Year-End Leather Review

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #146, December 29, 2000)

Updates and further thoughts on some of this year’s columns

The holiday season and the year are drawing to a close. As we all get ready to sing “Auld Lang Syne,” here are some updates and further thoughts on a few of this year’s Leather Life columns.

Even though this is a leather column, until this year I had never written about leather itself. Well, I fixed that oversight—the year’s first column was about leather care (“New Millennium, Clean Leather”) and a recent column dealt with how leather is produced. That column prompted a letter from Robert Davolt, former editor of Drummer Magazine:

“I read with interest your column on leather processing. I have never seen a leather column taken to such an entertaining and literal end. I will be using your recipe on a few of the folks here in San Francisco—the prospect of making something actually useful out of old dinosaur hides is quite exciting.

“In one of those delightful blends of kinks, did you know that leather production in ancient times made human urine a valuable commodity? It took the urine of the entire city of Rome to supply the tanners who outfitted the Legions with leather armor and equipment.

“You can’t imagine how long I have waited for an even vaguely appropriate application for this piece of historical trivia.”

The May 5 issue’s column dealt with Queer Youth Exist, a BDSM education group for minors that was created by two high school students, Hedge and Katze, as their Girl Scout Gold Award project. The column wound up being quoted as a “Cheer” in the “Cheers and Jeers” column of On Our Backs magazine. Since the column appeared Hedge has gone off to college; Katze is continuing the group on her own.

“Baby On Board: Leather Lesbians on the Mommy Track” appeared in the September 22 issue and featured a big picture of parents-to-be PJ and Vicki Knight, who have since been nominated for Pantheon of Leather’s Couple of the Year award. On September 24, two days after the issue hit the streets, Eli Francis Knight was born. He’s doing fine, as are the parents.

On December 3 the Atons of Minneapolis held their traditional Holiday Fundraiser (see photos on the Snapshots page), which raised over $4,200 for Every Penny Counts and the Aliveness Project. In addition, over 1,300 pounds of non-perishable food and personal items were collected for the Aliveness Project. The Atons thank everyone who made the event such a success.

Election Fantasy? Election Nightmare

I’ve saved the strangest follow-up for last. In the June 30 issue (“An Election-Year Fantasy”) I wrote what I thought was a satirical piece, fantasizing about what would happen if the country chose the President of the United States in the same way the leather community chooses International Mr. Leather (IML). The contest would be called the American Mr. President contest, and the titleholder would be chosen “every year in Chicago by a panel of judges,” as International Mr. Leather is chosen. I wrote that the judging panel, “nine wise elders of the community (otherwise known as the Supreme Court) would be entrusted with the task of choosing the man to lead the nation for the next year.”

Well, aided by masterful election engineering by those wonderful folks in Florida who brought you Anita Bryant, this election came down to the Supreme Court effectively awarding the “American Mr. President” title.

In some ways the analogy between presidential election and leather contest was not followed. Allow me to again compare the presidential race to IML and other leather contests: Normally the winner of a leather contest is not announced until the tallymasters have completed their counting (and, we hope, rechecked their figures). Better to make sure the figures are correct before announcing them than to risk an error, a challenge, and subsequent embarrassment. But I guess they don’t feel that way in Florida or Washington, D.C.

Of course, at a leather contest there’s an entertainer, usually a fabulous diva, on hand to keep the audience amused while the tallymasters total up the scores. If the contest entertainer has finished their set and the tallymasters still haven’t finished their tally, the audience waits and the entertainer does an encore. By contrast, the presidential election-night coverage was followed by a seemingly endless parade of politicians, lawyers and court cases. That’s entertainment? It seemed to enthrall much of the nation, or at least the media, in the same fashion as the OJ, Princess Di, and Monicagate stories. But for many it was simply the latest in a long series of media-hyped train wrecks, and they tuned it out. Maybe if Babs or Cher or Donna Summer had provided post-election entertainment the recounts could have continued. Oh, well—I guess we’ll never know.

Several groups and organizations have expressed interest in doing an after-the-fact count of the Florida ballots under the provisions of Florida’s Sunshine Law. What happens if that recount shows that Al Gore actually won the popular vote in Florida, as he won the nationwide popular vote? Well, in the leather community anyway, that calls for stripping someone of their title and awarding it to the person who should rightfully have it.

In closing: Happy New Year, and Happy Real Millennium.

Home for the Holidays?

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #145, December 15, 2000)

The holiday season is upon us, and it has a way of making good things very good and bad things horrible. If you are a kinky person (of any sexual orientation or preference) who is part of an understanding and accepting biological family, you are perhaps counting your blessings and looking forward to some sort of wonderful holiday family get-together.

Or perhaps your biological family knows about your kinky tendencies and some or all of the family members don’t approve. Maybe it’s your parents. Maybe it’s your kids (or your grandkids). Maybe it’s a brother, a sister, an aunt or uncle. In any case, their disapproval may mean that the time you spend with your family this holiday season will range from uncomfortable to downright excruciating. Or it may mean you won’t be spending any time at all with them by either their request or your choice.

Even though you may find yourself feeling sadness, anger, resentment or regret about your relationship with those disapproving members of your biological family, at least you’ll be free to spend time with people whose company you actually enjoy. Ask yourself how you really want to spend the holiday. Don’t be limited by convention. Do you want to gather at someone’s home for a big holiday meal? Spend the day with just your partner, a roaring fire in the fireplace, and a sling? Have a Solstice orgy with 20 or 30 or 100 of your closest friends? (“I’m dreaming of a wet Christmas . . . “)

Or perhaps your biological family doesn’t know you’re kinky. Maybe, as far as you’re concerned, that’s a fine state of affairs since it’s none of their business anyway. The time you spend with your family might be satisfying or awful, but the quality of that time won’t be influenced by feelings of guilt, shame or rejection relating to the fact that you feel you must hide something from them.

If for some reason you feel your kinkiness is their business—if you feel it’s getting in the way of open and honest communication and you want to share this aspect of your life with your family (or at least certain family members)—here are a few things you might want to consider as you contemplate how you will “come out” to them as a kinky person.

• Do you want to tell them during the holiday season at all, or would some other time be less emotionally loaded?

• Telling someone news that may shock them is better done on the day after Christmas than the day before Christmas (or Christmas Day itself).

• Don’t try to sugarcoat things by inviting someone for a grand holiday meal or other festive event during which you deliver the news. If someone is going to be upset by your revelation, they’ll be doubly upset that you ruined what up to that point had been a perfectly lovely occasion.

If you’ve already come out as a member of the GLBT community you may find that you’ve already gone through a similar process. As a matter of fact, these tips are adapted from a wonderful book by Mary Borhek called Coming Out To Parents: A Two-Way Survival Guide for Lesbians, Gay Men And Their Parents. It discusses holiday issues along with other family-related topics, and many of the book’s discussions about GLBT issues can also be applied to kink issues. If you or your parents (or your kids) are feeling family stress I recommend it highly (and the fact that I’m the author’s son has absolutely nothing to do with my recommendation).

Finally, remember that you have options and choices in the matter of how you’ll spend this holiday season. It doesn’t matter so much what other people think about how you celebrate the holiday. What matters is that it be uplifting and meaningful for you. That’s my holiday wish for all my readers—whatever holiday you celebrate and however you celebrate it.

Starting Jan. 3: Wednesday Evenings at The Tank

A new mid-week leather hangout: The Saloon’s leather bar, The Tank, will be open Wednesday evenings from 10 PM to 1 AM starting January 3, 2001 (the kitchen will be open 10-11:30 PM). The dress code will be “relaxed,” but there will be free pool for men in leather. (The Tank will still be open Sunday evenings as well.)

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Friday, Dec. 15, 7:30 PM-closing: Wear your club colors to Club Colors Night at The Minneapolis Eagle.

Saturday, Dec. 16, noon-7 PM: Do your holiday shopping at MSDB’s Bizarre Bazaar at Club Metro Underground in St. Paul. In addition to various vendors there will be a silent auction benefiting the Mr./Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather contest (to be held in January, 2001). $5 at the door; visit www.msdb-mn.org for more info.

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 10 PM-1 AM: Chris Steele, a leatherman’s fantasy, and legendary porn-film director Chi Chi LaRue will be making an appearance at The Saloon.

Wednesday, Dec. 27: The monthly TIES Munch starts at 7:30 pm, Legends Cafe, 825 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls. Come hobnob with about 150 other kinky folks at the perfect after-Christmas social gathering. If you’ve just been visiting the relatives in the hinterlands and need to get back to reality, this should do it.

Walkin’ in a Winter Leatherland

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #144, December 1, 2000)

What is there for a leatherperson to do this winter? Plenty! This column was supposed to be a leather calendar for the next few months, but there’s so much going on that I only have room for December’s events. Here goes:

Sunday, Dec. 3: Start the holiday season on a high note with the Atons Holiday Fundraiser at The Saloon, December 3, 5-10 pm. This event is a benefit for The Aliveness Project and Every Penny Counts, and it will be huge! Last year the Atons raised over 700 lbs of non-perishable food items and $3,000 for The Aliveness Project and Every Penny Counts. At this year’s event, a silent auction (you can preview auction items at www.atons.com/Auction1.htm) features over 50 choice items including an original signed and numbered Tom of Finland print, leather clothing, uniforms, books, posters, toys, and even—and I bet this sends some of you scurrying to your web browsers—some SantaBear and Department 56 Snow Village collectibles. Portfolio Studios will be taking photos with Leather Santa. Vince the leather barber will be doing haircuts, and a bootblack will be on duty. There will be door prizes, drink specials and free food, and even a spanking booth. Admission is an $8 donation at the door, or $5 with 2 lbs. of nonperishable food items or pennies and other change. (Penny donations will be challenge-matched by both The Tank and First National Bank of the Lakes up to $100 each.) For more information and a list of nonperishable food and personal items to donate, visit www.atons.com/events.htm. If you can’t attend the silent auction you can still bid on items in advance; e-mail scorpio@minn.net for details.

You might want to precede the Atons Holiday Fundraiser with a visit to the Mall of America at 1 pm, where PrideAlive will be having their 3rd annual Hand Hold In. According to Sean Kurysh, PrideAlive’s community organizer, “Holding hands in the mall shouldn’t take courage . . . but it still does.” This event is for all genders, ages, couples and singles, and it would be great to see the leather community represented. Meet at the Mall of America, Upper East Side entrance, Level 4 (top floor of the mall), right across from—you guessed it—Hooters.

Monday, Dec. 4: Order tickets to the area premiere of “The Rocky Horror Show” live on stage at the Phoenix Theater. Director Tim Lee has issued a special invitation to the leather community, noting that leather is prominently featured in the show. (A bonus: Thanks to this show you don’t have to travel to New York City and try to score a ticket to “The Full Monty” if you want to see full frontal male nudity on stage.) The show runs through Dec. 17. Call for tickets.

Friday, Dec. 15: Wear your club colors to Club Colors Night, starting at 7:30 pm at The Minneapolis Eagle.

Saturday, Dec. 16: Do your holiday shopping at MSDB’s Bizarre Bazaar, noon to 7 pm at Club Metro Underground in St. Paul. In addition to various vendors there will be a silent auction benefiting the Mr./Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather contest (to be held in January, 2001). Admission is $4 in advance or $5 at the door; visit www.msdb-mn.org for more info and a ticket order form.

Dec. 15, 16 and 17: For the holidays, the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus presents “Making Spirits Bright,” their first concerts under new artistic director Dr. Stan Hill (who formerly directed the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus). Call for tickets. It should be noted that at least a few chorus members usually show up at The Minneapolis Eagle after a concert performance.

Tuesday, Dec. 19: Pride Alive, the queer men’s initiative at the Minnesota AIDS Project, presents another edition of my favorite Cafe Chat discussion/seminar: “Kink-O-Rama.” 7-9:30 pm at Dunn Bros., 329 W. 15th St. in Minneapolis. Register by calling Sean or e-mail @mnaidsproject.org.

Wednesday, Dec. 27: The monthly TIES Munch starts at 7:30 pm, Legends Cafe, 825 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls. Come hobnob with about 150 other kinky folks at the perfect after-Christmas social gathering. If you’ve just been visiting the relatives in the hinterlands and need to get back to reality, this should do it.

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

See above.

Recipe for a Leather Vest

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #143, November 17, 2000)

“Daddy, where does leather come from?” If you’ve ever asked that question, read on. Most people know that animal skins become leather by a process called “tanning.” But how is leather tanned? What’s the difference between the animal skin before the tanning process and the leather after it has been tanned?

Leather is often irreverently and simplistically referred to as “dead cow,” but the reality is much more complicated. Actually, leather can be made from many different kinds of animal skins; in my collection I have cowhide (durable), pigskin (breathable), lamb (very soft), and even kangaroo (tough as iron). What’s the difference between a “skin” and a “hide”? Generally, a hide is from a large animal, like a cow, horse, ox, buffalo, or zebra. A skin is from a smaller animal, like a pig or lamb.

If leather were truly just “dead cow,” it wouldn’t last very long; an animal’s skin starts to decompose within hours of the animal’s death. Leathermaking is a way of stopping that decomposition, preserving the skin and turning it into something useful and durable. Skin is made of up mostly of water, fat and various kinds of protein including a fibrous protein called collagen. Leather is skin with much of the water and all of the stuff that decays (fat, non-fibrous proteins, blood vessels, muscle, etc.) removed and with the bonds between the collagen fibers strengthened.

People have been making leather for over 7,000 years. Early leathermakers dried hides in the sun to remove much of the water, pounded in animal fats or brain matter to soften the hides, and then preserved them by salting or smoking. Vegetable tanning, which is still practiced today, was developed by the Egyptians and Hebrews around 400 BC and involves soaking hides in solutions of tannin (tannic acid) extracted from plants. (The tannin is what cements the collagen fibers together.) Chemical tanning, particularly the use of chromium salts, was introduced toward the end of the 19th century.

Here’s a modern recipe for a leather vest. I doubt you’ll want to try it yourself, but it will give you some appreciation for the skill, craft, and complex processes that were involved in making the leather you’re wearing.

Take one fresh animal skin (probably cow). Wash and clean thoroughly. Remove hair and epidermis (the thin outer layer of skin) by first soaking the skin for several days in a solution of lime and water to soften the hair and epidermis, and then scraping the hair and epidermis away with a large knife. Now turn the skin over and scrape away any remaining flesh and fatty tissue on the underside of the skin. This will leave the thick central layer of skin, known as the dermis or corium, which is what leather is made from.

Now soak the skin in deliming solution to remove excess lime, soak in enzymes if desired to remove still more perishable proteins, then soak in a chromium sulfate solution to stabilize and strengthen the collagen fibers in the skin.

The dermis of an average cowhide is about 4-1/2 millimeters thick. If thinner leather is desired (and it usually is), split the skin in half using a special machine with a band-type knife. If you don’t have one of those machines, you can just scrape the underside of the skin until you’ve whittled it down to the proper thickness (that’s the way they did it in the old days). Once the hide has been split, the outer layer will become “top grain” leather, which is generally superior to the inside “split grain” layer. (What about all the little bits of leather that have been scraped or shaved off the hide? They are combined with a glue or other binding resin, and the resulting mixture is rolled into sheets of so-called “ground leather”—the leather equivalent of particleboard.)

Next, soak the skin in a dye of the desired color (probably black) mixed with oils and fats to soften the leather. The easy way to do this is in a rotating drum (hence, “drum-dyed” leather). Then stretch the hide out and dry by baking in an oven. Once dry, buff lightly to remove any surface imperfections.

Finally, finish the leather by spraying it with liquid pigment, dry in an oven, emboss it to give it a uniform grain pattern, spray on a clear protective topcoat, then tumble in a heated drying drum to pummel the leather and make it soft. Iron the leather to remove any wrinkles.

You are now ready to mark the vest pattern on the leather, cut out the pieces and sew them together.

Yield: One leather vest.

Two Local Leather Events To Be Rescheduled

The Minnesota Olympus Leather Contest, which was to have happened the weekend of November 11, will be rescheduled for the first part of January, 2001. The event was postponed due to a lack of contestants for the title. If you want to compete, call the Knights of Leather.

MSDB’s Bizarre Bazaar, a leather/fetish vendor mart which was to have happened the same weekend, was also postponed and will now be happening on Saturday, December 16 from noon to 7 pm at Club Metro Underground in St. Paul. At the Bizarre Bazaar, MSDB will also be doing a silent auction to fundraise for the Mr./Ms. Olympus Leather contest. Admission will be $4 in advance or $5 at the door; for more information see MSDB’s website at www.msdb-mn.org. (MSDB still has vendor space available—see the website for details.)

Atons Holiday Fundraiser Seeks Auction Donations

The Atons of Minneapolis will hold their annual Holiday Fundraiser on Sunday, December 3 at the Saloon Bar in downtown Minneapolis. Last year the Atons raised over 700 lbs of non-perishable food items and $3,000 for The Aliveness Project and Every Penny Counts. They are seeking donations of erotic art, new toys like whips & floggers, or gift certificates that can be used for a Silent Auction to benefit The Aliveness Project and Every Penny Counts. If you wish to donate an item please contact Tom. Pictures of donated items can be seen on the Atons website (www.atons.com), and a printed catalog of auction items is scheduled for distribution just before Thanksgiving.

Minnesota Olympus Leather Contest Coming Up

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #142, November 3, 2000)

PHOTO: I have many photos of Cori and David from which you can choose. I’ll drop the prints off at the Lavender office as soon as I can.

The Mr./Ms Minnesota Olympus Leather contest happens next weekend, Nov. 10-12 (see schedule details at the end of this column). This will be your only chance this year to see (or compete in) a state-level leather contest; at this time, to my knowledge, the other “traditional” leather titles—Mr. and Ms. Minnesota Leather and Mr. Minnesota Drummer and Drummerboy—are all on hiatus.

The winners of the Minnesota Olympus Leather titles go on to compete at the national Mr./Ms. Olympus Leather contest (which is part of the Pantheon of Leather community-service awards) in New Orleans next February. Minnesota residents have brought home a national Olympus Leather sash twice in the last two years: Cori Ander was Ms. Olympus Leather 1999, and David Coral (aka Jazz Thomas) is the current Mr. Olympus Leather 2000.

I asked Cori and David what makes the Olympus Leather titles different than the other titles mentioned above. Both agreed that the Olympus Leather title takes the leather community’s traits of diversity and inclusivity to new heights. David liked the fact that both Pantheon of Leather and the Olympus Leather contest “are probably the only leather events that really honor and acknowledge the entire community—men, women, bi, straight, gay, pansexual, pangender, everything. It’s for the whole leather community. I think the trend of the leather/SM community is toward a mixing of the disciplines, a mixing of the sexes, a mixing of the genders—I think that’s the wave of the future. The reason I believe so strongly in the Olympus Leather title is because it’s on the cutting edge of that. It’s been at the forefront of that trend for its entire history, whereas IML, IMsL, and Drummer have traditionally been gay titles.”

What Cori finds refreshing about both the Olympus Leather title and Pantheon of Leather is that they’re “pan-practice.” That’s a term she has recently started using to connote that whether you’re a heavy BDSM player or are just starting to get into it (or are just curious about it), everyone is welcome. She appreciates the freedom to interact with people in a leather/BDSM setting in many different ways: “You don’t have to be a heavy player, and it doesn’t have to be only about hard-core sex. It can be at whatever level and whatever practice people feel comfortable with.”

David told me he’s been having a great title year—even though he hasn’t traveled as much as expected, “The travel that I’ve done has been really quite extraordinary, and I’ve met fantastic people. The diversity in this community is amazing. Having this title opens all kinds of doors to places I never would have gone, people I never would have met, and experiences I never would have had otherwise. You know, I competed in the contest, and I had fun with it, but I didn’t think I would win. I thought, ‘I’m not this huge heavy player, I’m not this big leather guy—there are other people who are way more qualified for this than I am.’ I’m just this regular guy, and all of a sudden all these doors get opened just because I happen to have this title attached to my chest.”

Cori agreed that holding a title creates opportunities; in her experience, many of the opportunities have been chances to learn. “Just because I have a title doesn’t mean I know everything, and I love it that I continually get to learn from people. Big things, little things, it doesn’t matter—I love the variety. And I love the creativity of some of the people I’ve met, and the different styles. Creativity is very important to me, and one of the reasons I got involved with this community is because it’s so creative. And it’s always evolving—anything that involves people and their wants and their likes is going to evolve, and I like being part of that evolution.”

You can meet Cori Ander, David Coral and other leather luminaries at the Mr./Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather contest next weekend (Nov. 10-12) at a location yet to be determined. Tentative schedule: Meet and Greet Friday night, contestant interviews Saturday during the day (not open to the public), and the contest and show on Sunday night. This contest is presented by the Knights of Leather; for further information, or if you want to compete, call the Knights of Leather.

Another feature of this weekend will be the Bizarre Bazaar, a leather/BDSM/fetish vendor boutique tentatively scheduled for Saturday from noon-7 pm at the Club Metro Underground in St. Paul. The Bizarre Bazaar is presented by local kink group MSDB (Minnesota Stocks, Bonds and Debentures).

All I Really Need To Know About Leather/BDSM I Learned in Kindergarten

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Dungeon Class 101 and Drummer v2.0

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #140, October 6, 2000)

PHOTOS:

“Dear Mr. Manners, Sir: I was at a dungeon party the other night, and the most unspeakably rude thing happened. Without even asking me, someone picked up my brand new flogger— I hadn’t even had the pleasure of trying it out yet —and started using it on their submissive. I wanted to interrupt them and ask them to give it back, but they were enjoying themselves so much that I waited until they were finished. Unfortunately, I found myself fuming about it all evening, which rather ruined the party for me. What would have been a better way to handle the situation?”

That was only one of the scenarios explored at a dungeon-etiquette seminar recently presented by local kink group MSDB (which stands for “Minnesota Stocks, Debentures and Bonds,” but they’re not a financial services company—read the initials in reverse). The seminar attracted an audience of about 25, ranging from newbies to seasoned dungeon enthusiasts. A moderator and a panel of six speakers (including your humble columnist) started with an overview of general BDSM etiquette before moving on to the more specialized topic of how to properly conduct oneself in a dungeon party setting.

Following this, MSDB presented another seminar dealing with the issues faced by dungeon masters. These are the people responsible for maintaining a safe, sane, consensual atmosphere at a dungeon party—and doing so in a non-intrusive fashion. Once again, a panel of speakers discussed the basics before considering more specific situations ranging from the rude (people who hog the dungeon equipment and keep everyone else waiting) to the possibly dangerous (an inexperienced top who doesn’t know how to properly handle a bullwhip, but thinks he does).

As a bonus, both seminars featured excellent take-home materials that, by themselves, were more than worth the price of admission: “Introduction to Play Party Etiquette,” “A Guide to the D/s Lifestyle,” and “Techniques, Tools & Toys: Extreme Play FAQ’s.” These handouts were “a collaborative effort on behalf of TIES, MSDB, Beats_Me, Atons, Knights of Leather, et.al.”—all the groups represented on the speaker panels and in the audience. If you want to get your hands on those handouts, watch for the announcement of the next presentation of these dungeon seminars and sign up to attend.

MSDB’s next educational presentation will be its fourth safety class on Saturday, Oct. 21. Participants will receive instruction from a certified teacher of the American Red Cross (who happens to be kink-friendly). The morning class will be CPR for adults and the afternoon class will be general First Aid. Upon completion of the two classes, participants will receive certification from the Minnesota Chapter of the Red Cross; the CPR certificate is good for one year, the first aid certificate for two years. The class runs from 9 am to 5 pm with a break from 1 to 2 pm. Folks who need to be recertified on just the CPR portion can attend only the morning session (9 am to 1 pm) for a reduced fee. For more information, visit the MSDB website at www.msdb-mn.org or e-mail msdb-mn-owner@egroups.com.

International Mr. Drummer, version 2.0: “Reinvented”

PHOTO: Standing: International Mr. Drummer 2000 Daniel Clark; kneeling, International Drummerboy Richie Black.

PHOTO CREDIT: Marcus Hernandez

It gives me great pleasure to report that the International Mr. Drummer and Drummerboy titles are alive and well after the relocation of the contest from San Francisco to Florida. On Sept. 16, at the Sun Coast Resort complex in St. Petersburg, Daniel Clark of Indianapolis became the new International Mr. Drummer (IMD) 2000 and Richie Black of Phoenix, Arizona became the new International Drummerboy 2000. IMD first runner-up honors went to Randal Kinnear of Pawnee, Oklahoma; the Drummerboy first runner-up was Derrick Rojas of Baltimore, Maryland.

You may recall that last year an era ended as Drummer Magazine ceased publishing and the International Mr. Drummer contest was sold. By all reports this year’s contest got the new era of Drummer underway with an impressive production (it started with the Drummer Men and boy contestants making their entrances on motorcycles). According to International Mr. Leather 2000 Mike Taylor, “Throughout the contest you could feel the energy, this sense that Drummer was still going to continue. We were realizing that it was happening before us—that our past wasn’t lost, it was just being reinvented.” Happily, for International Mr. Drummer, the beat goes on.

Mr./Ms. Olympus Leather Contestants Wanted

Speaking of leather contests: Nov. 10-12 will be both the Mr./Ms. Minnesota Olympus Leather contest and MSDB’s second annual Bizarre Bazaar. First mark both those events on your calendar, then consider the fact that it’s probably time you entered a contest—if not now, when? This competition is open to all leather/BDSM folk and the focus is on the lifestyle, not the look. Contest organizers stress this is not a beauty contest—they are looking for folks who truly love the kinky life and are proud of it! Contestants will be judged on a fantasy presentation, leather/kink/fetish image, and how they handle themselves in social interactions. For more information, contact David or P.J.

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Atons Leather/Levi Night
Saturday, Oct. 14, 7 pm, Gluek Brewery, 16 N. 6th St. (at Hennepin Ave.), Mpls.
Presented by the Atons, open to all. Drinks at 7 pm, dinner at 7:30 pm. Call the Atons HotLine for more information and to make reservations. Information is also available at the club’s website: www.atons.com.