The Leather Life Interview/Buck Angel, “The Man with a Pussy”

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #372, August 28, 2009)

Pioneering transsexual man and award-winning porn star Buck Angel, who bills himself as “The Man with a Pussy,” was recently brought to Minneapolis by adult toy boutique The Smitten Kitten as part of the store’s sixth birthday celebration.

You’re controversial. A lot of people have problems with what you do. Some people say porn is violence against women. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, obviously. By the way, I’ve also won a feminist porn award for my work. I think what I do empowers women as well as men, as well as everyone who’s never fit into a box.

You have a wife. Yes, I have a wife. You’re legally married? I’m legally a man. I had my birth certificate changed. If it’s just a matter of changing a birth certificate, why can’t two men or two women . . . Thank you! I get so pissed off! I have a vagina. My wife has a vagina. When I went to get married they didn’t ask me to drop my pants. I would like to do a huge campaign showing that I’m married, to a woman, legally in the United States of America. How is it possible that I’m married to a woman, and you’re not letting any of these people [same-sex couples] get married because you’re basing it on what’s between their legs?

How long do you see yourself continuing to do porn? I see myself doing porn, honestly, forever. But I don’t see myself in front of the camera after another couple of years. I’m looking to bring other guys into my production company and produce more porn with transsexual men.

Do you have other projects in the works? A book, and I’m trying to put together a reality TV show. Maybe people are ready for me, maybe not. And I’m working on an iPhone app!

Do you pack [i.e., wear a prosthetic phallus]? No way! Why would I pack? I’m “the man with a pussy.” I’m super proud of my pussy, so there’s no reason for me to pack. Though it’s okay for other guys to pack, it’s not an issue for me. Other transmen have told me they pack because of body geometry—a woman’s center of gravity is higher, and a man’s is lower. I’ve never heard of that. That’s interesting! Because my male center of gravity is up here in my head, in my brain. That’s my whole point of what I’m trying to get across to the world—it has nothing to do with what’s between your legs, it has everything to do with what’s in your head.

PHOTO: Buck Angel

IML says Bye Bye Barebacking

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #371, August 13, 2009)

In his speech at this year’s International Mr. Leather (IML) contest and show, executive producer Chuck Renslow pointed to the rise in new AIDS infections (in the United States alone, someone becomes infected with HIV every 9-1/2 minutes) and decried the increasing popularity of barebacking (unprotected anal sex, which has long been known to be a primary method of spreading HIV infection).

It was an effective and affecting speech, but along with the applause came some puzzlement—because this year’s IML leather market, as in years past, was full of vendors promoting porn that showcased and glorified barebacking.

Renslow and the IML organization now have done the right thing, followed through and, quite literally, put their money where their mouth is. In a letter to vendors, IML recently announced that the promoting of bareback porn will not be allowed at future IML leather markets.

This announcement has set off a firestorm of discussion. Is this censorship? (No.) Will it drive barebacking underground, thereby making it more attractive because it’s forbidden? (I hope not.) Who is Renslow, anyway, to make this kind of pronouncement? (Continue reading.)

Renslow is a community leader who is saying what needs to be said. Barebacking is dangerous. It’s like riding a motorcycle (or a bicycle) without a helmet or driving a car without seatbelts—you may be okay for awhile, but then something happens without warning that’s serious and possibly lethal because proper protective measures weren’t used.

The situation with barebacking is the same as with smoking, obesity, drug abuse and other public-health problems. People must be encouraged to make good choices that are ultimately life-affirming and life-enhancing, as opposed to bad choices that might feel good or exciting in the short run but that ultimately destroy and degrade life. Role models matter here—showing hot men having hot sex while using condoms sends one kind of message (condoms are a part of hot, healthy sex). Showing hot men having sex without condoms sends another, more dangerous message (condoms aren’t necessary—or worse, sex is hotter without protection).

I, like many other people, have been saying for years that barebacking, except for seroconcordant, monogamous couples, is unsafe, insane, and a slow kind of suicide. Yet barebacking has continued. Maybe, when someone of Renslow’s stature takes this kind of stand, more people will listen and the message will finally get through to many of them.

This is exactly what community leaders ought to be doing, and I applaud Renslow and IML for having the courage and the willingness to take such a public stand, even when it could seriously and negatively impact the IML organization’s finances. This is what leadership looks like, folks.

A Masseur Tells All

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #370, July 31, 2009)

Do You Work in the Nude? Confessions of a Masseur & Bodyworker by R.D. Cain; published by Third Millennium Publishing, Tempe, AZ (<3mpub.com>)

Massage and bodywork can be, you should pardon the pun, touchy subjects. Considering the hang-ups, expectations and fantasies many people in our society have about touch and nudity, communication between massage therapist and client (or prospective client) can be fraught with mixed messages, subliminal contexts and speaking in code that may or may not be understood by the other party.

Over the years I have read many books on massage, but until now I’ve never encountered one that approaches the topic from the angle taken by author R.D. Cain. In Do You Work in the Nude? Confessions of a Masseur & Bodyworker, Cain discusses his profession in a charming, disarmingly honest and straightforward manner that tries to cut through uneasiness, embarrassment and taboos.

Cain has been a massage and bodywork therapist since 1991. With that many years experience he has built up a supply of entertaining stories and practical advice that will be interesting to anyone who either does massage/bodywork professionally, or who enjoys the services of someone who does.

This is a fun, breezy confection of a book. Cain covers many facets of the subject of massage and bodywork starting, as all good writers do, with a definition of terms. He then describes how he got into the business and how he has developed his practice over the years. He discusses the many different schools of massage and bodywork (according to the author, over 80 at last count).

Cain also shares advice and philosophy on advertising and running a massage business. And, as a way of illustrating massage and bodywork etiquette, he describes his favorite (and least favorite) client types. He ends the book with a few quotes from notable people on the subject of massage. Adding to the fun are witty, and sometimes snarky, illustrations by Revo Yanson and Ethan Young.

If you are a massage therapist or bodyworker, you will enjoy reading a compatriot’s thoughts. If you are considering becoming a massage therapist or bodyworker, this book offers pointers on what to do, as well as some warnings about pitfalls along the way.

If, on the other hand, you are a client looking for a massage or bodywork professional, this book will tell you what (and what not) to do, and what questions to ask (and not ask). Working with a massage professional is like any other professional relationship: you’ll get better results if you act appropriately.

And if you already have a favorite massage professional, buy them a copy. It will make their day.

Pride, 40 Years After Stonewall

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #369, July 17, 2009)

I’m writing this during the afterglow of both the 2009 Minnesota Leather Pride celebration and the 2009 Twin Cities GLBT Pride Festival. This year marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising that was the beginning of the modern gay-liberation movement, and it was the 37th Pride Festival in Minneapolis. In 1972, the Twin Cities’ first “Pride Festival” consisted of approximately 50 people walking down the Nicollet Mall with handmade signs and then hanging out in Loring Park with a cooler of sodas.

Thirty-seven years later, the Twin Cities Pride Festival is the third-largest pride celebration in the country. And, interestingly, this year’s festival didn’t seem to be attended only by GLBT folks. Everywhere I went this year I saw more mixed-gender groups, and I especially noticed more male-female couples. They might have been just friends, but their body language—or their wedding rings—said “couple.”

If all these people were heterosexual, what were they doing at a GLBT Pride celebration? They were being supportive and accepting, that’s what. Maybe they were there with gay friends. Maybe they heard the radio ads for the Festival on AM950. Maybe they just know we throw a good party and came to check it out. Whatever—the point is, they were there, enjoying a beautiful day in the park with us. And they didn’t seem either threatened or threatening.

But, if all these non-GLBT people are here, is it still GLBT Pride? Are we losing our turf? Are we being corporatized, assimilated and co-opted? What would the pioneers at the first Gay Pride gathering in Loring Park have thought of this? Did they know in 1972 that this would be the scene 37 years later? Is this what they were fighting for?

Both the protesters at Stonewall in 1969 and the pioneers in Loring Park in 1972 were fighting for the right to be themselves—to no longer have to hide parts of themselves from a hostile world. It’s 2009, and we’re not there yet, but we’ve made major strides. At least some non-GLBT people, who seemed a threat in 1972, have become our friends and allies who celebrate with us and don’t ask us to hide. How many years have we, as a community, been trying to make this happen?

And just in time, too. Another March on Washington, demanding “FULL equality NOW!”, is being planned for National Coming-Out Day on Oct. 11, 2009. The last time the GLBT community marched on Washington was in 2000. Will it be said of the 2009 march that there were more allies present than in 2000?

I hope so. We haven’t reached the full-equality stage yet, but the more allies we have working alongside us, the sooner we’ll get there.

The Leather Agenda 2009

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #368, July 3, 2009)

Contestant Speeches at International Mr. Leather

Every year at the International Mr. Leather contest, each of the top 20 semifinalists presents a 90-second speech on a topic of their choosing. The topics of these speeches can be viewed as a statement of the leather community’s current agenda.

This year’s topics included activism, safe sex and HIV, and uniting Old Guard/New Guard and other factions of the leather/BDSM/fetish community. Several contestants spoke about being proud and visible. Donal Heath (Mr. Eagle London 2008/2009) quoted a line from Star Trek character Captain Jean-Luc Picard: “If we are to be damned, let us be damned for who we really are.”

Appropriate for an international contest, Ken Hearst (Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2009) called out to “our brothers and sisters” in Egypt, Iran, Russia, and other places where sexual freedom and diversity are not celebrated: ”Their day of sexual freedom is coming, and they are not alone in this journey.”

Mike Lunter (Mr. Missouri Leather 2009) spoke of his own aging process and encouraged the crowd to “celebrate every age.” Brendon McGovern (Mr. Leather Ottawa 2009), one of this year’s younger contestants who went on to be named first runner-up, thanked those who “have been fighting for years, for decades, for the rights of our community. And I want you to teach me and others how we can be better fighters” for those rights.

But the most talked-about issue this year was the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Brandon Clark (Mr. San Francisco Leather 2009), whose military career was affected by the policy, said that since the policy’s implementation “over 12,000 gays and lesbians have been discharged, making it the only law in the United States that mandates firing based solely on sexual orientation.” Ammar Houssamo (Mr. Chicago Leather 2009), who served in the army in his native Syria, is now partnered with a man who was discharged from the U.S. Army for being gay. Rick Russell (Mr. Bolt Leather 2009), a 20-year military man, ended his speech by saying, “President Barack Obama, we must, today, repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

Jeffrey Payne (Mr. Texas Leather 2009), who became the new International Mr. Leather, told how important leather-community support had been as he survived Hurricane Katrina four years ago; as he discovered he was HIV-positive one year ago; and, three weeks before the IML contest, as he was told that his ability to hear the spoken word would cease to exist in a few years. “This news has only reaffirmed my understanding of our leather culture—because we do not listen to our journeys with our ears. We listen to our journey with our hearts, and I will always be able to hear you.”

International Mr. Leather 2009

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #367, June 19, 2009)

First, the statistics: Over 15,000 people partied in Chicago at the 31st annual International Mr. Leather (IML) contest Memorial Day weekend (Thursday, May 22-Monday, May 26). The competition included 54 contestants from 26 states and six countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, United Kingdom and United States). Contestants ranged in age from 20-something to 60-something. The IML Leather Market featured 120 vendors.

Now, the photos:

(1) Thursday’s contestant introduction ceremony opened with a procession of contestants’ national and state flags. Shown here is David Gevaert, Mr. Fetish Boots Belgium, waving the Belgian flag.

(2) Some of this year’s IML contestants during the introduction ceremonies.

(3) Host hotel for the weekend was The Chicago Hilton, which for the weekend became the world’s largest leather bar.

(4) Also part of the weekend was the 17th annual International Mr. Bootblack competition. Six bootblacks competed for the title. Shown here shining boots is Greg McDowell (aka “McG”), who competed as Bootblack Toronto. McDowell went on to win the International Mr. Bootblack 2009 title.

(5) This year, for the first time, the Pantheon of Leather Community Service Awards were presented during IML weekend. 34 awards were presented to winners chosen from 343 nominees.

(6) A group of contestants wearing as little as possible during Saturday evening’s “Pecs & Personality” Physique Prejudging event.

(7) Entertainment at Sunday night’s Contest and Show was provided by legendary singer/songwriter/diva Linda Clifford. Also featured was “Madame with an E,” another legendary diva.

(8, 9, 10) The top 20 IML semifinalists strutted their stuff. Shown here: Ken Hearst, Mr. L.A. Leather 2009; Mike Lunter, Mr. Missouri Leather 2009; and Alan Penrod, Mr. Atlanta Eagle 2009.

(11) And the winners are: from left, IML second runner-up, Alan Penrod, Mr. Atlanta Eagle 2009; the new International Mr. Leather 2009 Jeffrey Payne, who competed as Mr. Texas Leather 2009; and IML first runner-up Brendan McGovern, Mr. Leather Ottawa (Canada) 2009.

(For many more photos of IML 2009 visit <gallery.me.com/leatherlife>.)

PHOTO CREDIT INFORMATION:

Photos 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10: Marric Photography

Photos 2, 3(vert), 3alt(horiz), 5, 6, 11: Steve Lenius

Minnesota Leather Pride 2009: “United Colors of Leather”

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #366, June 5, 2009)

GRAPHIC: “United Colors of Leather” dogtag

“United Colors of Leather” is the theme of Minnesota Leather Pride 2009. A full schedule of Minnesota Leather Pride events starts June 13 and continues up to the Twin Cities GLBT Pride Festival on June 27 and 28.

The 2009 collectible “United Colors of Leather” Leather Pride dog tag gets you discounts at some of this year’s Minnesota Leather Pride events. Get yours for $5 (until June 26) at participating businesses (listed at <www.MNLeatherPride.org>). Or buy your dog tag from members of the Minnesota Leather Pride committee at upcoming club meetings and munches and at all 2009 Minnesota Leather Pride events. After June 26, dog tags will be available for $7 at the Minnesota Leather Pride booth in Loring Park during the Pride Festival—if they haven’t sold out by then.

Organizational sponsors for this year’s Minnesota Leather Pride celebration are Atons of Minneapolis, Confidential Croquet Club, D/s Minnesota, Knights of Leather, Masters And slaves Together (MAsT)-Twin Cities, MinKY (Minnesota Kinky Youth), Minnesota Storm Patrol, MPX (Minnesota Power Exchange), MSDB (Minnesota Stocks, Debentures & Bonds), PEPRMNT (People Exchanging Power Respectfully in Minnesota Together) and TIES (Tremendously Intense Erotic Situations).

Information listed below is subject to change (and at my early deadline some of the details were still pending). For complete and updated event information visit <www.MNLeatherPride.org>.

Saturday, June 13

• Minnesota Storm Patrol Beer Bust at The Minneapolis Eagle, 5-8 P.M. Free admission, $5 for beer/soda bust.

• Atons Leather/Levi Dinner at The Strip Club, 378 Maria Ave., St. Paul. 6:30 P.M. Reservations strongly encouraged—reserve online at <eventbrite.com> (search for “Atons”—or find a link at <atons.net>).

Thursday, June 18

• PEPRMNT Munch/Discussion. Grumpy’s Bar & Grill, 2801 N. Snelling Ave., Roseville. Dinner 6:30 P.M. (order off the menu), followed by a spirited discussion 8-9 P.M. (topic to be announced).

Friday, June 19

• Leather Titles Workshop. Are you interested in competing for the soon-to-be-revived Mr. or Ms Minnesota Leather title, or another leather/fetish title? Or maybe you’re just curious about the world of leather contests, titles and sashes. Several current and former titleholders, and even a few contest judges, will be there to explain what’s involved in competing in a leather contest and holding a leather title. (Location and time still pending.)

Sunday, June 21

• Workshop: “Black and Blue and Red all over” (spanking and impact play). Patrick’s Cabaret, 3010 Minnehaha Ave. S., Minneapolis. 1-3 P.M. Admission charge at door, discount with 2009 MN Leather Pride dog tag.

Monday, June 23

• BDSM Creative Collective 2009 (2nd annual) Anthology of Poetry, Art and Short Fiction. A reading and art show at Smitten Kitten, 3010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis. 7 P.M. Free admission.

Thursday, June 25

• Smoke Out. Cigar/pipe social on the patio of The Minneapolis Eagle, Bolt and Bolt Underground. 9 P.M.-midnight. Free admission.

Friday, June 26

• Floggapalooza. It’s become a tradition. Minneapolis Eagle, Bolt and Bolt Underground, 8 P.M. Free admission.

Saturday, June 27

• GLBT Pride Festival in Loring Park. Visit, or hang out at, the Leather Pride booth. 10 A.M.-6 P.M. Free admission. Buy your dog tag at the booth if you don’t have one yet ($7).

Sunday, June 28

• Rainbow Flag Decommissioning/Initiation Ceremony. Not strictly a leather event—but if you saw (or participated in) last year’s Leather Pride flag decommissioning/initiation ceremony, you’ll want to see this year’s ceremony for the old and new rainbow flags. Parade Grandstand, 8th and Hennepin (time still pending).

• Pride Parade. Help carry the giant Leather Pride flag up Hennepin Avenue and to Loring Park. Gather at 3rd St. and Hennepin Ave. starting at 10:30 A.M. (or after the Rainbow Flag ceremony)—parade steps off at 11 A.M. Then spend the day in Loring Park, and be sure to drop by the Leather Pride booth (10 A.M.-6 P.M.).

MinKY (Minnesota Kinky Youth) Munch (details still pending).

Also during Pride Weekend, The Minneapolis Eagle will be presenting Scorch Fireball X. (For more information about the events below, visit <www.MinneapolisEagle.com>.)

• Ignition (Friday): The parking lot opens Friday afternoon and stays open all weekend until closing time Sunday night. Friday evening, experience Floggapalooza in the Bolt Underground (see above).

• Blaze (Saturday): Colt models, live and in person Saturday evening, turn up the heat.

• Afterburn (Sunday): Live music by Boogie Wonderland in the Bolt Underground.

2009 Minnesota Leather Pride dog tag (front)

2009 Minnesota Leather Pride dog tag (back)