(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #109, July 30, 1999)
The Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus (TCGMC) recently presented a concert called “Out Takes: Our Stories, Our Lives.” It was a wonderful mix of music by the chorus and spoken word presentations by individual chorus members. Gerry Schmidt sings in the chorus and is also the director of Vox, one of TCGMC’s subgroups. When I heard Schmidt read his story, “The Bar,” my immediate thought was that it needed to be in this column. The audience at the concert certainly enjoyed it, and I hope you will too.
PHOTO: Gerry Schmidt
“The Bar,” by guest columnist Gerry Schmidt
Welcome to Boston. It is early fall, just before the leaves start to turn, and it’s 1986. The air is cool and crisp, and I am full of excitement and anticipation. You see, I came out as a gay man just two months ago, in July, and I’m getting ready to make my first trip to a gay bar. I’m still kind of new to Boston, so I picked THIS bar because I know how to find the street it’s on!
A look in the mirror tells me I’m ready. My Dockers are smartly pressed. My Izod polo is brand new, and the collar is flipped up just enough to be trendy. I’m wearing the requisite L.L. Bean boat shoes with tasteful argyle socks, and if you pass just close enough, you’ll catch a whiff of Calvin Klein’s Obsession.
I climb into my little orange VW bug, windows cracked just enough to give me some air without mussing the hairdo, Whitney Houston singing to me. (Ooo, I really DO wanna dance with somebody!) Twenty minutes later I’m on Tremont Street driving by where I think the bar is supposed to be. All I see is a very dark looking building, with the doors painted black and the windows too (at least I think it has windows). So I circle the block twice and finally decide to park and walk up to the place, hoping the street address is just hard to see.
As I approach the door I finally see the street number (it’s painted black too). I can hear music inside, so this must be the place. My heart is racing. I quickly check my hair and the flip in my collar, grab the door and enter—THE EAGLE!!!!
It’s a little dark, but that’s OK, it heightens the intrigue, so I walk up to the bar to order something to drink. The bartender, a rather scruffy looking guy with his shirt unbuttoned down to there, looks at me, does a double take and then heads my way. Was I just cruised? It must be the ensemble! I order a drink appropriate for the occasion and venue—a White Russian! Again, he gives me a double take (he must really be attracted to me) and after digging out his cocktail recipes book, brings me my drink.
I stand there sipping my cocktail, overwhelmed that I’m actually here, and finally take time to check out the bar. There’s a pool table and a couple of pinball machines and a few barstools over by the wall. That’s about it. So where are all the patrons? I mean hey, it’s already 9:30, for Pete’s sake!
About that time the front door opens and I freak out. In walk these two guys, each of them about 6’5”, and they’re dressed in leather! I mean FULL leather. They’ve got biker boots, chaps, something I’ve since learned is called a harness, a vest, dark sunglasses, biker’s cap, they’re smoking the biggest, nastiest cigars I’ve ever smelled, and laughing as they enter! I’m terrified, so I quickly turn around and start studying my drink intensely. Maybe they didn’t see me, or better still, maybe THEY’RE in the wrong bar and they’ll just turn around and leave. But noooooo! They walk right up to the bar and stand—on either side of me!!! I’m convinced they’re going to do unspeakable things to me, things that happen only in jail, or so I am told, and am quickly bargaining with god for my life. The beers they ordered arrive and they turn to talk to each other as if I didn’t even exist between them. And here’s how the conversation started:
“Oh, you should see those new curtains I made for the piano room! They’re just faaabulous!”
I’ve met a lot of gay men and lesbians since that night 13 years ago, and one of the discoveries I’ve made is that drag comes in many shapes and forms. It’s not just heels and a dress, but it’s leather, or Levis and flannel, or cowboy boots and a 10-gallon hat. It’s the insistence on wearing only designer labels, or even wearing a tuxedo. It is an opportunity to be who we are in our most comfortable environment. And to this day, my friends and I laugh when we think that my appreciation of such things got a great start thanks to a couple of gay men in leather, talking about curtains!
Friday, July 30, 1999
Friday, July 16, 1999
New Book about Black Men in Leather
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #108, July 16, 1999)
What does it mean to be a person of color in the leather community?
PHOTO: Book cover
If you’re reading this column on a printed page, and you live in the midwestern United States, the overwhelming odds are that you are of white European ethnic extraction. If you’re reading it in a city outside the midwest, or you’re reading it on the Web, the odds may be less overwhelming, but “white European” is still a pretty safe guess.
The ideal image of the leather community (at least as it’s held in the minds of those of white European ethnic origin) is that everyone is welcome, regardless of sex, gender, sexual preference, kink preference, or any of the other politically-correct things people aren’t supposed to discriminate against these days. That theoretically includes race.
Look around at any local, regional, national or international leather event in the United States, however, and you might notice that you see a rainbow of faces, but you see a lot more of some colors than of others. Black people, Asian people, Latin-Americans, native Americans—each of these groups constitutes a minority (ethnic group) within a minority (leather/SM community) within a minority (GLBT community). Females or trans-people can add another level of minority to that list. As a white male, I think that I and the community are pretty accepting. But how do members of these various subminorities feel about that statement? If I stood in their boots, would I feel accepted? Not accepted? Patronized? Tokenized?
Cain Berlinger, long-time leather community member, writer and activist, has recently published Black Men In Leather: A Perspective. In this landmark book, Berlinger explores how black men fit into the leather/SM community—or how they don’t. He also addresses the issues that black leatherwomen and Asian leathermen may have with the leather community.
In the words of the author, “I was anxious to see the Leather Community through the eyes of people of color in gay America.” The book is the result of several thousand surveys which Berlinger distributed to people of color both in the leather community and outside it; the book therefore rings not only with author Berlinger’s voice, but with the diverse voices of many other people who responded to his survey.
I stopped counting the number of subjects dealt with in this book that until now have seemed to be off-limits in leather literature. Take interracial partnerships, for example: If a black man looks for a white partner because a white man is more liable to be skilled in SM practices, is that bad, good, or neutral? How about if the black man wants a white partner as a “trophy wife”?
How about “snow queens” (black men who like white men), “dinge queens” (white men who like black men), and “rice queens” (men who like Asian men)—does a preference for a particular ethnic group constitute racism, or is it just another fetish?
Then there’s the extremely sensitive topic of race play. Is it okay within the context of a scene for a white man playing a plantation owner to “punish” a black man taking the part of the slave? What about a black “plantation owner” punishing a white “slave”? What about scenes involving white “cops” and black “criminals,” or vice versa?
Especially up here in the northland, if we’re white we’re not used to thinking about issues like these. We’d rather believe the politically correct and comfortable notion that we live in a colorblind community where we’ve transcended the issue of race. This is a book that’s concerned with neither political correctness nor comfort—it’s more concerned with being a reality check, and as such it pulls no punches. It doesn’t pretend to offer easy solutions (of which there are none), but it does an excellent job of describing and illuminating the many complex issues regarding race and the leather community. I found it thought provoking, fascinating, sometimes disturbing, but ultimately mind-expanding.
Berlinger has self-published this book ($19.95 plus $3 shipping/handling). As is the case with many self-published works, there are a few technical rough edges that a commercial publisher would have smoothed out. Let’s hope those rough edges won’t stand in the way of the message of this book, however. As the world gets smaller, and as people become more interconnected through travel opportunities and the internet, these issues need to be thought about and dealt with. Whatever your ethnic background, reading this book is a good way to start. (For more information on this and other books by Cain Berlinger visit his website: www.mrcain.com/books.htm.)
Waxing Demonstration to be presented
On Saturday, July 31, Chicago’s Daddy Beth and her boy dusty will travel to Minneapolis to present a demonstration of the art and skill involved in hot wax play. It is hoped that this will be the first in a series of educational presentations. Doors will open at 7 PM, with the demonstration beginning at 8 PM. Tickets are $10 each, prepaid admission only, and ticket quantities will be limited. So if you’re interested, act now: e-mail fltn@uswest.net for more information.
Best of luck to Ms. Minnesota Leather 1999 Mario, who represents Minnesota in the International Ms. Leather Contest this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Sunday, July 25
Black Guard Fundraiser
Location and time to be determined
What does it mean to be a person of color in the leather community?
PHOTO: Book cover
If you’re reading this column on a printed page, and you live in the midwestern United States, the overwhelming odds are that you are of white European ethnic extraction. If you’re reading it in a city outside the midwest, or you’re reading it on the Web, the odds may be less overwhelming, but “white European” is still a pretty safe guess.
The ideal image of the leather community (at least as it’s held in the minds of those of white European ethnic origin) is that everyone is welcome, regardless of sex, gender, sexual preference, kink preference, or any of the other politically-correct things people aren’t supposed to discriminate against these days. That theoretically includes race.
Look around at any local, regional, national or international leather event in the United States, however, and you might notice that you see a rainbow of faces, but you see a lot more of some colors than of others. Black people, Asian people, Latin-Americans, native Americans—each of these groups constitutes a minority (ethnic group) within a minority (leather/SM community) within a minority (GLBT community). Females or trans-people can add another level of minority to that list. As a white male, I think that I and the community are pretty accepting. But how do members of these various subminorities feel about that statement? If I stood in their boots, would I feel accepted? Not accepted? Patronized? Tokenized?
Cain Berlinger, long-time leather community member, writer and activist, has recently published Black Men In Leather: A Perspective. In this landmark book, Berlinger explores how black men fit into the leather/SM community—or how they don’t. He also addresses the issues that black leatherwomen and Asian leathermen may have with the leather community.
In the words of the author, “I was anxious to see the Leather Community through the eyes of people of color in gay America.” The book is the result of several thousand surveys which Berlinger distributed to people of color both in the leather community and outside it; the book therefore rings not only with author Berlinger’s voice, but with the diverse voices of many other people who responded to his survey.
I stopped counting the number of subjects dealt with in this book that until now have seemed to be off-limits in leather literature. Take interracial partnerships, for example: If a black man looks for a white partner because a white man is more liable to be skilled in SM practices, is that bad, good, or neutral? How about if the black man wants a white partner as a “trophy wife”?
How about “snow queens” (black men who like white men), “dinge queens” (white men who like black men), and “rice queens” (men who like Asian men)—does a preference for a particular ethnic group constitute racism, or is it just another fetish?
Then there’s the extremely sensitive topic of race play. Is it okay within the context of a scene for a white man playing a plantation owner to “punish” a black man taking the part of the slave? What about a black “plantation owner” punishing a white “slave”? What about scenes involving white “cops” and black “criminals,” or vice versa?
Especially up here in the northland, if we’re white we’re not used to thinking about issues like these. We’d rather believe the politically correct and comfortable notion that we live in a colorblind community where we’ve transcended the issue of race. This is a book that’s concerned with neither political correctness nor comfort—it’s more concerned with being a reality check, and as such it pulls no punches. It doesn’t pretend to offer easy solutions (of which there are none), but it does an excellent job of describing and illuminating the many complex issues regarding race and the leather community. I found it thought provoking, fascinating, sometimes disturbing, but ultimately mind-expanding.
Berlinger has self-published this book ($19.95 plus $3 shipping/handling). As is the case with many self-published works, there are a few technical rough edges that a commercial publisher would have smoothed out. Let’s hope those rough edges won’t stand in the way of the message of this book, however. As the world gets smaller, and as people become more interconnected through travel opportunities and the internet, these issues need to be thought about and dealt with. Whatever your ethnic background, reading this book is a good way to start. (For more information on this and other books by Cain Berlinger visit his website: www.mrcain.com/books.htm.)
Waxing Demonstration to be presented
On Saturday, July 31, Chicago’s Daddy Beth and her boy dusty will travel to Minneapolis to present a demonstration of the art and skill involved in hot wax play. It is hoped that this will be the first in a series of educational presentations. Doors will open at 7 PM, with the demonstration beginning at 8 PM. Tickets are $10 each, prepaid admission only, and ticket quantities will be limited. So if you’re interested, act now: e-mail fltn@uswest.net for more information.
Best of luck to Ms. Minnesota Leather 1999 Mario, who represents Minnesota in the International Ms. Leather Contest this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Sunday, July 25
Black Guard Fundraiser
Location and time to be determined
Friday, July 2, 1999
Great Plains Drummer: Great Entertainment
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #107, July 2, 1999)
PHOTO: Left: New Great Plains Mr. Drummer Gary O’Neill. Right: Great Plains Mr. Drummer runner-up Joe Welch.
PHOTO: Men Out Loud performing at the Great Plains Regional Drummer contest. Left to right: Steve Steinberg, Joseph Pearce, Rob McElroy and Santo Ragno.
PHOTO: Gary Aldrich singing “One Common Heartbeat,” a leather anthem.
The Great Plains Regional Drummer Contest was held Friday and Saturday, April 18 and 19 at Club Metro in St. Paul. In an extremely close contest, Mr. Minnesota Drummer Gary O’Neill took the sash, with Mr. Kansas City Drummer Joe Welch taking runner-up honors. If you are one of the many who weren’t there, here’s what you missed.
Friday night’s Meet & Greet was combined with the erotic-wear portion of the contest. O’Neill looked great in traditional black leather while Welch struck a more military note with a camouflage-patterned leather jock strap. In addition to those entertainments, the (unfortunately rather small) crowd heard a stirring performance of “One Common Heartbeat,” the leather anthem commissioned for the 1998 International Mr. Leather contest. It was powerfully sung by Gary Aldrich, one of the anthem’s creators (and also one of the judges for this weekend’s contest). There was also an impromptu performance by Men Out Loud, a Los-Angeles-based group of four gay male close-harmony singers and dancers. They gave a preview of their Saturday-night performance as they wowed the crowd with their rendition of “Good Love.”
Saturday night’s contest and show started with an encore performance by Aldrich of “One Common Heartbeat,” which was followed by the contestants’ fantasy performances. O’Neill donned a welder’s helmet and overalls for his fantasy and had an entire welding shop set up on stage. While impressive-looking sparks flew out from the metal he was welding, a slide projector showed pictures of men in a cage—the cage O’Neill was in the process of building. Of course, welding can be a hot and sweaty business, so it was only natural that as the fantasy progressed O’Neill shucked more and more of his clothes.
Welch’s fantasy started with various children’s books set up at the edge of the stage; if you looked closely, you could see that all the books had double-entendre titles. The opening music was the theme from “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood,” and the show’s host (Welch) made an entrance in a conservative white shirt and necktie. He quickly transformed into a black-leather top who had his way with a boy (Dean Galloway) who wandered onto the set and was looking through the various books.
Both contestants made short but heartfelt speeches, and were then presented one last time for the leather image/pop question category. Then it was time to tally the judges’ scores and announce the winner. Judges for the weekend, in addition to Gary Aldrich, were current Ms. Olympus Leather Cori Ander, current International Drummerboy Ryan Goldner, and your humble columnist.
While the judges’ scores were tallied, Men Out Loud took the stage for a full hour of close-harmony song and high-energy dance. The group is composed of bass Steve Steinberg, baritone Rob McElroy, second tenor Joseph Pearce and first tenor Santo Ragno. To say these guys are talented is an understatement. Here are four great voices that blend into one spectacular sound, no matter who’s taking the lead and who’s harmonizing. Some of the songs (“Sweet enuf 2 eat,” “Only Want to Give You Love”) had a heavy-bass instrumental backing which I’m sure makes them more commercially appealing. But I liked their a capella numbers best (“Good Love,” “Express Yourself”)—who needs a backup band when these four voices can magically become an entire orchestra?
It doesn’t hurt that all four are drop-dead gorgeous (I hear that one of them has appeared under another name in various skin mags), and it doesn’t hurt that they all know how to move to the music and have a great choreographer (Steinberg, who is also the group’s manager). As far as I’m concerned, they can come back to Minnesota and perform any time they want (there is a possibility that they will perform at next year’s Twin Cities Festival of Pride). Until then, if you want to find out more about them, hear samples of their music, order their CDs (they’re on the Mercury Records label) or just send them fan mail, you can visit their website (www.menoutloud.com).
And while we’re on the subject of CDs—a CD of “One Common Heartbeat” is now available through the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago. For more details call them, write them in Chicago, or visit their website at www.leatherarchives.org. (And while you’re at their website, check out the art gallery.)
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Saturday, July 10
Atons Leather/Levi Night
Cocktails at 7 PM, dinner at 7:30 PM, Fabulous Fern’s Bar & Grill, 400 Selby Avenue, St. Paul
Presented by the Atons, open to all. For information and reservations call the Atons Hotline.
PHOTO: Left: New Great Plains Mr. Drummer Gary O’Neill. Right: Great Plains Mr. Drummer runner-up Joe Welch.
PHOTO: Men Out Loud performing at the Great Plains Regional Drummer contest. Left to right: Steve Steinberg, Joseph Pearce, Rob McElroy and Santo Ragno.
PHOTO: Gary Aldrich singing “One Common Heartbeat,” a leather anthem.
The Great Plains Regional Drummer Contest was held Friday and Saturday, April 18 and 19 at Club Metro in St. Paul. In an extremely close contest, Mr. Minnesota Drummer Gary O’Neill took the sash, with Mr. Kansas City Drummer Joe Welch taking runner-up honors. If you are one of the many who weren’t there, here’s what you missed.
Friday night’s Meet & Greet was combined with the erotic-wear portion of the contest. O’Neill looked great in traditional black leather while Welch struck a more military note with a camouflage-patterned leather jock strap. In addition to those entertainments, the (unfortunately rather small) crowd heard a stirring performance of “One Common Heartbeat,” the leather anthem commissioned for the 1998 International Mr. Leather contest. It was powerfully sung by Gary Aldrich, one of the anthem’s creators (and also one of the judges for this weekend’s contest). There was also an impromptu performance by Men Out Loud, a Los-Angeles-based group of four gay male close-harmony singers and dancers. They gave a preview of their Saturday-night performance as they wowed the crowd with their rendition of “Good Love.”
Saturday night’s contest and show started with an encore performance by Aldrich of “One Common Heartbeat,” which was followed by the contestants’ fantasy performances. O’Neill donned a welder’s helmet and overalls for his fantasy and had an entire welding shop set up on stage. While impressive-looking sparks flew out from the metal he was welding, a slide projector showed pictures of men in a cage—the cage O’Neill was in the process of building. Of course, welding can be a hot and sweaty business, so it was only natural that as the fantasy progressed O’Neill shucked more and more of his clothes.
Welch’s fantasy started with various children’s books set up at the edge of the stage; if you looked closely, you could see that all the books had double-entendre titles. The opening music was the theme from “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood,” and the show’s host (Welch) made an entrance in a conservative white shirt and necktie. He quickly transformed into a black-leather top who had his way with a boy (Dean Galloway) who wandered onto the set and was looking through the various books.
Both contestants made short but heartfelt speeches, and were then presented one last time for the leather image/pop question category. Then it was time to tally the judges’ scores and announce the winner. Judges for the weekend, in addition to Gary Aldrich, were current Ms. Olympus Leather Cori Ander, current International Drummerboy Ryan Goldner, and your humble columnist.
While the judges’ scores were tallied, Men Out Loud took the stage for a full hour of close-harmony song and high-energy dance. The group is composed of bass Steve Steinberg, baritone Rob McElroy, second tenor Joseph Pearce and first tenor Santo Ragno. To say these guys are talented is an understatement. Here are four great voices that blend into one spectacular sound, no matter who’s taking the lead and who’s harmonizing. Some of the songs (“Sweet enuf 2 eat,” “Only Want to Give You Love”) had a heavy-bass instrumental backing which I’m sure makes them more commercially appealing. But I liked their a capella numbers best (“Good Love,” “Express Yourself”)—who needs a backup band when these four voices can magically become an entire orchestra?
It doesn’t hurt that all four are drop-dead gorgeous (I hear that one of them has appeared under another name in various skin mags), and it doesn’t hurt that they all know how to move to the music and have a great choreographer (Steinberg, who is also the group’s manager). As far as I’m concerned, they can come back to Minnesota and perform any time they want (there is a possibility that they will perform at next year’s Twin Cities Festival of Pride). Until then, if you want to find out more about them, hear samples of their music, order their CDs (they’re on the Mercury Records label) or just send them fan mail, you can visit their website (www.menoutloud.com).
And while we’re on the subject of CDs—a CD of “One Common Heartbeat” is now available through the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago. For more details call them, write them in Chicago, or visit their website at www.leatherarchives.org. (And while you’re at their website, check out the art gallery.)
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Saturday, July 10
Atons Leather/Levi Night
Cocktails at 7 PM, dinner at 7:30 PM, Fabulous Fern’s Bar & Grill, 400 Selby Avenue, St. Paul
Presented by the Atons, open to all. For information and reservations call the Atons Hotline.
Friday, June 18, 1999
International Mr. Leather 1999: Big Weekend—Small World
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #106, June 18, 1999)
PHOTO: Left to right: IML ’99 first runner-up Sean Reilly; International Mr. Leather 1999 Bruce Chopnik; and IML ’99 second runner-up Mike Hargiss.
According to the City of Chicago, the International Mr. Leather (IML) Contest attracts 7,500 people to Chicago every year and pumps $20 million into the city’s economy. Every year I contribute a small share of that $20 million, and every year I feel like I get my money’s worth and then some. This year was no different. The lobby of the Congress Hotel, headquarters for the weekend, became the world’s biggest and best leather (and cigar) bar, and the rest of the hotel was also quite active.
The action started Friday night when the audience and judges saw all 52 contestants for the first time. They were introduced by the weekend’s emcees, Frank Nowicki and Queen Cougar. Saturday night was the physique pre-judging, in which the contestants wore as little as possible as creatively as possible—two contestants came out brandishing cans of Crisco, and one hopped out on stage mummified in a leather pride flag made of Saran Wrap.
The main event, Sunday night’s contest, saw all 52 contestants parade proudly across the stage before the twenty semi-finalists were announced. (Congratulations to Mr. Minnesota Leather Joshua Smith for being one of them!) These twenty semi-finalists each presented a 90-second speech and went through another round of physique judging (also known as the “jock walk”). Then IML 1998 Tony Mills took the stage for one last time before passing the sash to his successor.
While the judges’ scores were being tallied the crowd was entertained by Erin Hamilton, a talented singer whose mother is actress/comedienne Carol Burnett. Ms. Hamilton, appropriately dressed in a skin-tight latex dress, started with her new high-energy dance single, “Satisfied,” and also performed her first hit, “Dream Weaver.” The crowd loved her and was very definitely “satisfied.”
When Tony Mills won the IML title in 1998 it hearkened back to the 1997 IML contest when Minnesota’s own Kevin Cwayna won the title—both Cwayna and Mills are medical doctors. This year’s contest also hearkened back to 1997 in two ways. That year the first runner-up, Mark Malan, was sponsored by Piston’s Bar in Long Beach, California. This year’s first runner up, Sean Reilly, was sponsored by the same bar. (This year’s second runner-up, Mike Hargiss, is from San Diego.)
Another coincidence: in 1997, Cwayna’s speech ran long and his microphone was turned off in mid-sentence, which in prior years would have ruined his chances of winning. Cwayna won the IML title anyway. This year Mr. Rocky Mountain Leather Bruce Chopnik told an enthralled audience where he was the day of the Columbine school shootings—he was working with the mayor of Denver and 475 other people at a conference of mayors from around the nation. In mid-speech, just as he was getting to the good part, he ran over 90 seconds and the microphone went dead. But, again, it didn’t matter—Bruce Chopnik is the new International Mr. Leather.
More coincidences: Second runner-up Hargiss previously lived in Denver and therefore knew winner Chopnik prior to the contest weekend. And Chopnik previously lived in Long Beach, where he was friends with first runner-up Reilly (they both enjoyed country dancing at a bar in Long Beach called Floyd’s). Small world, isn’t it?
And it gets even smaller. If you live in the Twin Cities and think this guy Chopnik looks familiar, it might be because he lived here in 1994 and 1995. He was director of operations for RSVP Cruises and was fond of two-stepping at The Town House. (He sends his regards to “Charlie Rounds and the boys at RSVP.”)
This year’s judges were Chief Judge Thom Dombkowski; outgoing IML Tony Mills; leather writer and titleholder Don Bastian; legendary whipmaster Fred Katz; International Mr. Drummer 1993 Graylin Thornton; International slave 1995 Tom Stice; award-winning leather columnist “Mr. Marcus” Hernandez; Seattle attorney Spencer Bergstedt (who in a past life won the title of International Ms. Leather 1994); and noted writer and publisher Tony DeBlase, who ten years ago created the leather pride flag. As part of Sunday night’s contest proceedings DeBlase donated the original prototype leather pride flag to the Leather Archives & Museum (all together now: “located in Chicago and serving the world.”)
Actually, the Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) had a pretty good weekend, raising over $60,000 from donations at the contest, and from a silent auction and a sale of pre-viewed porn videos. Just in time, too, because at Sunday night’s contest an announcement was made regarding the possibility of purchasing a building to give the LA&M proper display space. (Interesting sidenote, presented without comment: Somebody told me the building they’re considering has been previously used as a church.)
The International Mr. Leather contest was not the only contest of the weekend. Ariq Robinson, who was International Mr. Fantasy 1997, won the title of Mr. Ebony in Leather 1999. This year’s International Mr. Bootblack competition was won by Robert Ehrlich Jr.; first runner-up was Fred Michmershuizen and second runner-up was Paul Eugen Frazier III.
At the conclusion of the weekend, IML Executive Producer Chuck Renslow announced plans for upgraded IML host hotels in future years: in 2001 IML’s host hotel will be Chicago’s famous Palmer House, and the host hotel for 2002 is the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Next year’s IML 2000 weekend will therefore be the last (at least for awhile) to be headquartered at the Congress Hotel. Listen up: Right now is not too early to make room and contest package reservations for next year. You can see more coverage of this year’s weekend, as well as details about next year’s, at www.imrl.com.
Minnesota Leather Pride Booth at Twin Cities Festival of Pride
On Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, be sure to visit the Leather Community booth while you’re at the Twin Cities Festival of Pride in Loring Park. You’ll find representatives from local leather organizations, and maybe even a titleholder or two, as well as informational literature. Check this issue’s Out & About Calendar for information on all the other 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride events.
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Friday, June 18
Regional Drummer Contest Meet & Greet Party
8:30 PM-3 AM (no liquor after 1 AM), Club Metro, St. Paul
Tonight, in addition to the meet & greet, will be the opening comments and erotic-wear competition. $7 at the door. Call for more information call.
Saturday, June 19
Capitol City Pride Motorcycle Run
Arriving at Mears Park in St. Paul around 3 PM
If you’re at Capitol City Pride and you hear a sudden roar of motorcycle engines, you know the bikers have arrived. Come on over and say hello.
Saturday, June 19
Regional Drummer Contest & Show
Doors open 8 PM, Contest at 9 PM, Club Metro, St. Paul
Tonight: Contestant speeches and fantasy presentations. Entertainment by Mercury Records recording artists Men Out Loud and Gary Aldrich of the Metropolitan Opera Company. $10 at the door. Call for more information.
Friday, June 25
Minnesota Leather Pride/NSGRA Beer Bust
8-11 PM, The Town House, St. Paul
The kickoff event for Minnesota Leather Pride 1999. All proceeds benefit the North Star Gay Rodeo Association (NSGRA). Free beer and sodas, bootblacking available. $5 at the door. This is your first chance to get your 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag ($5, or $4 if you’re wearing a 1999 Twin Cities Festival of Pride button). Dogtags will be available at all Minnesota Leather Pride events and are good for reduced admission to other 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride events.
Friday, June 25
Minnesota Leather Pride DJ Dance Party
9 PM-closing, under the Big Top at The Minneapolis Eagle
The Big Top returns! Big Top cover $5 ($3 with 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag).
Saturday, June 26
Minnesota Leather Pride DJ Dance Party
9 PM-closing, under the Big Top at The Minneapolis Eagle
Haircuts by Vince, bootblack on duty. Big Top cover $7 ($5 with 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag).
Sunday, June 27
Twin Cities Festival of Pride Parade
Assemble at 3rd St. and Portland Ave., downtown Minneapolis, between 9:30 and 10 AM. Parade steps off at 11 AM.
All clubs, club members, titleholders past and present, and GDI’s in the Upper Midwest are invited (bring your club colors and regalia). Help carry the largest Leather Pride flag ever built in the U.S. (50’ x 75’).
Sunday, June 27
Minnesota Leather Pride Barbeque
4-9 PM, under the Big Top at The Minneapolis Eagle
All-you-can-eat barbeque ($7, or $5 with 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag). Optional beer bust ($7). Bullwhip demo and game—see a master crack the whip, then try it yourself. Titleholder dunk tank. Bootblack on duty. The place to be after marching in the Pride Parade.
PHOTO: Left to right: IML ’99 first runner-up Sean Reilly; International Mr. Leather 1999 Bruce Chopnik; and IML ’99 second runner-up Mike Hargiss.
According to the City of Chicago, the International Mr. Leather (IML) Contest attracts 7,500 people to Chicago every year and pumps $20 million into the city’s economy. Every year I contribute a small share of that $20 million, and every year I feel like I get my money’s worth and then some. This year was no different. The lobby of the Congress Hotel, headquarters for the weekend, became the world’s biggest and best leather (and cigar) bar, and the rest of the hotel was also quite active.
The action started Friday night when the audience and judges saw all 52 contestants for the first time. They were introduced by the weekend’s emcees, Frank Nowicki and Queen Cougar. Saturday night was the physique pre-judging, in which the contestants wore as little as possible as creatively as possible—two contestants came out brandishing cans of Crisco, and one hopped out on stage mummified in a leather pride flag made of Saran Wrap.
The main event, Sunday night’s contest, saw all 52 contestants parade proudly across the stage before the twenty semi-finalists were announced. (Congratulations to Mr. Minnesota Leather Joshua Smith for being one of them!) These twenty semi-finalists each presented a 90-second speech and went through another round of physique judging (also known as the “jock walk”). Then IML 1998 Tony Mills took the stage for one last time before passing the sash to his successor.
While the judges’ scores were being tallied the crowd was entertained by Erin Hamilton, a talented singer whose mother is actress/comedienne Carol Burnett. Ms. Hamilton, appropriately dressed in a skin-tight latex dress, started with her new high-energy dance single, “Satisfied,” and also performed her first hit, “Dream Weaver.” The crowd loved her and was very definitely “satisfied.”
When Tony Mills won the IML title in 1998 it hearkened back to the 1997 IML contest when Minnesota’s own Kevin Cwayna won the title—both Cwayna and Mills are medical doctors. This year’s contest also hearkened back to 1997 in two ways. That year the first runner-up, Mark Malan, was sponsored by Piston’s Bar in Long Beach, California. This year’s first runner up, Sean Reilly, was sponsored by the same bar. (This year’s second runner-up, Mike Hargiss, is from San Diego.)
Another coincidence: in 1997, Cwayna’s speech ran long and his microphone was turned off in mid-sentence, which in prior years would have ruined his chances of winning. Cwayna won the IML title anyway. This year Mr. Rocky Mountain Leather Bruce Chopnik told an enthralled audience where he was the day of the Columbine school shootings—he was working with the mayor of Denver and 475 other people at a conference of mayors from around the nation. In mid-speech, just as he was getting to the good part, he ran over 90 seconds and the microphone went dead. But, again, it didn’t matter—Bruce Chopnik is the new International Mr. Leather.
More coincidences: Second runner-up Hargiss previously lived in Denver and therefore knew winner Chopnik prior to the contest weekend. And Chopnik previously lived in Long Beach, where he was friends with first runner-up Reilly (they both enjoyed country dancing at a bar in Long Beach called Floyd’s). Small world, isn’t it?
And it gets even smaller. If you live in the Twin Cities and think this guy Chopnik looks familiar, it might be because he lived here in 1994 and 1995. He was director of operations for RSVP Cruises and was fond of two-stepping at The Town House. (He sends his regards to “Charlie Rounds and the boys at RSVP.”)
This year’s judges were Chief Judge Thom Dombkowski; outgoing IML Tony Mills; leather writer and titleholder Don Bastian; legendary whipmaster Fred Katz; International Mr. Drummer 1993 Graylin Thornton; International slave 1995 Tom Stice; award-winning leather columnist “Mr. Marcus” Hernandez; Seattle attorney Spencer Bergstedt (who in a past life won the title of International Ms. Leather 1994); and noted writer and publisher Tony DeBlase, who ten years ago created the leather pride flag. As part of Sunday night’s contest proceedings DeBlase donated the original prototype leather pride flag to the Leather Archives & Museum (all together now: “located in Chicago and serving the world.”)
Actually, the Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) had a pretty good weekend, raising over $60,000 from donations at the contest, and from a silent auction and a sale of pre-viewed porn videos. Just in time, too, because at Sunday night’s contest an announcement was made regarding the possibility of purchasing a building to give the LA&M proper display space. (Interesting sidenote, presented without comment: Somebody told me the building they’re considering has been previously used as a church.)
The International Mr. Leather contest was not the only contest of the weekend. Ariq Robinson, who was International Mr. Fantasy 1997, won the title of Mr. Ebony in Leather 1999. This year’s International Mr. Bootblack competition was won by Robert Ehrlich Jr.; first runner-up was Fred Michmershuizen and second runner-up was Paul Eugen Frazier III.
At the conclusion of the weekend, IML Executive Producer Chuck Renslow announced plans for upgraded IML host hotels in future years: in 2001 IML’s host hotel will be Chicago’s famous Palmer House, and the host hotel for 2002 is the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Next year’s IML 2000 weekend will therefore be the last (at least for awhile) to be headquartered at the Congress Hotel. Listen up: Right now is not too early to make room and contest package reservations for next year. You can see more coverage of this year’s weekend, as well as details about next year’s, at www.imrl.com.
Minnesota Leather Pride Booth at Twin Cities Festival of Pride
On Saturday and Sunday, June 26 and 27, be sure to visit the Leather Community booth while you’re at the Twin Cities Festival of Pride in Loring Park. You’ll find representatives from local leather organizations, and maybe even a titleholder or two, as well as informational literature. Check this issue’s Out & About Calendar for information on all the other 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride events.
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Friday, June 18
Regional Drummer Contest Meet & Greet Party
8:30 PM-3 AM (no liquor after 1 AM), Club Metro, St. Paul
Tonight, in addition to the meet & greet, will be the opening comments and erotic-wear competition. $7 at the door. Call for more information call.
Saturday, June 19
Capitol City Pride Motorcycle Run
Arriving at Mears Park in St. Paul around 3 PM
If you’re at Capitol City Pride and you hear a sudden roar of motorcycle engines, you know the bikers have arrived. Come on over and say hello.
Saturday, June 19
Regional Drummer Contest & Show
Doors open 8 PM, Contest at 9 PM, Club Metro, St. Paul
Tonight: Contestant speeches and fantasy presentations. Entertainment by Mercury Records recording artists Men Out Loud and Gary Aldrich of the Metropolitan Opera Company. $10 at the door. Call for more information.
Friday, June 25
Minnesota Leather Pride/NSGRA Beer Bust
8-11 PM, The Town House, St. Paul
The kickoff event for Minnesota Leather Pride 1999. All proceeds benefit the North Star Gay Rodeo Association (NSGRA). Free beer and sodas, bootblacking available. $5 at the door. This is your first chance to get your 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag ($5, or $4 if you’re wearing a 1999 Twin Cities Festival of Pride button). Dogtags will be available at all Minnesota Leather Pride events and are good for reduced admission to other 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride events.
Friday, June 25
Minnesota Leather Pride DJ Dance Party
9 PM-closing, under the Big Top at The Minneapolis Eagle
The Big Top returns! Big Top cover $5 ($3 with 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag).
Saturday, June 26
Minnesota Leather Pride DJ Dance Party
9 PM-closing, under the Big Top at The Minneapolis Eagle
Haircuts by Vince, bootblack on duty. Big Top cover $7 ($5 with 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag).
Sunday, June 27
Twin Cities Festival of Pride Parade
Assemble at 3rd St. and Portland Ave., downtown Minneapolis, between 9:30 and 10 AM. Parade steps off at 11 AM.
All clubs, club members, titleholders past and present, and GDI’s in the Upper Midwest are invited (bring your club colors and regalia). Help carry the largest Leather Pride flag ever built in the U.S. (50’ x 75’).
Sunday, June 27
Minnesota Leather Pride Barbeque
4-9 PM, under the Big Top at The Minneapolis Eagle
All-you-can-eat barbeque ($7, or $5 with 1999 Minnesota Leather Pride dogtag). Optional beer bust ($7). Bullwhip demo and game—see a master crack the whip, then try it yourself. Titleholder dunk tank. Bootblack on duty. The place to be after marching in the Pride Parade.
Friday, June 4, 1999
Leatherwomen Speak Out
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #105, June 4, 1999)
What Leathermen Need To Know About Leatherwomen
The Knights of Leather, a local women’s leather group, recently presented their eleventh annual Tournament run. It was attended by a diverse crowd, half women and half men. (Historically, men outnumber women at Tournament, even though it’s presented by a women’s leather group.)
I spent a good part of the weekend asking this question of the women in attendance: What do leathermen need to know about leatherwomen? I got a broad spectrum of responses which ranged from “I never thought about wishing that the guys knew anything about us” and “I don’t define myself by what men think of me” to “I’ve been waiting years for someone to ask me that question!” Presented here is a very small sampling of the opinions voiced during the weekend. We’ll start with one leatherwoman’s laundry list of things she wants leathermen to know:
“I’m tired of leathermen being afraid of leatherwomen. I’m tired of walking into a dungeon and having the dungeon clear out. I’m tired of not being included in men’s events. I’m tired of not having equality between men and women. I’m tired of having Mr. Eagle contests and not Ms. Eagle contests. I’m tired of being an afterthought. I would like to be included on a more regular basis.
“A lot of women don’t even think of going to men’s leather events because we don’t feel welcome. I’ve been to men’s leather events where there were only two women there. And we’re always asked, ‘Where are the women?’ Well, all the advertising is geared toward men. There’s nothing there to make women feel welcome, so why would we go to your event? I don’t want people to ask ‘Where are the women?’ anymore. We’re here, we’re loud and we’re proud—we’re just over here, as segregated as you want us to be.”
Many leatherwomen don’t feel terribly welcome in leather bars, either. “I remember I was at the Eagle when they started Wednesday night women’s space. There were guys at the bar who said, ‘What are they doing here? This is our bar.’ I said, ‘This is women’s night.’ And they said, ‘We’re out of here. This is a men’s bar, this is a leather bar, and we don’t want women around us.’ What I’d like to ask leathermen who don’t want women around is ‘Why not?’ I don’t get it.” Another woman chimed in: “It’s like the Little Rascals, the He-Man Woman-Haters Club.”
Some leatherwomen have problems with leather contests: “Some contests should be open to either sex. I identify as a boy. I would love to enter a Drummerboy contest, but just because I’m anatomically female, I can’t do it. I don’t have a dick—my dick is in the drawer at home, but I don’t have one physically attached to me. So I can’t enter the contest. And I know some guys who identify as girls, and we don’t even have a contest for them.” Another woman said, with a devilish gleam in her eye: “I know we’re going to have some woman run for Mr. Minnesota Leather one of these days, and it’s going to cause a big stir. And I’ll be glad.”
Many women wanted more mixed play spaces: “We don’t have as much money as men do, so we can’t set up a dungeon. Especially in a town like this, where there aren’t public play spaces, we end up with not as many places to play.” The woman standing next to her agreed: “The gender-division thing kinda sucks. I like watching men play. You need to let women come and watch you. We’re voyeurs too.” While we’re on the subject of play: “One thing that pisses me off is that guys think women can’t play as hard or as raw as they can. I have a pussy, but I’m not a pussy.”
On sharing play spaces: “The problem I have is that I want to respect men’s choices, but I also don’t want to be excluded. And balancing those two is really difficult. I think that it’s not a bad thing to have a Tuesday night men’s night in a bar, and a Wednesday night women’s night. It’s a level-of-comfort thing—that’s what we’re used to, it’s what we accept—but I think we should strive to have a Thursday night ‘together’ night. It’s valid to have men-only play space and women-only play space, but have a common play space, too. That way you have the opportunity to watch both genders play. You have the feeling of camaraderie that comes with the mix, and it’s a hell of an education. That’s part of the way to knock the barriers down.”
Another way to knock the barriers down is to learn to trust each other and to focus on what leatherwomen and leathermen have in common: “We both want to embrace who we are, and to be okay with being different. But it’s hard to cross those bridges and break down those walls because they’ve been there for so long. As a young dyke I didn’t trust men because at that time, in the seventies, women were jealous because men had more power, more freedom, more privileges. But after feeling that way for a certain amount of time, you get tired of it. As I became more secure with myself it didn’t matter so much what other people had. I felt free to be myself and to let others be themselves.”
Leatherwomen don’t want to be patronized: “Don’t give me the line about ‘brotherhood’ and ‘sisterhood.’ Don’t feed me the line—show me that you are actually practicing what you preach.”
Leathermen aren’t the only group that leatherwomen would like to talk with: “The question about what dialogue we would have with gay leathermen is not as pressing to me as, maybe, what dialogue do we want to have with vanilla dykes? Not to say this isn’t something we need to talk about, but when we start talking we have more in common with leathermen than we do with vanilla queer women.”
A postscript: In other areas of the country this topic might not be as relevant as it is here. A visitor from the eastern U.S. said, “I find this whole conversation odd. When I first came into the community I had a mistress in Washington, D.C. and the first place she took me was The Playhouse in Baltimore, which is generally pansexual. So that’s my norm.”
New! Kink-Friendly AA/Al-Anon Group
The “Twisted Twelve,” a kink-friendly AA/Al-Anon Twelve Step Recovery group, has recently formed and is meeting at 7 PM Wednesdays at the Walker Community Library, 2880 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis. All genders and orientations are welcome.
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Sunday, June 6
Black Guard Social
6-9 PM, Brass Rail
No cover charge, free food, socializing and fun. Call for more information.
Saturday, June 12
Leather/Levi Dinner
Location and time to be announced
Presented by the Atons, open to all. For information and reservations call the Atons Hotline.
Saturday, June 12
North Star Gay Rodeo Association Road Trip
The Main Club, Superior, Wisconsin
Beer bust, guest bartenders, silent auction, NSGRA royalty will perform. For more information call.
What Leathermen Need To Know About Leatherwomen
The Knights of Leather, a local women’s leather group, recently presented their eleventh annual Tournament run. It was attended by a diverse crowd, half women and half men. (Historically, men outnumber women at Tournament, even though it’s presented by a women’s leather group.)
I spent a good part of the weekend asking this question of the women in attendance: What do leathermen need to know about leatherwomen? I got a broad spectrum of responses which ranged from “I never thought about wishing that the guys knew anything about us” and “I don’t define myself by what men think of me” to “I’ve been waiting years for someone to ask me that question!” Presented here is a very small sampling of the opinions voiced during the weekend. We’ll start with one leatherwoman’s laundry list of things she wants leathermen to know:
“I’m tired of leathermen being afraid of leatherwomen. I’m tired of walking into a dungeon and having the dungeon clear out. I’m tired of not being included in men’s events. I’m tired of not having equality between men and women. I’m tired of having Mr. Eagle contests and not Ms. Eagle contests. I’m tired of being an afterthought. I would like to be included on a more regular basis.
“A lot of women don’t even think of going to men’s leather events because we don’t feel welcome. I’ve been to men’s leather events where there were only two women there. And we’re always asked, ‘Where are the women?’ Well, all the advertising is geared toward men. There’s nothing there to make women feel welcome, so why would we go to your event? I don’t want people to ask ‘Where are the women?’ anymore. We’re here, we’re loud and we’re proud—we’re just over here, as segregated as you want us to be.”
Many leatherwomen don’t feel terribly welcome in leather bars, either. “I remember I was at the Eagle when they started Wednesday night women’s space. There were guys at the bar who said, ‘What are they doing here? This is our bar.’ I said, ‘This is women’s night.’ And they said, ‘We’re out of here. This is a men’s bar, this is a leather bar, and we don’t want women around us.’ What I’d like to ask leathermen who don’t want women around is ‘Why not?’ I don’t get it.” Another woman chimed in: “It’s like the Little Rascals, the He-Man Woman-Haters Club.”
Some leatherwomen have problems with leather contests: “Some contests should be open to either sex. I identify as a boy. I would love to enter a Drummerboy contest, but just because I’m anatomically female, I can’t do it. I don’t have a dick—my dick is in the drawer at home, but I don’t have one physically attached to me. So I can’t enter the contest. And I know some guys who identify as girls, and we don’t even have a contest for them.” Another woman said, with a devilish gleam in her eye: “I know we’re going to have some woman run for Mr. Minnesota Leather one of these days, and it’s going to cause a big stir. And I’ll be glad.”
Many women wanted more mixed play spaces: “We don’t have as much money as men do, so we can’t set up a dungeon. Especially in a town like this, where there aren’t public play spaces, we end up with not as many places to play.” The woman standing next to her agreed: “The gender-division thing kinda sucks. I like watching men play. You need to let women come and watch you. We’re voyeurs too.” While we’re on the subject of play: “One thing that pisses me off is that guys think women can’t play as hard or as raw as they can. I have a pussy, but I’m not a pussy.”
On sharing play spaces: “The problem I have is that I want to respect men’s choices, but I also don’t want to be excluded. And balancing those two is really difficult. I think that it’s not a bad thing to have a Tuesday night men’s night in a bar, and a Wednesday night women’s night. It’s a level-of-comfort thing—that’s what we’re used to, it’s what we accept—but I think we should strive to have a Thursday night ‘together’ night. It’s valid to have men-only play space and women-only play space, but have a common play space, too. That way you have the opportunity to watch both genders play. You have the feeling of camaraderie that comes with the mix, and it’s a hell of an education. That’s part of the way to knock the barriers down.”
Another way to knock the barriers down is to learn to trust each other and to focus on what leatherwomen and leathermen have in common: “We both want to embrace who we are, and to be okay with being different. But it’s hard to cross those bridges and break down those walls because they’ve been there for so long. As a young dyke I didn’t trust men because at that time, in the seventies, women were jealous because men had more power, more freedom, more privileges. But after feeling that way for a certain amount of time, you get tired of it. As I became more secure with myself it didn’t matter so much what other people had. I felt free to be myself and to let others be themselves.”
Leatherwomen don’t want to be patronized: “Don’t give me the line about ‘brotherhood’ and ‘sisterhood.’ Don’t feed me the line—show me that you are actually practicing what you preach.”
Leathermen aren’t the only group that leatherwomen would like to talk with: “The question about what dialogue we would have with gay leathermen is not as pressing to me as, maybe, what dialogue do we want to have with vanilla dykes? Not to say this isn’t something we need to talk about, but when we start talking we have more in common with leathermen than we do with vanilla queer women.”
A postscript: In other areas of the country this topic might not be as relevant as it is here. A visitor from the eastern U.S. said, “I find this whole conversation odd. When I first came into the community I had a mistress in Washington, D.C. and the first place she took me was The Playhouse in Baltimore, which is generally pansexual. So that’s my norm.”
New! Kink-Friendly AA/Al-Anon Group
The “Twisted Twelve,” a kink-friendly AA/Al-Anon Twelve Step Recovery group, has recently formed and is meeting at 7 PM Wednesdays at the Walker Community Library, 2880 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis. All genders and orientations are welcome.
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Sunday, June 6
Black Guard Social
6-9 PM, Brass Rail
No cover charge, free food, socializing and fun. Call for more information.
Saturday, June 12
Leather/Levi Dinner
Location and time to be announced
Presented by the Atons, open to all. For information and reservations call the Atons Hotline.
Saturday, June 12
North Star Gay Rodeo Association Road Trip
The Main Club, Superior, Wisconsin
Beer bust, guest bartenders, silent auction, NSGRA royalty will perform. For more information call.
Friday, May 21, 1999
From Revival Preacher to Leatherman
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #104, May 21, 1999)
Joshua Smith talks about his community, his kids and his faith
PHOTO: Mr. Minnesota Leather 1999 Joshua Smith
Mr. Minnesota Leather Joshua Smith will be representing Minnesota in the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest in Chicago May 27-30. We talked recently about some of the things he’s accomplished during his title year. We also talked about his experiences as a southern Pentecostal revival preacher; about telling his three daughters what leather means to him; and about his passion for God, for the leather lifestyle, and for his partner and fellow titleholder Thomas Smith (the current International Mr. Rubber, as well as Mr. Kentucky Leather 1996).
One of the most common goals expressed by those aspiring to a leather title is “to bring the community together.” At last year’s Mr. Minnesota Leather contest Joshua Smith did more than say it—his now-legendary contest speech graphically demonstrated the concept by bringing to the stage members of the various clubs and subcommunities comprising the Minnesota leather community. Smith had everyone stand in a circle, join hands, and sing a Sunday-school song he remembered from his childhood: “If we all pull together, how happy we will be.”
The mechanism Smith implemented to bring the community together was the Leather Roundtable. According to Smith, “The Roundtable is about two things. The first is setting a schedule, a simple calendar of what’s going on for the next twelve months, and maintaining and updating it every month. I want to know in advance what’s happening so I can plan to support as many people as I can—if I’m going to need their support one day, I need to be there first for them.” The second function of the Roundtable is to have an open forum for discussion about what help is needed for events and who is available to help.
Smith is proud of his creation. Later this summer he and his partner will be relocating to Palm Springs, California, but the Leather Roundtable will continue under the auspices of Ms. Minnesota Leather Mario and Mr. Minnesota Drummer Gary O’Neill.
Smith is also proud of the work he and Mario have done on behalf of Hope House, The Leather Archives & Museum and the Aliveness Project, and he’s proud of the example that he and Mario have jointly set in the past months. “I loved Mario’s column at the end of last year where she said that our joint New Year’s resolution was that it’s not going to be a men’s leather community or a women’s leather community, it’s going to be our community. And I do see a change. I see some events now that are almost 50-50 men and women, or at least 75-25, and to me that’s a big improvement as opposed to two women and 150 men.”
As he prepares both to represent Minnesota at IML and to relocate to Palm Springs, Smith makes this assessment of Minnesota’s leather community: ”When you’re not lying in a hammock it sits one way, and the threads are open wide. But when you lie down in it, it stretches, and all those threads go together. Sometimes I see the Minnesota leather community pulling apart, but I also see the elasticity or the bond among the community—because once somebody needs something, it goes right back together. The good thing about Minnesota for me has been that when the going has been tough, people have always been there for us, and we appreciate them very much.”
One of the first things you notice about Smith is the way he speaks—quickly, with the southern accent and rapid-fire intensity of the Pentecostal revival preacher he used to be. “I’d been Pentecostal all my life, and at 16 years old I felt like God had called me to be a preacher. There wasn’t any seminary training—you’re ordained, and you’re sent to work under a pastor for a year, and you get your license. So at age 17, I became assistant pastor for a Pentecostal church called the Ark of Safety in a small town in West Virginia.” Smith preached there for almost two years, then served a church in Brockton, New York for almost four years. By this time he and his wife were the proud parents of three girls: Audrea, Sarah Grace, and Megan.
While serving the church at Brockton, Smith “started feeling things, I didn’t know what they were. I talked to my wife and said, ‘I think we need to go home.’ She knew something was wrong but she didn’t know what, and I didn’t know what it was either. So we moved back to Kentucky, I was in the church about another year and a half, and then I went to my wife and said, ‘There’s some feelings that I have to deal with. I can’t fight this any longer, because when certain people come near me I get short of breath.’
I told my wife I was concerned that I could be gay. I wanted to be with a man. My wife and I divorced in 1988, and the separation was very, very difficult. And I didn’t go back to the church for a long time—I didn’t think I could. I’d get angry with God sometimes. Nobody in this world knows what it’s like to go into a bedroom, and there are three little girls side by side—one with blonde hair who looks just like Goldie Hawn, one with long auburn hair who looks just like her mother, and one who is me, who is just a total picture of me—and you reach down to kiss them, and you know that’s the last time you will ever kiss them in that room, in that bed, as their father. It’s heart wrenching.
“It’s always been very, very difficult for my children because of their Pentecostal faith. They know Daddy is now gay and they don’t think Daddy can go to heaven, and that’s been very hard for them. For almost a year or more they would change the phone number or send my letters back, and say, ‘This is tough love, until you find God you can’t be a part of our lives.’ ” Audrea, Smith’s oldest daughter, is currently expecting a child, and Smith says, “It’s kind of like that right now—my daughter’s not sure if she wants her baby to know a gay grandpa.”
After the divorce Smith relocated to Atlanta and then to Florida. One day he heard that Troy Perry, the founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, was presenting a seminar/revival weekend in North Miami Beach. Says Smith, “I went there and found out about MCC, and for the past six years or so I’ve been as faithful as I can be to an MCC congregation wherever I live.”
At about the same time Smith discovered the Metropolitan Community Church, he also discovered the leather lifestyle, and he sees a connection. “The attraction to both was the intensity that is involved—the dedication, the honor, the respect, the love, the dignity, and the pride. This may sound crazy, but in many ways I felt just as ‘leather’ sitting in a church pew as I did in a leather bar, because the feelings were almost the same. Whether I see a man and I want him so bad I can taste that man, or whether I’m in church and I can feel the presence of the Lord and it’s so strong and so intense I don’t know what to do with myself—that’s leather to me, you know? I guess if I had to choose one word that would describe what leather means to me it would be intensity, because it makes me have a passion.”
While Smith’s daughters aren’t exactly happy about their father being gay, they seemed more accepting when he told them about being a leatherman. “I went home to my children about two weeks before I competed in the Mr. Minnesota Leather contest, and I said, ‘Girls, I want to share something with you that you don’t know about Daddy.’ And I went down into the bedroom and came back in my leather vest, a pair of chaps, and a pair of jeans. And they loved it, they said, ‘Oh, this is incredible, can we have this?’ Our family owned a couple of clothing stores, and because of the fashion world in which we have lived and the business I have worked in since leaving the ministry, they thought it was another fashion statement—‘What’s Daddy doing now?’ And I said, ‘You’ve got to understand what this is and what it represents. This represents a lifestyle, it’s not a fashion statement.’
“And then I told them I was competing for a title called Mr. Minnesota Leather, and they were very intrigued and asked what it meant. I told them you wear leather when you go to a leather bar. I said, ‘We’re leathermen, and this is how we identify ourselves. People know you girls are Pentecostal because you have a dress code—you wear long hair, a long dress, and you never wear jewelry or makeup or shorts, right?’ And they said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Well, when I’m getting ready to go to the bar, and I’ve got on my clothes—’ and my youngest daughter said, ‘That means you’re a leatherman!’ And I said, ‘Well, Megan, you can identify that because of the appearance, but the leather’s not what’s going to make me a leatherman. It’s how I conduct myself—with honor, respect, dignity and pride.’”
“They asked me what Mr. Minnesota Leather would do, and I told them about my idea for the Leather Roundtable as a place to coordinate scheduling for leather community events. They were intrigued by how many events we have, all these events and all these places. Then I explained that I wanted to help somebody, and I told them about Hope House and the Human Rights Campaign. They knew Thomas and I had gotten married in December, but I told them I don’t want to leave this world until the marriage is legal, and we can say ‘What God has joined together let no man put asunder.’ So I wanted to do something with the Human Rights Campaign for the cause of gay marriage.
“I told my girls, ‘What this title does is give me a voice. I’ll have an active part in making something happen. I’m not sure what it will be yet, but I want this to be positive so that I can do something good for somebody.’ And the children expressed to me later that learning that Thomas and I are leathermen, and that we’re married, is the only thing that helps them cope with their Daddy being gay.
I know that God has work for me to do. Whether it’s behind the pulpit, or whether it’s doing a fundraiser for people at Hope House who need ceiling fans in their rooms—you never know what it is, but he’s always got something for us to do.”
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Sunday, May 30
Atons present the IML Widow Party
The traditional gathering for those who don’t make the journey to Chicago for the International Mr. Leather contest. At my deadline the location and time were still to be determined; for information call the Atons Hotline.
Thursday, June 3
Leather Family Night: “Swan Lake . . . The Sequel” by Ballet of the Dolls
8 PM, Loring Playhouse, 1633 Hennepin Ave.
You loved Ballet of the Dolls at the recent Minnesota Fantasy weekend—here’s your chance to see them again. Special discount ticket pricing for leather community members. Call Wolf Productions for reservations and information. (Reservations must be made before Wednesday, May 26.)
Joshua Smith talks about his community, his kids and his faith
PHOTO: Mr. Minnesota Leather 1999 Joshua Smith
Mr. Minnesota Leather Joshua Smith will be representing Minnesota in the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest in Chicago May 27-30. We talked recently about some of the things he’s accomplished during his title year. We also talked about his experiences as a southern Pentecostal revival preacher; about telling his three daughters what leather means to him; and about his passion for God, for the leather lifestyle, and for his partner and fellow titleholder Thomas Smith (the current International Mr. Rubber, as well as Mr. Kentucky Leather 1996).
One of the most common goals expressed by those aspiring to a leather title is “to bring the community together.” At last year’s Mr. Minnesota Leather contest Joshua Smith did more than say it—his now-legendary contest speech graphically demonstrated the concept by bringing to the stage members of the various clubs and subcommunities comprising the Minnesota leather community. Smith had everyone stand in a circle, join hands, and sing a Sunday-school song he remembered from his childhood: “If we all pull together, how happy we will be.”
The mechanism Smith implemented to bring the community together was the Leather Roundtable. According to Smith, “The Roundtable is about two things. The first is setting a schedule, a simple calendar of what’s going on for the next twelve months, and maintaining and updating it every month. I want to know in advance what’s happening so I can plan to support as many people as I can—if I’m going to need their support one day, I need to be there first for them.” The second function of the Roundtable is to have an open forum for discussion about what help is needed for events and who is available to help.
Smith is proud of his creation. Later this summer he and his partner will be relocating to Palm Springs, California, but the Leather Roundtable will continue under the auspices of Ms. Minnesota Leather Mario and Mr. Minnesota Drummer Gary O’Neill.
Smith is also proud of the work he and Mario have done on behalf of Hope House, The Leather Archives & Museum and the Aliveness Project, and he’s proud of the example that he and Mario have jointly set in the past months. “I loved Mario’s column at the end of last year where she said that our joint New Year’s resolution was that it’s not going to be a men’s leather community or a women’s leather community, it’s going to be our community. And I do see a change. I see some events now that are almost 50-50 men and women, or at least 75-25, and to me that’s a big improvement as opposed to two women and 150 men.”
As he prepares both to represent Minnesota at IML and to relocate to Palm Springs, Smith makes this assessment of Minnesota’s leather community: ”When you’re not lying in a hammock it sits one way, and the threads are open wide. But when you lie down in it, it stretches, and all those threads go together. Sometimes I see the Minnesota leather community pulling apart, but I also see the elasticity or the bond among the community—because once somebody needs something, it goes right back together. The good thing about Minnesota for me has been that when the going has been tough, people have always been there for us, and we appreciate them very much.”
One of the first things you notice about Smith is the way he speaks—quickly, with the southern accent and rapid-fire intensity of the Pentecostal revival preacher he used to be. “I’d been Pentecostal all my life, and at 16 years old I felt like God had called me to be a preacher. There wasn’t any seminary training—you’re ordained, and you’re sent to work under a pastor for a year, and you get your license. So at age 17, I became assistant pastor for a Pentecostal church called the Ark of Safety in a small town in West Virginia.” Smith preached there for almost two years, then served a church in Brockton, New York for almost four years. By this time he and his wife were the proud parents of three girls: Audrea, Sarah Grace, and Megan.
While serving the church at Brockton, Smith “started feeling things, I didn’t know what they were. I talked to my wife and said, ‘I think we need to go home.’ She knew something was wrong but she didn’t know what, and I didn’t know what it was either. So we moved back to Kentucky, I was in the church about another year and a half, and then I went to my wife and said, ‘There’s some feelings that I have to deal with. I can’t fight this any longer, because when certain people come near me I get short of breath.’
I told my wife I was concerned that I could be gay. I wanted to be with a man. My wife and I divorced in 1988, and the separation was very, very difficult. And I didn’t go back to the church for a long time—I didn’t think I could. I’d get angry with God sometimes. Nobody in this world knows what it’s like to go into a bedroom, and there are three little girls side by side—one with blonde hair who looks just like Goldie Hawn, one with long auburn hair who looks just like her mother, and one who is me, who is just a total picture of me—and you reach down to kiss them, and you know that’s the last time you will ever kiss them in that room, in that bed, as their father. It’s heart wrenching.
“It’s always been very, very difficult for my children because of their Pentecostal faith. They know Daddy is now gay and they don’t think Daddy can go to heaven, and that’s been very hard for them. For almost a year or more they would change the phone number or send my letters back, and say, ‘This is tough love, until you find God you can’t be a part of our lives.’ ” Audrea, Smith’s oldest daughter, is currently expecting a child, and Smith says, “It’s kind of like that right now—my daughter’s not sure if she wants her baby to know a gay grandpa.”
After the divorce Smith relocated to Atlanta and then to Florida. One day he heard that Troy Perry, the founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, was presenting a seminar/revival weekend in North Miami Beach. Says Smith, “I went there and found out about MCC, and for the past six years or so I’ve been as faithful as I can be to an MCC congregation wherever I live.”
At about the same time Smith discovered the Metropolitan Community Church, he also discovered the leather lifestyle, and he sees a connection. “The attraction to both was the intensity that is involved—the dedication, the honor, the respect, the love, the dignity, and the pride. This may sound crazy, but in many ways I felt just as ‘leather’ sitting in a church pew as I did in a leather bar, because the feelings were almost the same. Whether I see a man and I want him so bad I can taste that man, or whether I’m in church and I can feel the presence of the Lord and it’s so strong and so intense I don’t know what to do with myself—that’s leather to me, you know? I guess if I had to choose one word that would describe what leather means to me it would be intensity, because it makes me have a passion.”
While Smith’s daughters aren’t exactly happy about their father being gay, they seemed more accepting when he told them about being a leatherman. “I went home to my children about two weeks before I competed in the Mr. Minnesota Leather contest, and I said, ‘Girls, I want to share something with you that you don’t know about Daddy.’ And I went down into the bedroom and came back in my leather vest, a pair of chaps, and a pair of jeans. And they loved it, they said, ‘Oh, this is incredible, can we have this?’ Our family owned a couple of clothing stores, and because of the fashion world in which we have lived and the business I have worked in since leaving the ministry, they thought it was another fashion statement—‘What’s Daddy doing now?’ And I said, ‘You’ve got to understand what this is and what it represents. This represents a lifestyle, it’s not a fashion statement.’
“And then I told them I was competing for a title called Mr. Minnesota Leather, and they were very intrigued and asked what it meant. I told them you wear leather when you go to a leather bar. I said, ‘We’re leathermen, and this is how we identify ourselves. People know you girls are Pentecostal because you have a dress code—you wear long hair, a long dress, and you never wear jewelry or makeup or shorts, right?’ And they said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Well, when I’m getting ready to go to the bar, and I’ve got on my clothes—’ and my youngest daughter said, ‘That means you’re a leatherman!’ And I said, ‘Well, Megan, you can identify that because of the appearance, but the leather’s not what’s going to make me a leatherman. It’s how I conduct myself—with honor, respect, dignity and pride.’”
“They asked me what Mr. Minnesota Leather would do, and I told them about my idea for the Leather Roundtable as a place to coordinate scheduling for leather community events. They were intrigued by how many events we have, all these events and all these places. Then I explained that I wanted to help somebody, and I told them about Hope House and the Human Rights Campaign. They knew Thomas and I had gotten married in December, but I told them I don’t want to leave this world until the marriage is legal, and we can say ‘What God has joined together let no man put asunder.’ So I wanted to do something with the Human Rights Campaign for the cause of gay marriage.
“I told my girls, ‘What this title does is give me a voice. I’ll have an active part in making something happen. I’m not sure what it will be yet, but I want this to be positive so that I can do something good for somebody.’ And the children expressed to me later that learning that Thomas and I are leathermen, and that we’re married, is the only thing that helps them cope with their Daddy being gay.
I know that God has work for me to do. Whether it’s behind the pulpit, or whether it’s doing a fundraiser for people at Hope House who need ceiling fans in their rooms—you never know what it is, but he’s always got something for us to do.”
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Sunday, May 30
Atons present the IML Widow Party
The traditional gathering for those who don’t make the journey to Chicago for the International Mr. Leather contest. At my deadline the location and time were still to be determined; for information call the Atons Hotline.
Thursday, June 3
Leather Family Night: “Swan Lake . . . The Sequel” by Ballet of the Dolls
8 PM, Loring Playhouse, 1633 Hennepin Ave.
You loved Ballet of the Dolls at the recent Minnesota Fantasy weekend—here’s your chance to see them again. Special discount ticket pricing for leather community members. Call Wolf Productions for reservations and information. (Reservations must be made before Wednesday, May 26.)
Friday, May 7, 1999
Oh, The Places I’ve Been!
(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #103, May 7, 1999)
MN Drummer, Leather/SM at BECAUSE, and scandal in New York City
PHOTO: Gary O’Neill and Doug Waalen (to be delivered Wednesday afternoon)
PHOTO CAPTION: Left: Mr. Minnesota Drummer 1999 Gary O’Neill. Right: First Runner-up Doug Waalen.
In the last two weeks I’ve found myself in some interesting places and seen some amazing sights; in this issue’s column I’ll tell you about them. I was recently in New York City and caught two huge and controversial exhibitions at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Closer to home I participated in BECAUSE ’99, the recent bisexual conference at Metro State U in St. Paul. And I was at Club Metro when the new Mr. Minnesota Drummer was chosen. Let’s get started with that.
After a Friday-night Meet & Greet at The Minneapolis Eagle, this year’s Mr. Minnesota Drummer contest was held at Club Metro on April 24. The judges, all current or recent local titleholders, were Roger Gregg and David McKammon (visiting from San Francisco), Greg Hausler, Mario, Miss Jennifer, Joshua Smith, Thomas Smith, and outgoing Mr. Minnesota Drummer Steve Eue. There were two contestants for Mr. Minnesota Drummer: Doug Waalen and Gary O’Neill. (There were no contestants for Minnesota Drummerboy, so that competition was not held.) Co-emceed by contest organizer Colin Spriestersbach and Allison Brooks, the evening included entertainment by Brooks (who brought her Ernestine Tomlin character out of retirement for the evening), by “Barbie Girl” Eva Monet, and by comic Michelle Balan, the ultimate tough New York dyke. (For me, “West Side Story” will never be the same now that I’ve heard some of Balan’s rewritten lyrics.) The event drew a smaller-than-expected crowd, but the audience seemed to be having lots of fun.
The evening’s fantasy presentations followed the current trend of Industrial Macho. Waalen and former International Mr. Leather Kevin Cwayna did a construction-site scene, complete with a real jackhammer making real noise. O’Neill’s fantasy, which didn’t go quite as smoothly as it should have, featured lots of fog (LOTS of fog!) and lots of clothespins. Nevertheless, when the results were announced it was O’Neill who got the title and the sash, with Waalen taking first-runner-up honors. A postscript: While some folks might have wished for more competitors, I personally would rather see a contest with a few good contestants than a contest with many poor ones.
When I wasn’t attending Minnesota Drummer events that weekend, I was attending the eighth annual edition of BECAUSE, which stands for Bisexual Empowerment Conference: A Uniting, Supportive Experience. I was there because I was invited to be part of a panel of SM players presenting a workshop called “Getting Hurt Can Be Fun.” (I would be representing the “traditional” gay male leather/SM community.) I figured I’d attend, be on the panel, and that would be the extent of my participation. Once I got there, however, I discovered that there were over 30 workshops to be presented, and they sounded interesting. I discovered a good number of leather/SM folk attending. And I discovered that I felt welcome even though I don’t consider myself bisexual. I wound up staying for almost the entire conference; I learned a lot, met many great people, and consider the time very well spent. The organizers of the conference can be proud of the good job they did putting it together. Visit their website at www.bisexual.org/mn/because.html, and then plan to be there next year for BECAUSE 2000. (There’s a lot of other good stuff at www.bisexual.org, too.)
One of the other workshops I attended at BECAUSE was the Minneapolis Safer Sex Sluts presenting “Martha Sexpert Living: Better Sex, It’s a Good Thing.” Greta Bauer as Martha Sexpert showed an uncanny, and almost scary, resemblance to another well-known Martha as she and her assistants discussed and demonstrated everything from making charming lube cozies to the proper way to clean toys. The Minneapolis Safer Sex Sluts will be performing in other venues in the weeks and months to come; whether you love that other Martha or hate her, you’ve got to see this.
Now, on to New York City, where I recently attended an exhibition called Erotica ’99 that outraged many New Yorkers, including mayor Rudy Giulani. He’s just devoted major effort to “cleaning up” Manhattan by closing or relocating sexually-oriented businesses. And now this kinky exhibition comes to the city-owned Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, effectively putting New York City in the porn business. Making matters even worse was a second exhibition at the Javits Center at the same time: the sixth annual International Gay & Lesbian Business Expo and Entertainment Festival, the largest event of its kind in the world. (A church group that had booked an event at the Javits Center pulled out rather than be surrounded by all these evil, twisted people.)
I spent an entire Sunday at the Javits Center attending both exhibits and drew some interesting comparisons and conclusions. Erotica was very kinky but very hetero, while the Gay & Lesbian Business Expo was very gay but not terribly kinky. A combination of the two would have been lovely.
I was glad I was able to get into Erotica before the show opened to the general public because it meant I could explore the booths, view the sizable art gallery, and talk to vendors without having to shout over huge crowds. I left just as the floodgates were about to open—I counted 1,500 people standing in line waiting to get in. Expected attendance for the four-day run of the exhibition was 50,000—the city had to bring in extra police for crowd control. When I went back later in the afternoon it was difficult to move through the crowds.
What was the attraction? I suspect for many attendees it was curiosity about all these things that have been forbidden for so long. The exhibits and vendors seemed to be targeted at people who are predominantly hetero and not “into the scene” at all. There seemed to be an air of “Oh, this is so naughty!” to many of the exhibits that didn’t work for me. Nonetheless, I found a few interesting displays to tell you about.
Healthy Life Resources had a sampling of cutting-edge sex toys for sale. For men there was the “Bonerman,” which can best be described as a milking machine’s evil child. (A Bonerman is custom-fit to each customer after that customer supplies five different measurements—four circumferences and an overall length.) For bottoms of all genders there was the “PoniRocR,” an upholstered hump containing mechanics which can vibrate and move your choice of over 160 different combinations of flexible attachments. If you’ve ever heard the limerick about the man who invented a screwing machine—this is what he would have invented. Neither of them is inexpensive, but alone or in combination they could be great fun. (Unfortunately, they weren’t set up to offer free trials at the show.) They were also showing a “Tantra Swing/Gym” for adults and some other fun stuff. Get all the delicious details at www.safest-way.com.
And now that you’ve got your wonderful new sex toys, how about sharing the experience with a loved one who’s far, far away? Remember those “Reach Out and Touch Someone” long-distance ads? Now, with the emerging brave new world of “cyberdildonics,” you really can. Your computer’s mouse will give new meaning to the word “joystick” as you control your lover’s PoniRocR, Bonerman, vibrator or other “marital aid” from any Mac or PC with an internet connection and a web browser—while you watch their reaction via WebCam, of course. Best of all, according to a press release, it’s healthy: “You’ll never catch a sexually-transmitted disease at SafeSexPlus.com. Nobody will die of AIDs [sic] through SafeSexPlus.com.” To find out more, visit (you guessed it) www.SafeSexPlus.com. The software is free and the service is free. You can also visit remotecontrolsextoys.com, the website of the originator of this technology. No, I’m not making this up.
Here’s another noteworthy event that I couldn’t attend but which was attended by several other members of the Twin Cities leather community: the third annual Leather Leadership Conference (LLC3) in San Francisco. For excellent coverage of this event, I refer you to Gary Virginia, Mr. San Francisco Leather 1996 and columnist for San Francisco-based Frontiers Magazine. You can read his article about LLC3 at www.frontiersweb.com/sfv17iss24/Pages/heart_ofthe_matter.html.
Mark Your Calendar
For events in the next two weeks, see the Out & About Calendar. Here are some other events planned for the weeks ahead:
May 21-23: Knights of Leather present Tournament 11, a pansexual run held at a private camp within a park. Workshops, demonstrations and fantasies will be presented. There’s still time to register—call The Knights or e-mail ontundra@mindspring.com for more information.
May 28-31: International Mr. Leather contest weekend in Chicago. Joshua Smith will be representing Minnesota, and the tenth anniversary of the Leather Pride flag will also be celebrated. Visit www.imrl.com or call 1-800-545-6753 for more information.
May 30: The Atons present their traditional gathering for those who don’t make the journey to Chicago.
June 3: You loved them at the recent Minnesota Fantasy weekend—here’s your chance to see them again. It’s Leather Family Night at the Ballet! Ballet of the Dolls, that is, performing “Swan Lake . . . The Sequel” at the Loring Playhouse, 8 pm. Special discount ticket pricing for leather community members. Call Wolf Productions for reservations and information. (Reservations must be made before Wednesday, May 26.)
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Saturday, May 8
Leather/Levi Dinner
Cocktails at 7 PM, dinner at 7:30 PM. McGovern’s Pub, 225 W. 7th St., St. Paul
Presented by the Atons, open to all. For reservations call the Atons Hotline.
Saturday, May 15
Black Guard Fundraiser
Scooters, 411 Galloway St., Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Meet your friends (or make a new one) in Eau Claire. Call for more information.
MN Drummer, Leather/SM at BECAUSE, and scandal in New York City
PHOTO: Gary O’Neill and Doug Waalen (to be delivered Wednesday afternoon)
PHOTO CAPTION: Left: Mr. Minnesota Drummer 1999 Gary O’Neill. Right: First Runner-up Doug Waalen.
In the last two weeks I’ve found myself in some interesting places and seen some amazing sights; in this issue’s column I’ll tell you about them. I was recently in New York City and caught two huge and controversial exhibitions at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Closer to home I participated in BECAUSE ’99, the recent bisexual conference at Metro State U in St. Paul. And I was at Club Metro when the new Mr. Minnesota Drummer was chosen. Let’s get started with that.
After a Friday-night Meet & Greet at The Minneapolis Eagle, this year’s Mr. Minnesota Drummer contest was held at Club Metro on April 24. The judges, all current or recent local titleholders, were Roger Gregg and David McKammon (visiting from San Francisco), Greg Hausler, Mario, Miss Jennifer, Joshua Smith, Thomas Smith, and outgoing Mr. Minnesota Drummer Steve Eue. There were two contestants for Mr. Minnesota Drummer: Doug Waalen and Gary O’Neill. (There were no contestants for Minnesota Drummerboy, so that competition was not held.) Co-emceed by contest organizer Colin Spriestersbach and Allison Brooks, the evening included entertainment by Brooks (who brought her Ernestine Tomlin character out of retirement for the evening), by “Barbie Girl” Eva Monet, and by comic Michelle Balan, the ultimate tough New York dyke. (For me, “West Side Story” will never be the same now that I’ve heard some of Balan’s rewritten lyrics.) The event drew a smaller-than-expected crowd, but the audience seemed to be having lots of fun.
The evening’s fantasy presentations followed the current trend of Industrial Macho. Waalen and former International Mr. Leather Kevin Cwayna did a construction-site scene, complete with a real jackhammer making real noise. O’Neill’s fantasy, which didn’t go quite as smoothly as it should have, featured lots of fog (LOTS of fog!) and lots of clothespins. Nevertheless, when the results were announced it was O’Neill who got the title and the sash, with Waalen taking first-runner-up honors. A postscript: While some folks might have wished for more competitors, I personally would rather see a contest with a few good contestants than a contest with many poor ones.
When I wasn’t attending Minnesota Drummer events that weekend, I was attending the eighth annual edition of BECAUSE, which stands for Bisexual Empowerment Conference: A Uniting, Supportive Experience. I was there because I was invited to be part of a panel of SM players presenting a workshop called “Getting Hurt Can Be Fun.” (I would be representing the “traditional” gay male leather/SM community.) I figured I’d attend, be on the panel, and that would be the extent of my participation. Once I got there, however, I discovered that there were over 30 workshops to be presented, and they sounded interesting. I discovered a good number of leather/SM folk attending. And I discovered that I felt welcome even though I don’t consider myself bisexual. I wound up staying for almost the entire conference; I learned a lot, met many great people, and consider the time very well spent. The organizers of the conference can be proud of the good job they did putting it together. Visit their website at www.bisexual.org/mn/because.html, and then plan to be there next year for BECAUSE 2000. (There’s a lot of other good stuff at www.bisexual.org, too.)
One of the other workshops I attended at BECAUSE was the Minneapolis Safer Sex Sluts presenting “Martha Sexpert Living: Better Sex, It’s a Good Thing.” Greta Bauer as Martha Sexpert showed an uncanny, and almost scary, resemblance to another well-known Martha as she and her assistants discussed and demonstrated everything from making charming lube cozies to the proper way to clean toys. The Minneapolis Safer Sex Sluts will be performing in other venues in the weeks and months to come; whether you love that other Martha or hate her, you’ve got to see this.
Now, on to New York City, where I recently attended an exhibition called Erotica ’99 that outraged many New Yorkers, including mayor Rudy Giulani. He’s just devoted major effort to “cleaning up” Manhattan by closing or relocating sexually-oriented businesses. And now this kinky exhibition comes to the city-owned Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, effectively putting New York City in the porn business. Making matters even worse was a second exhibition at the Javits Center at the same time: the sixth annual International Gay & Lesbian Business Expo and Entertainment Festival, the largest event of its kind in the world. (A church group that had booked an event at the Javits Center pulled out rather than be surrounded by all these evil, twisted people.)
I spent an entire Sunday at the Javits Center attending both exhibits and drew some interesting comparisons and conclusions. Erotica was very kinky but very hetero, while the Gay & Lesbian Business Expo was very gay but not terribly kinky. A combination of the two would have been lovely.
I was glad I was able to get into Erotica before the show opened to the general public because it meant I could explore the booths, view the sizable art gallery, and talk to vendors without having to shout over huge crowds. I left just as the floodgates were about to open—I counted 1,500 people standing in line waiting to get in. Expected attendance for the four-day run of the exhibition was 50,000—the city had to bring in extra police for crowd control. When I went back later in the afternoon it was difficult to move through the crowds.
What was the attraction? I suspect for many attendees it was curiosity about all these things that have been forbidden for so long. The exhibits and vendors seemed to be targeted at people who are predominantly hetero and not “into the scene” at all. There seemed to be an air of “Oh, this is so naughty!” to many of the exhibits that didn’t work for me. Nonetheless, I found a few interesting displays to tell you about.
Healthy Life Resources had a sampling of cutting-edge sex toys for sale. For men there was the “Bonerman,” which can best be described as a milking machine’s evil child. (A Bonerman is custom-fit to each customer after that customer supplies five different measurements—four circumferences and an overall length.) For bottoms of all genders there was the “PoniRocR,” an upholstered hump containing mechanics which can vibrate and move your choice of over 160 different combinations of flexible attachments. If you’ve ever heard the limerick about the man who invented a screwing machine—this is what he would have invented. Neither of them is inexpensive, but alone or in combination they could be great fun. (Unfortunately, they weren’t set up to offer free trials at the show.) They were also showing a “Tantra Swing/Gym” for adults and some other fun stuff. Get all the delicious details at www.safest-way.com.
And now that you’ve got your wonderful new sex toys, how about sharing the experience with a loved one who’s far, far away? Remember those “Reach Out and Touch Someone” long-distance ads? Now, with the emerging brave new world of “cyberdildonics,” you really can. Your computer’s mouse will give new meaning to the word “joystick” as you control your lover’s PoniRocR, Bonerman, vibrator or other “marital aid” from any Mac or PC with an internet connection and a web browser—while you watch their reaction via WebCam, of course. Best of all, according to a press release, it’s healthy: “You’ll never catch a sexually-transmitted disease at SafeSexPlus.com. Nobody will die of AIDs [sic] through SafeSexPlus.com.” To find out more, visit (you guessed it) www.SafeSexPlus.com. The software is free and the service is free. You can also visit remotecontrolsextoys.com, the website of the originator of this technology. No, I’m not making this up.
Here’s another noteworthy event that I couldn’t attend but which was attended by several other members of the Twin Cities leather community: the third annual Leather Leadership Conference (LLC3) in San Francisco. For excellent coverage of this event, I refer you to Gary Virginia, Mr. San Francisco Leather 1996 and columnist for San Francisco-based Frontiers Magazine. You can read his article about LLC3 at www.frontiersweb.com/sfv17iss24/Pages/heart_ofthe_matter.html.
Mark Your Calendar
For events in the next two weeks, see the Out & About Calendar. Here are some other events planned for the weeks ahead:
May 21-23: Knights of Leather present Tournament 11, a pansexual run held at a private camp within a park. Workshops, demonstrations and fantasies will be presented. There’s still time to register—call The Knights or e-mail ontundra@mindspring.com for more information.
May 28-31: International Mr. Leather contest weekend in Chicago. Joshua Smith will be representing Minnesota, and the tenth anniversary of the Leather Pride flag will also be celebrated. Visit www.imrl.com or call 1-800-545-6753 for more information.
May 30: The Atons present their traditional gathering for those who don’t make the journey to Chicago.
June 3: You loved them at the recent Minnesota Fantasy weekend—here’s your chance to see them again. It’s Leather Family Night at the Ballet! Ballet of the Dolls, that is, performing “Swan Lake . . . The Sequel” at the Loring Playhouse, 8 pm. Special discount ticket pricing for leather community members. Call Wolf Productions for reservations and information. (Reservations must be made before Wednesday, May 26.)
Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)
Saturday, May 8
Leather/Levi Dinner
Cocktails at 7 PM, dinner at 7:30 PM. McGovern’s Pub, 225 W. 7th St., St. Paul
Presented by the Atons, open to all. For reservations call the Atons Hotline.
Saturday, May 15
Black Guard Fundraiser
Scooters, 411 Galloway St., Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Meet your friends (or make a new one) in Eau Claire. Call for more information.
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