Web Extra: IML 2000 First Runner-up Scott Bloom

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

PHOTO: 2012.JPG

IML 2000 First Runner-up Scott Bloom is a television editor from the Long Beach, CA area. He follows in the footsteps of Sean Reilly, IML 1999 First Runner-up, and Mark Malan, IML 1998 First Runner-up, all of whom were sponsored by Pistons Bar of Long Beach. When I asked him why contestants from Pistons keep doing so well in IML, Bloom attributed it at least partly to the fact that Pistons has a large and very diverse clientele from all areas of the gay, leather and bear communities, and that diversity produces titleholders who are well-rounded and familiar with all areas of the community.

Bloom is involved with Leather Archives & Museum and is working on a documentary history of the motorcycle club to which he belongs. Other than that, when asked about his plans for the coming year, he simply says, “Like I said in my speech last night, I’m gonna work.”

Web Extra: International Mr. Leather 2000 Mike Taylor

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

PHOTO: 2047.JPG

Mike Taylor, Mr. Heartland Leather 2000, is the new International Mr. Leather 2000. Taylor is sponsored by Heartland Leather Productions and TriState Leather of Columbus, OH. He is a resident of Cincinnati, OH and works for Procter & Gamble in marketing. He regularly schedules and participates in frequent fundraising events for the Leather Archives & Museum and has helped develop the “S&M Reform School,” a teaching event hosted by the Serpent Bar in Cincinnati that reaches out to those less familiar with leather through live demonstrations and discussions.

Asked about his priorities for the coming year, Taylor responded: “Continuing passing of the knowledge down to the next generation. We’ll use the labels of old guard and new guard, that’s what we’ve chosen, but to continue to figure out ways to make connections through learning, play, training, and through community events like IML—to continue the momentum of bringing all our different groups together.” He also plans to continue to raise funds to pay off the mortgage on the Leather Archives & Museum’s new home.

Taylor is an articulate and passionate speaker, and when asked about reaching out to the broader GLBT communities, his response was quotable: “This community has always been outlaw, and it’s always been a leader. That means it stands alone, and it’s always gonna be that way, and don’t kid yourself. Yes, we will make bonds with our other brothers and sisters, and I hope they sometime realize when the right wing puts us in a camp, it’s not gonna matter if you’re in Banana Republic khakis, or if you’re in leather—we’re all going into the camp.”

The text of the speech Taylor delivered during the IML contest is available on the web at www.LeatherPage.com.

Web Extra: IML 2000, The Dawn of the Leather Millennium

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

PHOTO: 1032.JPG IML Founder Chuck Renslow, left, congratulates IML 2000 Mike Taylor, right.

Some things about this year’s 22nd annual International Mr. Leather (IML) contest were the same: It was held in Chicago, as always, on Memorial Day weekend, as always (May 26-29). The host hotel was the Congress, as it has been since 1995 (but as it won’t be for the foreseeable future). The contest itself was held at the same venue as in recent years, the Congress Theater (no relation and no proximity to the Congress Hotel). As it has been from the beginning, IML 2000 was, as contest producer Chuck Renslow put it, “the high holy days of the leather community.”

But, in keeping with the start of the new millennium, some things were profoundly different this year. The heart of the leather flag seemed to be the ruling element of the weekend as feelings, passions and emotions (and hyperbole) ran high. At Sunday night’s contest, IML Chief Judge Thom Dombkowski noted the general discussion about whether the new millennium started on January 1, 2000 or whether it will start on January 1, 2001. He then declared that, as far as he was concerned, “The dawn of the new millennium starts here in this theater, tonight, with us.”

In many ways IML 2000 set records and rose to new levels. There were 62 contestants, the most ever. And this was truly an international contest, with competitors from seven countries. There were five European contestants, including Joe Harnett of Dublin, Ireland, the first Irish leatherman who has ever competed. Howard Hao, Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull 2000, was born and raised in mainland China. Other firsts included a contestant who is legally blind (Mr. Boston Leather 2000 Bob “Puppy” Pedder, who captured second runner-up honors), and the first self-identified heterosexual man to ever compete at IML (Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2000 Terrell Brown, whose article about the weekend is available on the web at www.LeatherPage.com).

The contestants met the judges (and the audience) for the first time on Friday evening at the Congress Hotel. They were introduced alphabetically by last name and drew numbers that determined their order of appearance during the contest. The judging panel and other dignitaries were also introduced. After that it was time to party, with Boston, Canada, Southern California and Texas hosting organized gatherings.

Early on Saturday morning the judges started the contestant interviews. This year it was a case of so many contestants, so little time—the judges reportedly had only eight minutes to talk to each contestant. But many if not most of the interviews were intense for both judges and contestant, and comments started to circulate around the lobby of the Congress Hotel about how many boxes of Kleenex the judges had gone through. People were starting to realize that this year’s IML was emotionally charged in a way that previous IML contests have not been. (At some point the general leather public may get a chance to see some of the drama that happened during the interviews—this year, for the first time ever, some of the interviews were videotaped for use in an upcoming documentary about the leather community.)

There was plenty to do at IML on Saturday even if you weren’t a judge or a contestant. There was a huge Leather Market with leather vendors from across the country and around the world. There was a Mental Health Professionals Discussion Group and a seminar on Leadership Skills for the Leather Community. There was a Leather in Recovery generic twelve-step meeting, one of seven held during the weekend. The Leather Archives and Museum was open, complete with shuttle-bus service from the Congress Hotel. Saturday afternoon there were organized gatherings of leatherwomen, boys and cigar smokers.

For the contestants, Saturday night’s Physique Prejudging was about showing as much skin, both leather and human, as they were comfortable with. But it was also about showing wit, cleverness and creativity by coming up with a snappy answer to the question asked them by co-emcees Frank Nowicki and Tom Stice. One of the most memorable responses was by Ron Grigsby, Santa Clara County (CA) Mr. Leather, who gave a soulful rendition of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Also notable was contestant Howard Hao, who grew up in mainland China and for whom English is a second language. He joked about all the “leg” metaphors he had heard from people as he got ready for the contest: first his friends, following the old theater superstition, told him to “break a leg,” and when he thought they meant it literally they told him they were just “pulling his leg.” He got a lot of mileage out of this shtick with the audience; little did he know he would get much more mileage out of it the following evening.

PHOTOS: 2083.JPG and 2084.JPG The opening number at the International Mr. Leather Contest.

PHOTO: 2060.JPG All 62 IML contestants on stage at the Congress Theater.

There were over 1800 people at Sunday evening’s contest and show at the Congress Theater. After an opening number by some excellent leather-clad dancers and the introduction of all 62 contestants, the crowd was welcomed by IML Founder and Executive Producer Chuck Renslow. During his speech he presented a Leather Community call to arms, or rather to the polls, to make sure the elected officials who are chosen this year are sympathetic to our needs.

The weekend’s judges were introduced by IML Chief Judge Dombkowski after he confirmed the rumors about the intensity of the interviews: “It’s been another cathartic year on the judging panel . . . We really put [the contestants] through their paces this year. This was probably the first time we didn’t waste a lot of time on leather trivia or history questions. We spent approximately seventeen hours with 62 incredible men, looking into their minds, looking into their hearts, looking into their souls. They all belong here, and they are a credit to all of us.”

Next to speak was Joseph Bean, the executive director of The Leather Archives and Museum (LA&M). In his speech he thanked the community for its support, both in urging people around the world to contribute items to the LA&M (“We have gone from representing about nine countries when I spoke to you last year to more than 30 this year”) and in swiftly making the dream of a larger building for the LA&M a reality (“I announced the capital campaign to buy a building in January, 1998, imagining that it would take you guys ten years to buy us a building. Well, it took you less than a year and a half.”). Current plans call for the mortgage on the new building to be paid by August, 2004; over $3,700 was donated at the contest toward that goal.

Before announcing the twenty finalists, Marcus Hernandez noted that “One of the census items that our Chief Judge asks each contestant before we start the questioning is, ‘How big is your dick?’ I was taking notes, of course, and I want you to look up here—there is 85 feet of dangling meat [on this stage.]” (Tom Stice later asked: “Was that AOL feet? With 62 contestants and 85 feet they’re all over twelve inches.”) The twenty finalists were, as always, greeted with enthusiastic cheers.

While the finalists prepared for the speech and physique segments of the competition, the presentation of the International Mr. Bootblack awards was emceed by International Mr. Bootblack 1999 Robert Ehrlich; the awards themselves were presented by International Ms. Bootblack 1999 Leslie Anderson. David Hawks of Richmond, VA won both the Bootblack Brotherhood Award (selected by the bootblack contestants themselves) and the International Mr. Bootblack 2000 title.

This year’s IML speeches were notable in that they featured quotations from many prominent people, among them George Washington Carver, Hillary Clinton (“It takes a village . . .”), John F. Kennedy (“Ask not . . .”), and George Bernard Shaw. Topics included Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, leadership, education and mentoring. Several contestants related stories about their leather coming-out, and two contestants told stories about being survivors of domestic abuse.

And yet another contestant—this time it was Bob “Puppy” Pedder —was moved to song. Pedder, who is legally blind, talked about a recent meeting with singer Judy Collins and then sang “Amazing Grace,” which Collins recorded in 1971 and which ends with the words “was blind, but now I see.” The audience was overwhelmed.

During his “jock walk” (the physique portion of the competition), Howard Hao tantalized the audience with some tai chi-style moves—but he became so involved in the movements that one of his legs went off the edge of the stage and he nearly fell into the orchestra pit. Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance. Later, when it was time for his speech, he limped on stage with one leg completely stiff. After the audience roared with laughter, he started walking normally and joked again about how his friends had told him to “break a leg” this weekend. Then he got serious:

“I was told I would never make it to the finals of this event. That opinion was based on the fact that I just don’t fit the conventional image of a leatherman . . . I speak with a Chinese accent and was a Red Guard at age 12—trained to lay down my life for the defense of Communism, Joseph Stalin, Mao tse Tung. Yet, here I am. I’m here because I left China for North America, I came out and I was warmly welcomed into this family where I feel free and respected even though I’m different. When we leave here you may not remember me, you may not remember my name, but I hope you remember we are a community which is regarded as a symbol of individuality, diversity, and tolerance. And our community includes all the brothers and sisters regardless of the ethnic backgrounds from which we come.”

PHOTO: 1053.JPG Bruce Chopnik, IML 1999, giving his farewell speech.

With the conclusion of the speech and physique segments of the competition it was time to present IML 1999 Bruce Chopnik for his step-down speech. Chopnik described his title year using metaphors from “The Wizard of Oz”—being caught in the tornado and spinning from controversy to controversy (two of which were the relationship of the Coors Brewing Company to the gay community, and the soul-searching that led to his decision not to participate in the Millennium March on Washington). He told of losing a primary relationship and of being away from home for 43 weekends, but he also told in Oz-like fashion of the many wonderful places he’d been and people he’d met. He introduced the other two members of his “team,” his first runner-up Sean Reilly and his second runner-up Mike Hargiss, who had worked closely with him throughout his title year.

PHOTO: 1051.JPG Bonnie Pointer on stage at IML 2000.

PHOTOS: 1050.JPG and 1046.JPG Jump In! Bonnie Pointer got the IML audience up out of their seats and onto the stage for some dancin.’

International Mr. Leather traditionally features an entertainment segment while the tallymasters total up the scores and determine the winners. This year’s entertainment was improbably-blond disco diva Bonnie Pointer, who wowed the crowd as she sang her classic hits “Heaven Must Have Sent You” and “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch.” She then performed several songs made popular by her sisters’ group The Pointer Sisters: “Jump,” with everyone in the audience yelling “Jump!” and “Jump In!” on cue, and “I’m So Excited,” which brought many audience members (and a few contestants) to the stage to become part of the show.

For an encore Pointer performed her new version of “MacArthur Park,” which features revised lyrics that are less cryptic (no more “love’s hot fevered iron” or “Someone left the cake out in the rain”) and more explicit (she mentioned something about removing her bra and panties and never having gone this far before). It will, no doubt, be coming soon to a dance floor near you.

It must be noted that throughout Pointer’s performance the sign-language interpreters really got into the swing of things and displayed some awesome moves—we should all enjoy our jobs as much as they apparently were. But I pity the poor tallymasters, who had to do all that math in the midst of all that noise.

PHOTO: 1045.JPG IML 2000 First Runner-up Scott Bloom is congratulated by IML 1999 First Runner-up Sean Reilly. Both are from the Long Beach, CA area.

PHOTO: 1044.JPG Mike Taylor hears the news: he’s the new International Mr. Leather.

PHOTO: 1043.JPG Mike Taylor, new International Mr. Leather, hugs his Second Runner-up and “evil brother” Bob “Puppy” Pedder.

PHOTO: 1042.JPG IML 1999 Bruce Chopnik to IML 2000 Mike Taylor: “Come here, you’re gonna need this sash.”

PHOTO: 1037.JPG New International Mr. Leather 2000 Mike Taylor, center, is flanked by First Runner-up Scott Bloom, left, and Second Runner-Up Bob “Puppy” Pedder, right.

Finally, the twenty finalists were brought back to the stage and Chuck Renslow announced the winners. Second runner-up honors went to Bob “Puppy” Pedder, Mr. Boston Leather 2000. First runner-up honors went to Scott Bloom, sponsored by Pistons Bar in Long Beach, CA (remarkably, this is the third year in a row that Mr. Pistons Leather has taken first runner-up honors in IML). In the contest’s finale, an exuberant Mike Taylor, Mr. Heartland Leather 2000 from Columbus/Cincinnati, OH was sashed as the new International Mr. Leather 2000.

The contest was over, but the parties were just beginning. Sunday evening’s official IML Victory Celebration Party at Chicago’s House of Blues was scheduled to last until 4 AM. Monday evening’s Black and Blue Ball, the traditional closing event of the IML weekend, was split for the first time into separate “Black” and “Blue” Balls, held at separate locations. (The change was necessary because the event has become so popular that one location was no longer enough to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend.)

The new IML, the runners-up, and many of the weekend’s judges met the press at the traditional Winners’ Press Conference on Monday. New IML Mike Taylor was asked, “Who’s the first person you called when you found out you won?” Taylor’s response: “I didn’t have to call anybody. They were all there.” Turning to second runner-up Pedder, he continued, “And Puppy was right there beside me. Puppy and I are from the same leather family.” Pedder chimed in: “And we’ve adopted Scott!” (referring to Scott Bloom, the first runner-up).

IML Chief Judge Dombkowski again waxed enthusiastic about this year’s contestants: “This was the most incredible group of men that we’ve ever dealt with. We were making jokes about the amount of Kleenex that we were using, but each and every interview was a catharsis. As I met each contestant coming off the stage, coming off the buses, in the lobby, they thanked me for what we did for them.” First runner-up Bloom agreed: “They managed to accomplish in one weekend what six months of therapy hadn’t been able to.”

New IML Taylor added, “These guys broke our hearts a million times backstage. I cannot impress that on you enough. We will be accumulating the sixty speeches, because every story’s gonna break your heart, and empower you, and focus you, and make the clan fight what’s going on.” Plans call for an IML yearbook containing each contestant’s speech and perhaps a journal item from each contestant. And an upcoming documentary will feature this year’s IML contest, including footage of some of the IML interviews.

Amy Marie Meek, another of the weekend’s judges, said she felt a renewed sense of pride in her community. “After being in the leather community and being around the title circuit for a long time, you become very jaded. And at times you lose heart, you lose interest in it . . . I’ve started to feel that way in the last few years . . . but because of these 62 [contestants] I, personally, have hope again. I’ve never seen a more impressive group of contestants.”

David Kloss, one of this year’s judges and the first IML, summed up the contest like this: “I’m kind of in shell shock right now. It was a very warming experience, and it’s important to point out the camaraderie among those 62 men. There was no backbiting—everyone reached out to help each other, no matter what you looked like, where you came from, or who won. They all supported each other. You could feel it, and we got reports back that it was true.

“We’re not really judging them, we’re trying to find out who they are. And that’s the hard part. When you look at each man up there, find his heart, find out where he’s coming from, mix that with what you feel would be the man who could go out there and speak for the leather community—it’s a very difficult and emotionally-draining job.

“The judging sessions were very emotional—with the stories that came from all of them, we went through five boxes of Kleenex. And every single man walked out of there, in our eyes, a winner.”

The dates for next year’s International Mr. Leather weekend are May 24-28, 2001. The host hotel will be Chicago’s famed Palmer House Hilton. For IML 2001 information and weekend package reservations call (800) 545-6753 or visit www.imrl.com. For hotel reservations call the Palmer House; mention IML for a special room rate.

Humor: The Mr. Leather International Contest

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #131, June 2, 2000)

(Suggested graphic: Photo of a leather biker’s hat, leather sash at an angle, and leather jeans and boots arranged as if someone were wearing them. That’s only one possibility—see if you come up with others.)

I just got back from the Mr. Leather International (MLI) contest, that perennial leather-community springtime institution. The contest is presented each year over Memorial Day weekend in beautiful Atlantic City, New Jersey (the garden spot of the garden state). Every year the sight of a bevy of leather Adonises in Speedos (black, of course) strutting their stuff on the Boardwalk never fails to inspire me. In keeping with the clean and wholesome image of this contest and title, all the competitors are certified steroid-free.

But it wasn’t just the contestants who were interesting—this year’s physique pre-judging on the Boardwalk attracted some notable celebrities. I spotted Al and Tipper Gore there with Hillary Clinton. I also saw George W. Bush taking in all the action and shaking hands; when asked how long he’d been interested in leather, he answered, “Oh, about fifteen minutes.”

Started in 1921, this was the 80th year for the contest and the 47th time it’s been on television (it’s always a ratings winner for its time slot). After having been on all three major networks through the years, it was fitting that this year’s contest was broadcast on Fox, the good-taste network. The MLI organization always prides itself on choosing the hottest names in entertainment for hosting duties—last year’s emcees were Donnie and Marie Osmond. This year the emcee duties were handled by that dynamic duo of daytime TV, Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford.

The show, which was jointly sponsored by Miller Brewing Co. and Wet International, opened with the requisite huge production number: Kathy Lee and 65 leathermen from around the world sang, danced and paraded to “Beautiful Men,” a reworking of “Beautiful Girls” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Follies.” (Sondheim personally rewrote the lyrics.) Then Regis introduced and chatted with each and every contestant in the “spokesmodel” part of the competition. Based on the spokesmodel scores, the field of 65 contestants was narrowed down to twenty lucky semi-finalists.

Those twenty lucky semi-finalists did another production number, “We’re Here, We’re Cuir,” penned especially for the show by Elton John. The Evening Wear (leather tuxedo) and Swimsuit segments of the competition were next; both swimsuits and tuxedos were designed for the contest by Bob Mackie. The Talent segment of the judging was next, and it was a good chance for the contestants to differentiate themselves from the rest of the competitors. Todd Olansky of Winnipeg, Canada did quite a mean fire-eating-and-breathing number, while Jason Jackson of Tupelo, Mississippi, combined a sub, a flogger, an accordion and roller skates in a scene the likes of which I’ve never seen before and don’t expect I’ll ever see again. From tiny Luxembourg, Georg Hanfelmann’s duct-tape-bondage-on the-flying-trapeze number went slightly awry, but tragedy was averted by a well-placed safety net.

The crowd reserved their biggest oohs and aahs, however, for Jack Hendries of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Dressed head-to-toe in leather and backed by a chorus line composed of the entire membership of the Cocoa Beach Astronauts (truly a fun leather club if ever there was one), Hendries and company tap-danced their way through a reworking of Marlene Dietrich’s classic “See What The Boys In The Back Room Are Having.” Hendries changed the lyric to “See What The Boys In The Back Room Are Doing,” and by the time the number was through most of the leather had been stripped off and it was pretty obvious what the boys in the back room were doing.

After a commercial break, it was time to narrow the field again, this time to ten lucky finalists, who went through the final judging event: the Pop Question. Philbin asked each lucky finalist the same question: “If you are selected as this year’s Mr. Leather International, what will you do to unify the leather community?” The finalist then had 15 seconds in which to give his answer before the microphone was turned off. (The other finalists were kept in an on-stage glass isolation booth so they couldn’t hear each other’s answers.) After each contestant had spoken, Philbin repeated his catch phrase, “Is that your FINAL answer?”, and the crowd went wild.

While the judges were deliberating, Kathy Lee entertained the audience with selections from her new CD, “Born For You” (fourteen ballads, both old and new, in stores now). Finally, it was time to announce the winners. The second runner-up, winner of a $5,000 scholarship, was Jason Jackson. Todd Olansky took first runner-up honors and won a $10,000 scholarship. And then, the evening’s winner: Pandemonium broke out as Jack Hendries was sashed with the MLI 2000 sash—he goes home with a $15,000 scholarship and a new Daimler-Chrysler PT Cruiser! As a finale, Regis and Kathy Lee invited all 65 contestants back to the stage for a rousing rendition of Jerry Herman’s “The Best Of Times Is Now.”

International Mr. Leather Contest, Chicago

Since I planned to be in Atlantic City for the MLI contest, I sent aspiring leather journalist Steve Harrington to Chicago to cover the International Mr. Leather contest, which was happening the same weekend. (That johnny-come-lately contest has only been going on for 21 years, but I guess it’s newsworthy too.) Well, the funniest thing happened—he was so taken with the contest he decided to enter it right then and there, and he wound up winning the title! And I haven’t heard a word from him since. But I’m sure he’ll have all the details of the IML contest next issue.

Register Now for Atons Gopher XIV Run

Friday through Sunday, July 21-23, The Atons of Minneapolis present their Gopher XIV Run: The Legend of Paul Bunyan. The men of Paul’s lumber camp, deep in the Northwoods, invite you to join them for a celebration of summer. Live the life of a lumberjack or loggerjill for a weekend. Huge meals, gargantuan games, and stupendous parties (not to mention their infamous dungeon). For more information and a downloadable application form visit www.atons.com/events.htm. Or call the Atons HotLine or e-mail runinfo@atons.com. (Save $25 by registering before July 1.)

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Atons Road Trip to Milwaukee Pride Festival
Friday-Sunday, June 9-11
The final Atons Road Trip before their Gopher XIV Run in July. On Saturday night this month’s Leather/Levi Dinner will be held at a restaurant in Milwaukee; the Atons will also host a club night at Milwaukee’s 1100 Club in conjunction with the Oberons of Milwaukee and the Castaways of Milwaukee (10 pm to closing). For more information visit www.atons.com/calendar.htm; for carpool information e-mail AtonsJim@aol.com or call Jim.

Transition: Jim Chalgren, 1951-2000

(Transitions article published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #130, May 19, 2000)

PHOTOS: (Jim Chalgren 3) Jim Chalgren at the Atons 1994 Halloween party. His costume represents the human-faced incarnation of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld and judge of the dead.

(Jim Chalgren 2) Chalgren was known as the “Energizer Bunny” because he just kept going and going and going.

(Jim Chalgren 1) Chalgren reading the invocation at the recent Atons Officer Installation ceremony held at Bravo in Minneapolis.

James “Jim” Eric Chalgren, was born on July 15, 1951 in Mankato, MN. He passed away at age 48, surrounded by family and friends, on April 23 (Easter Sunday) at Fairview-University Medical Center in Minneapolis.

After attending Prescott College in Prescott, AZ for two years Chalgren was a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Mankato State University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. He became a counselor on the faculty of the Counseling Bureau at Mankato State while working on his Master’s Degree, and was also the director of the Mankato State University Alternative Lifestyles office. He began working toward his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota when poor health forced him to stop.

He was one of Minnesota’s first well-known gay activists. In 1977 he started the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Center at Mankato State University (now called Minnesota State University, Mankato). In 1985 he was instrumental in the founding of The Aliveness Project, which has since become recognized as a model community-based services provider for those living with HIV.

In 1987 the killing of two gay men near Mankato inspired him to start advocating an equal-rights ordinance for Mankato which would have protected gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, education, housing and other areas. (The ordinance was ultimately voted down by the Mankato City Council.)

Over the years he was also involved in the Names Project (the AIDS quilt), gay pride parades in Minneapolis, and AIDS walks. As an artist, writer and poet he was a contributor to many gay publications including The GLC Voice, Gaze and Lavender. He also held the title of “Mr. Gay Minnesota, 1983.”

Chalgren was fascinated with Egyptian artifacts and history. He was a long-time member, both full and associate, of the Atons, a Minneapolis leather/levi club; on their web page (www.atons.com) his name is listed as “Jim Anubis Chalgren.” Chalgren held the position of Egyptologist for the club, whose name and insignia are derived from ancient Egyptian ruler Akhenaton. He was also an active member of The Cavern Dwellers.

The fact that Chalgren passed away on Easter Sunday, one of his favorite holidays, was significant in many ways. He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Mankato and had been active in Integrity, an Episcopal organization for the GLBT community; he found value in Christian theology and the concepts of life, death and afterlife symbolized by the Christian Easter celebration.

But Chalgren also found valuable symbolism in other belief systems such as Buddhism and the beliefs of ancient Egypt. Rabbits were symbols of fertility to many ancient cultures, a belief that has become traditionalized today as the Easter Bunny. Chalgren, a long-time AIDS survivor who came back from the brink of death many times, became known in some circles as the “Energizer Bunny” because he just kept going and going and going. (On at least one Halloween and for at least one Pride parade he donned a bunny costume.)

Finally, April 23 was also the feast day for Chalgren’s patron saint, St. George (colloquially known as the “dragon slayer” and also the patron saint for people suffering from diseases spread through sexual contact). A reinterpretation of the legend of St. George and the Dragon provided the motif for the sermon at his memorial service, which was held in Mankato at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Thursday, April 27. Chalgren was remembered by a friend as a “Renaissance Man” who somehow found time and energy to involve himself in an amazing number of causes, and he was remembered by a niece as “the most spiritual man I ever met.” After the service Paul Rozendaal, former president of the Atons, summed up the feelings of many when he said “I will always be glad that I knew him.”

BDSM, Therapists, and Sanity

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #130, May 19, 2000)

Welcome to the leatherwomen and leathermen attending the Knights of Leather Tournament 12 Run. Play safe and have a great weekend!

I was recently invited to speak about leather and BDSM sex to a Twin Cities-based group of GLBT mental-health providers. I shared speaking duties with Noelle Hogan, and together we demystified leather and BDSM for the many therapists and other mental-health professionals who attended the meeting. (Some of those therapists also helped in demystifing and explaining the leather/BDSM community to their peers.)

The fact that mental health was the topic of the day fit in perfectly with the “sane” component of the community’s “Safe, Sane, Consensual” mantra. A therapist needs to be able to judge if a client’s behavior is sane or not. But if a therapist’s shame, personal prejudice, or ignorance about leather/BDSM interferes with that judgment, they may not be helping their client in the most effective way.

We talked about the leather community’s view that leathersex done right, and for the right reasons, is healthy and heightened sexuality and also heightened and healthy intimacy. Done wrong or for the wrong reasons it’s not healthy and it’s not BDSM, it’s abuse. How can a therapist tell which is which? How can their clients? How can you?

Here’s one example from the seminar. One member of the group asked about knife play and cutting—how could that be considered sane? (The same question could be asked by the uninitiated about almost any common dungeon activity.) I answered that it’s sometimes necessary to look at the motivation behind the action.

Some people are into cutting and scarification for ritual value in much the same way that other people get tattoos or piercings. The cutting, tattooing, or piercing is the ritual that the person is using to mark an event in their lives, and the body jewelry, tattoo or scar is the lasting reminder of the ritual.

In this context, what’s the difference between a nipple ring and a wedding ring? People might do body modification for healthy or unhealthy reasons, and people get married for healthy or unhealthy reasons. A little (or a lot) of investigative work will shed light on the reasons behind people’s actions, and a therapist can then make an evaluation of whether the motivations are healthy or unhealthy. (Yes, I know, I’m making it sound a lot simpler than it usually is.)

Here’s another cutting scenario that shows a completely different motivation: a teenage girl, alone in her room, takes a razor blade and slowly, deliberately, makes cuts in her arm. She watches, fascinated, as the blood trickles out of the cuts. This isn’t the first time she’s done this—it’s becoming a habit, and her parents are worried. When the therapist asks her why she does it, her unemotional reply is simply this: “Because I feel the pain, and I see the blood flow, and I know I’m alive.”

This is not BDSM. This is self-mutilation, and it’s more common than you might think. This is the desperate cry of a tortured soul in real pain. The parents are right to be worried, and the patient and therapist have a lot of work ahead of them.

What’s the difference between BDSM and abuse? Look at the motivations behind the actions, and the feelings that come from the actions. Here are some questions to ask about a situation to help clarify whether it’s healthy or unhealthy.

How do you feel while it’s happening? Whether topping or bottoming, BDSM sex will feel good; while engaging in it you may feel buoyant and exhilarated or you may feel relaxed, dreamy, and euphoric. You should feel loved and respected. Abuse will not feel good; you may feel anywhere from slightly ridiculous to somewhat uneasy to terrified, panic-stricken and frightened. You may feel used and objectified or you may feel anger and rage. Honor your feelings and what they’re telling you. If you feel a mixture of both good and bad, try to determine where the bad feelings are coming from—they’re trying to tell you something important.

How do you feel after it’s over? Warm, satisfied, giggly, contented, euphoric, glowing, cared for—in other words, happy? Has your life been enhanced? Or do you feel bad—hurt, used, angry, abandoned, sad, denigrated, disrespected? Do you feel like you’ve just been raped, punished, abused or violated? Do you want revenge? Are you feeling a mixture of good and bad feelings? Again, pay attention to what your feelings are telling you.

What feelings are your BDSM experiences reinforcing—good ones or bad ones? If your BDSM experiences enrich and enhance your life, don’t feel you need to apologize to a therapist (or anyone else) for being kinky. But if you feel you need to be punished, beaten up, or hurt—if your BDSM experiences are feeding feelings of self-hate or low self-esteem—that’s not a healthy reason to engage in BDSM. Nor is it healthy if you feel a need to go out occasionally and find a willing punching bag on whom you can vent your frustrations. In either case you are skating on the kind of thin ice where anger is in control and people get hurt as a result. That most definitely is neither safe nor sane. Run, do not walk, to your nearest GLBT-friendly and kink-friendly therapist (aren’t we lucky to live where there actually are such people?) and let them help you help yourself.

New Leather/Levi Club: Trident International Minnesota

GRAPHIC: Trident International Minnesota logo

The Twin Cities has a new leather/levi club. Trident International Minnesota is the thirteenth branch of Trident International, which was formed in 1973 at the Neptune Bar in Montreal. According to club president Scott Anderson, “We’re a new club with an old-guard attitude.” Their club motto: “Give a damn.” Trident International Minnesota currently has twelve full members and four associate members, but they’re looking to recruit more (both men and women).

The club held their first event on Sunday, April 30 and raised over $450 for the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago. B.D. Chambers of the Atons was on bootblack duty and Arden of the Regis was doing buzzcuts. Entertainment was by local rock group All The Pretty Horses. Many other fundraising events are planned with an emphasis on children with AIDS, other AIDS charities, and cancer research. For more information visit their website at www.crosswinds.net/~tridentmn or e-mail them at tridentmn@hotmail.com.

International Mr. Leather Contest is May 26-29 (that’s next weekend!)

If you haven’t made your plans already, find out what kind of last-minute arrangements you can make by visiting www.imrl.com or calling (800) 545-6753.

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Sunday, May 28

Saloon Underwear Party
6-10 PM in The Saloon, 10 PM-closing in The Tank
If you’re not going to Chicago for IML, this is the place to be. A chance for the buff and the beautiful to mingle with leather studs and other tough guys. Dress code for The Tank has been modified for the evening: leather or underwear.

Queer Youth Exist: A Youth-BDSM Group

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #129, May 5, 2000)

If you’re an adult who wants to find out more about the leather/BDSM/fetish community, there are all kinds of groups and other resources available to you. But what if the law says you’re not yet an adult? You’re pretty much out of luck, because most of those resources and groups are off-limits to minors. But many young people are curious about the scene, whether society and the law like to admit it or not. Now there’s a community resource just for them—the first of its kind, right here in Minneapolis. And here’s the kicker: It was created by two high-school students as their Girl Scout Gold Award project.

Queer Youth Exist is an education and safety group for youth under the age of 21 who have an interest in BDSM, fetishism, or any queer or alternative culture. It’s not necessarily exclusively GLBT, but it meets every Wednesday from 6 to 8 PM at District 202, the local GLBT youth center. The aim of the group’s founders is to create a confidential and safe forum for anyone, any gender, any orientation, under age 21 to discuss and explore BDSM and fetishism issues safely. Other related discussion topics have included safe sex and safe dating, meeting people on-line, and even sugar daddies. The group has been meeting since last November and has been an open discussion group, although plans call for bringing in guest speakers and even renting movies to watch and discuss.

The group was created by two high-school students, Hedge (a senior) and Katza (a junior). Both are also Girl Scouts (Hedge has been a Girl Scout for 13 years), and this is their Girl Scout Gold Award project. A Gold Award is the highest honor for a Girl Scout—the equivalent of becoming an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts, although Hedge pointed out that “actually, the Gold Award is harder because there are more restrictions on the type of project.” There are proposals to be made, interviews about the proposal, and a review process with lots of paperwork. So the local Girl Scout council knows about this project and is supportive of it.

This special BDSM group for youth has evolved because other BSDM groups are for those over age 18, and most are for those over age 21. According to Katza, “This avoids legal problems like statutory rape and corruption of minors, and also means these groups don’t have to deal with angry parents and the Christian Coalition.” She goes on to point out another reason for excluding youth from these groups: “Sometimes young people can be obnoxious. People don’t necessarily want high-school students coming to their events and making Beavis and Butthead jokes. A lot of people have told me that they don’t have enough faith in the maturity of under-21s to invite them to events. We’re trying to make youth be less of a threat to the adult community—to say to the adult community that we know what we’re doing, we know what a safeword is, we know about safe-sane-consensual sex and we know how to act appropriately.”

Both Hedge and Katza see a great deal of interest in BDSM and fetish culture among fellow young people. According to Katza, “They’re attracted to the young goth BDSM culture—to the shiny clothes, attractive people, great music and club nights. It’s a fun culture and people want to be part of it even if they don’t practice BDSM. They want to separate themselves from the Abercrombie & Fitch jock crowd—they want to be with older people who are in their culture scene.”

But excluding youth from the BDSM scene leaves young people out on their own, which means they may explore BDSM in ways that are dangerous both emotionally and physically. They pretend they’re older than they are and they pretend to know more than they really do. Katza again: “Most kids get into bars with a fake ID. You may come from a conservative home and go to a high school where there’s no sexuality or really lame sexuality. And all of a sudden you’re in a room with great music, beautiful people, corsets and spikes, and you get overloaded.

“And people assume you’re one of them, and you think, ‘Well, I’m gonna be one of them—I’m gonna pack as much into it as I can, I’m going to drink a lot and smoke a lot and hit on every cute girl in a corset I see.’ And if somebody hits on them and asks them their age, a lot of them won’t be honest and say they’re underage, they’ll lie, and that can lead to all kinds of dangerous situations. None of that is appropriate behavior for any of us. The hope is that a group like Queer Youth Exist will make the scene more accessible and offer a saner, more sensibly-paced introduction.” In Hedge’s opinion, “I think it’s kind of sick that our culture is willing to let people sit in ignorance about anything—if people are going to do it anyway, they might as well do it safely.”

Queer Youth Exist meetings tend to focus less on physical sexuality and more on BDSM as being an extension of the psyche, trying to balance itself and find an equilibrium. This balancing can be especially important for young people going through turbulent times. Katza: “Teens who are bullies often feel a need to submit, and they can’t submit to their peers because it would be breaking their role. Often they’re the ones who go to unsafe adults—they don’t think about whether it’s safe or not, they simply know that this person is going to dominate them. Other young people, who are very often ‘good kids’ or who are very submissive and don’t have a lot of power, may want a chance to dominate. BDSM power play, if it’s discussed and it’s safe, can be a very efficient way to get back in balance mentally.” “And,” says Hedge, “it’s less expensive than a psychologist.” (Hedge goes on to stress that Queer Youth Exist is a support group, not a therapy group; if necessary, Queer Youth Exist and District 202 will refer people to a qualified and supportive psychologist.)

Youth is a time of raging hormones which can make everything seem connected to sex in one way or another. But Queer Youth Exist encourages youth interested in BDSM to experiment with power play before physical play. According to Katza, “Something as simple as having a conversation in master/sub format can be a safe way to get comfortable with BDSM concepts and roles, rather than just going straight to the sex. I think a lot of teens want to get straight to the sex because it’s such a taboo issue that they don’t want to talk about it, they just want to do it and keep quiet about it. But I think we put the emphasis on psychological, and then you move it into sexual as your personal desires, needs, and safety suggest.”

What about BDSM relationships between a minor and an adult? For much of society, this is a bombshell question. But according to Katza, “Most of the outright queer kids I know are very intelligent, very individually-assertive people. To be able to come out and say that they’re queer, they’ve had to put a lot of thought into it. They’re well-developed mentally—they’re curious, open-minded people, and often they’re attracted to people whose minds are developed. Often they’re attracted to adults—not necessarily middle-aged or the age of their parents, but more likely between the ages of 18 and 26.” Hedge points out that this is a daunting issue even for vanilla GLBT kids, “but then you throw BDSM into the picture and people run screaming.”

There are legal and emotional considerations to deal with here. Young people need to know the difference between healthy and unhealthy ways of relating to someone older, but there’s a difference between age and maturity that both Hedge and Katza feel the law doesn’t recognize. “We try to say, in our society, when somebody turns 18 they’re mature, and before that they’re not.” Katza: “My mother told me I couldn’t be gay until I was 21. And it’s like, so, when I’m 21, I’m going to awaken and say ‘At last—now I’m mature enough to sleep with girls!’ If a young person is in a relationship that can’t be talked about, it’s less safe. If you can talk openly about a relationship with an older person without fear of getting them arrested, you’re going to be a lot safer in the relationship.”

Romantic or BDSM-play relationships aside, kids interested in the BDSM community look to adult members of that community for support and mentorship, and Queer Youth Exist has benefited from assistance and encouragement from members of adult BDSM groups both locally and from around the country. A frequent reaction from adults who hear about this group is, “Why wasn’t this around when I was their age?” Even twenty-five-year-olds have written Hedge and Katza and said they wished they could be in the group because they need the information. Says Hedge, “It’s great to know we have this much support from the community, that we’re not delusional and just making up the need for this, and I hope we start a domino effect by inspiring other groups like this in other places.”

Mark Your Calendar and Make Your Reservations

Knights of Leather Tournament 12 Run. May 19-21.

International Mr. Leather Contest, Chicago. May 26-29 (Memorial Day Weekend). FFI: www.imrl.com or (800) 545-6753.

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Saturday, May 6

Atons Road Trip/Bar Night: Des Moines
At the Blazing Saddle Barr
Travel to Des Moines with the Atons; while you’re there you’ll also meet members of the Cornhaulers leather club of Des Moines and LEO (Leather Engineers of Omaha). FFI: www.atons.com.