a counterpart in the Seven Virtues, each one of which directly opposes one of the Sins. The virtue opposite pride is humility, which through the centuries has been described as “knowing ourselves as we truly are,” with the corollary of not getting uppity and thinking we can challenge the king or God (see Lucifer, above). This is “true humility” as opposed to “false humility,” which is insincerely pretending to be lesser, lower or something other than what we truly are in order to receive approval and praise. False humility is pretty much universally condemned.
To me, that definition of false humility sounds like staying in the closet in order to receive society’s approval. But leave aside the part about not getting uppity, and true humility—knowing ourselves as we truly are, and living our life authentically—that, to me, is what a Pride celebration is all about.
The theme of the recent Leather Leadership Conference in Los Angeles was “Lost Angels,” and a running theme throughout the conference was the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins. A welcoming video at the opening ceremonies helpfully listed the Sins: wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy, lust, and pride.
Say what? “Pride”? You mean we, the Twin Cities GLBT and leather/BDSM/fetish communities, are spending the entire month of June celebrating one of the seven deadly sins?
Yes, according to the thinking in certain theological circles, we are celebrating not just one of the seven deadly sins—we are celebrating the worst and most serious one of them, the one that gives rise to the other six.
It gets worse. Over the centuries people have formulated pairings of the seven deadly sins and the demons who represent those sins. In at least two of these pairings, pride is associated with Lucifer, the foremost of those “lost angels.”
But let’s define our terms here. In the Seven Deadly Sins, pride (and its synonym hubris) is a translation of the Latin word superbia and means excessive love of self—thinking that one is better and/or more important than everyone else. Dante defined it as “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbour.” Lucifer supposedly fell from heaven and became a lost angel because of his desire to compete with God.
That’s not what we’re celebrating. That’s not what GLBT Pride and Leather Pride are all about. June, and its various Pride celebrations, are not about saying we’re better than anyone else. For members of both the GLBT and leather/BDSM/fetish communities, Pride celebrations are about saying, and believing, that we’re as good as anyone else.
We are able to say and believe this despite all the hurtful messages we’ve heard, and all the hateful things done to us, over the years. Whether it’s whom we love or how we love them, many people have felt, and continue to feel, so threatened by people like us that they do their best to paint us as sick, twisted, immoral, perverted, and evil. They tell themselves and the rest of the world very loudly that they are not like us.
When confronted with people saying things like this, I remember that often they are speaking first and most loudly to themselves, and to the part of themselves they feel a need to disown. For their sake, I hope one day they will be able to accept and integrate that part of themselves. They will be happier, and they no longer will need to bully us to make themselves feel better or more righteous.
Fortunately, there are many people who don’t feel a need to attack us. Paradoxically, because they know they are not like us, they don’t perceive us as a threat and they therefore can accept us and support us as we are. They are allies, and we are blessed to have them. (One example: During a recent hearing on Minnesota’s proposed constitutional ban on marriage equality, Minnesota Rep. Steve Simon asked: “How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wanted them around?”)
Back to theology: The Seven Deadly Sins, of course, have a counterpart in the Seven Virtues, each one of which directly opposes one of the Sins. The virtue opposite pride is humility, which through the centuries has been described as “knowing ourselves as we truly are,” with the corollary of not getting uppity and thinking we can challenge the king or God (see Lucifer, above). This is “true humility” as opposed to “false humility,” which is insincerely pretending to be lesser, lower or something other than what we truly are in order to receive approval and praise. False humility is pretty much universally condemned.
To me, that definition of false humility sounds like staying in the closet in order to receive society’s approval. But leave aside the part about not getting uppity, and true humility—knowing ourselves as we truly are, and living our life authentically—that, to me, is what a Pride celebration is all about.
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