1996

1996

The Leather Journal

One of the most beloved titleholders on the East Coast, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 1995 Joe Morris was the coverman for Issue #79. Photo by Dave Rhodes.

Feature articles: The interesting Felix Jones, founder of Europe's Leather Scene was interviewed by Dave Rhodes. Lady Green's column was A Primer on Anal Play. Bob Fifield reviewed Dossie Easton's The Bottoming Book  Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns by Phillip Miller and Molly Devon and Metropolitan Slave Anthology II by JEB and Sleazemaster. Mauro Montoya won the Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest MAL got eight pages of coverage. Bah, Humbug was the theme of The Wearin' O' The Hides.

San Francisco Leather Daddy VIII, The Leather Journal's 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award winner and perennial Pantheon of Leather emcee Don Thompson was the coverman for Issue #80.

Feature articles: Pantheon of Leather was held in New Orleans. Jill Carter wrote a special article on her 23 years in the Leather community and Living In Leather. With computers in Mind, phydeaux's The Tannin' O' The Hides was titled, The New Sadism.

The first Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather winners were Ron Hendon and Daddy Flo. They are on the cover of Issue #81.

Feature articles: About 1,200 Leatherfolk attended Eulenspiegel's 25th anniversary in New York City in mid-February. Eight inches of snow did not stop people. Covered by Susan Wright, the event had numerous workshops, a vendor fair, staged demonstration and a fashion show. The International Bear Rendezvous was taking place about 3,00 miles away on he same weekend in San Francisco. There were plenty of uniformed men in Andy Mangels' coverage of Portland Uniform Weekend IV. The Motorcycle Awards in San Francisco under the auspices of the Inter Club Fund saw the first woman to be honored as Person of the Year. Jill Carter's The Bitch of Psychological Twist was a hit. Reacting positively to Daddy Bob's Fortress Europe, June 1992 several issues before, Malcom Richard Smith submitted The SM Experience in London and New York: Some Notes For The Unsuspecting Visitor.

The first American Leatherboy, Kevin McGraw from Denver, CO, was photographed by Dave Rhodes at Leatherfest VIII in San Diego for the cover of Issue #82.

Feature articles: Six pages of coverage went to Leatherfest VIII in San Diego produced by Club X (formerly NLA: San Diego).

One of the biggest annual Leather pride celebrations is  The Border Riders MC celebrated their 26th anniversary and the Seattle Men in Leather held their seventh anniversary on Sunday afternoon. Say Good  Night George was Daddy Bob's tribute to his late lover in The Wearin' O' The Hides.

The Issue #83 coverwoman was International Ms Leather 1995 pat baillie.

Feature articles: Dave Rhodes interviewed International Ms Leather pat baillie and International Mr. Leather Larry Everett. Texas Leather Pride in Austin was another weekend full of hot Leatherfolk as NLA: Austin celebrated their fifth run. This edition covered lots of IML and IMsL preliminaries. A big fundraiser for Mr. Minnesota Leather Michael DeLeon drew people from all over the U.S. to Minneapolis. Jill Carter wrote a special called Say Hello to Simon.

The energetic Joe Gallagher from New York City is the coverman of Issue #84 photographed by Dave Rhodes.

Feature articles: A full 10 pages of coverage went to the International Mr. Leather Contest. Atlanta S/M Solidarity presented a successful Spring In The South weekend. E.T. Phone Home was the theme for The Wearin' O' The Hides and The Tannin' O' The Hides featured Sex and Shopping. Jill Carter wrote Sheltered, Sane and Consensual.

The Lords of Leather and the banner they presented at Pantheon of Leather were on the cover.

Feature articles: Coverage of some of the gay and lesbian pride festivities around the United States and Canada appeared. The Leather Journal covered the International Masters and Slaves Contest and Southeast Leatherfest in Atlanta. Miss Bunnie turned in some great photos of the annual Dyke March LA/SF. Lolita and Susan Wright teamed together to cover Leather Pride Night in New York. Brent Sweer traveled to the Midwest and when he returned to LA he brought photos of Nimbus 19th Anniversary: Are You Being Served? from Douglas Dunes, MI. jay wagner reported that the new Ms Toronto Leather was Gill. The 15 Association's Boot Camp run was covered by Dave Rhodes. Dave Rhodes toured the Leather Archives and Museum at IML in May. A photo spread reveals what one might encounter when the visit the Museum.

Florida Mr. Drummer 1995 and 1996 Ray Castro and Ed Ivey were the Issue #86 covermen photographed by Dave Rhodes.

Jill Carter became International Ms Leather.

Pacific Coast Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles held their memorable 25th anniversary in the hills above LA and Ira Moore was there. Sarah Humble gave a full report on Leather participation in Baltimore's gay and lesbian pride festivities. A new photo section appearing at the back of The Leather Journal, Out and About..., included photos of gay and lesbian pride events. jay wagner reported that Leatherball II in Toronto was wild. Out and About... had several additional photos from Southern Decadence.

Rex Hopson got the new International Mr. Fantasy Kevin Watson away from the University of New Mexico long enough to get a photo of him for the cover of Issue #87 with a good Southwestern background.

Over 1,000 Leathermen and Leatherwomen invaded the Big Easy (New Orleans) for Southern Decadence which was held Labor Day Weekend.  A weekend of bar parties and Mardi Gras-style partying (except even less clothing was the norm).  

  Otter sent coverage of Flight 1: Myths and Legends sponsored by the Louisville Knightwings. Dave Rhodes used the Texas Leather Pride Boat Ride for another interview; this time talking to NLA: cochair K.T. Chase.

Mr. Leatherman Toronto 1996 Duncan MacLachlan was on the Issue #88 cover and was photographed by Pierre Peloquin.

Feature articles: A full 15 pages covered the events that took place during San Francisco's Leather Pride Week. There was virtually no room to move in the late afternoon during the Folsom Street Fair as the Fair drew its largest crowd ever. The Fetish and Fantasy Ball was moved from Thursday night to Friday night and split the crowd 50/50 with the roast for Mr. Drummer 1995 David WW Walker at the SF Eagle. One particularly hot booth during the Folsom Street Fair was that of the Golden Gate Wrestling Club which performed wrestling demos throughout the day.

Living In Leather in Portland, OR brought 600 people to the Pacific Northwest. Ira Moore attended the Names Project Memorial Quilt Display in Washington, DC. Dave Rhodes wrote a detailed personal experience of Inferno XXV from the beginning of Session B to the end.

Mr. Vulcan Rubber 1997 Rich Villagracia was photographed at the Metropolitan Slave Correctional Institute in Chicago by Dave Rhodes and appeared on the cover of Issue #89.

Feature articles: The first Mr. Vulcan Rubber Contest since 1994 kept the Cell Block busy in Chicago the first weekend in November. The Chicago Hellfire Club held Associates Weekend the same time making this the second busiest Leather weekend of the year in Chicago. A list of the 376 nominees for the Pantheon of Leather Community Service Awards was published. Sweatin' Bullets sponsored by the Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert and several pages of photos in the story and in Out and About... reveal that there are a lot of hot men in the desert. Bearman sent photo coverage of the Ft. Lauderdale Leather Guild's Leather University: Dungeon 101. Vern Stewart covered Centaur MC's Olympia XIV run..

Dave Rhodes photographed Slave Master Mike McDade during Sweatin' Bullets in Palm Springs for the Issue #90 cover.

Clubs

NLA: Houston played a major role in a Toys For Tots drive that collected more than 1,500 toys and $500 for Community Visions, Inc.

ICON Detroit held their Leather Carnival 1995.

Avatar in Los Angeles split $1,000 equally between the Los Angeles Youth Support Services and Eagles Center from funds raised at a beer bust.

Tsarus of Memphis, TN named Bill Andrews and Matthew Presley as men of the Year.

Sandia Leather presented New Mexico on Fire: Leather '96 in Albuquerque, NM.

Avatar held their 13th anniversary shindig in Los Angeles, CA.

Trident International celebrated its 23rd anniversary in Los Angeles, CA.

GUMMI, SM Gays and the Sadie Masie clubs in London, UK were able to resume holding meetings after three months over problems with the government.

NLA: Houston's Spring Iniquity V featured workshops and parties.

Leather United - Chicago presented Freeze and Sleeze IV in Indianapolis, IN.

Greta Schwerdtfegger returned for a second year as president of the board of Generic Leather Productions in Seattle, WA.

NLA: Los Angeles raised more than $1,000 for the Houghton Defense Fund.

Winners in the Leather/Levi Lexicon's Northern California Leather Awards were: Outstanding Leather Man Keith Truitt, Outstanding Leather Woman Audrey Joseph, Under-Recognized Leather Supporter Jacqui Jewels, Leather Business Hole in the Wall Saloon and Organization Golden Gate Guards.

The New Orleans Bears drew over 100 to their Southern Decadence parties.

If you had to pick one club to host a cocktail party to represent the Leather community it might have to be hosted by the Knights d' Orleans.

NLA: Dallas held Beyond Vanilla.

Avatar's Exploratorium drew another big crowd to Hollywood Moguls where the temperature was just as hot as the Leatherfolk attending.

The NLA: International announced the beginning of a Legal Project that would compile data on past cases, cases pending and legal procedure in the future relating to Leather.

Living In Leather in Portland, OR brought 600 people to the Pacific Northwest. About 60 workshops and 27 vendors gave attendees plenty to do in the daytime. Friday night's Opening Ceremonies was filled with speeches and a State of the NLA by cochairs K.T. Chase and Mark Frazier. The Lifetime Achievement Award winners were Jo Arnone from New York and Bob Flanagan (deceased) from Los Angeles. Saturday night's entertainment had mostly dominatrixes leading men on leashes. There was one gay men's fantasy performed by Master Ward and Boy Eitel from Atlanta.

Sweatin' Bullets sponsored by the Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert, Wolfs Den, Cathedral City Boys Club and American Airlines raised $3,000 for the Desert AIDS Project.

Spearhead collected over toys in their annual Toys For Tots drive that weekend.

Leather Titles

 Mauro Montoya won the Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest, the snow was piled high and much of Washington, DC for Centaur MC's Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. The weather was freezing, but the brotherhood was warm. A larger vendor fair a la IML gave people a chance to shop.

In Toronto the new Mr. Barn Leather was Derek Stringfellow.

Hobbit became Ms Washington State Leather.

Mr. Detroit Eagle was Michael Weems.

Mr. and Ms South Central Olympus Leather were Dirk Nettles and Elizabeth Ann, both from Houston.

Raymond Hall was Mr. DC Eagle.

The first Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather was Ron Hendon and Daddy Flo.

Jim Bowling was chosen Mr. Ohio Valley Leather.

Mr. Southern California Bear was Steve Blanscet.

Lee Zirkle added the Mr. Silver State Drummer title to his collection.

The new Mr. Oklahoma Leather was Arlen Spitler.

Beth Elliott and Koko won the Dyke Mommy and Dyke Daddy titles in San Francisco.

Mr. Brother Help Thyself was Kevin Smith.

Scott Capocci-Smithson won the Seattle Mr. Leather contest which saw $1,000 for the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment and the Michael Desroiser Memorial Pet Support Network and another $1,400 for the Pride Foundation.

Generic Leather Productions in Seattle divied out $4,000 between four charities of which $1,200 went to Seattle's Pride Foundation.

$1,000 raised at Toronto's Black Eagle garnered $1,000 for the Triangle Youth Program and the Mr. Leatherman Toronto Competition.

Ginni became Ms Gulf Coast Leather.

Steve Blanscet from Long Beach was chosen International Mr. Bear at International Bear Rendezvous in San Francisco, CA. Over $10,000 raised during the weekend was donated to STOP IDS Project, Operation Concern/18th Street Services and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

 Ms NLA: Portland received second degree burns during a staged fire fantasy at Erotica IV in Portland.

The Washington State Mr. Leather Contest was won by Vincent Sharkey.

Edward Bryan was named Mr. Michigan Leather.

Barry Burns became Mr. Portland Leather.

International Ms Leather pat baillie started a national drive named Exposing Ourselves to Women's Health Care.

Mr. P's Leather in Washington, DC was Ron Carl.

Mr. Leatherbike Week in Daytona Beach, FL was David "Slakker" Merrill.

Gary Virginia won the first Mr. Daddy's Leather Contest and Gary Strickland was named Mr. Edge Leather in San Francisco, CA.

The new Mr. and Ms Silver State Leather were Arthur "Chip" Gillespie and Julie "Lynn" Maher.

Kurt Edwards won the Empire State Leather Contest sponsored by Stars MC during their Leather Pride weekend in Albany, NY.

Mikki "Mixmaster" Avis was named Ms Colorado Leather Pride and Kent Epperson was chosen Rocky Mountain Mr. Leather in Denver, CO.

The new Mr. Kentucky Leather was Stephen Tracey.

Gary Virginia took the Mr. San Francisco Leather sash.

Kristi Barkan was selected Ms Philadelphia Leather.

The new Mr. LA Leather was Michael Shewan.

The first man to become International Mr. Leather from New York was Joe Gallagher, sponsored by AmFAR. Todd Nelson from Seattle, WA was named International Mr. Boot Black.

The first International Ms Deaf Leather was Cool Cat from Chicago and San Francisco's Daniel Sonnenfeld won the International Mr. Deaf Leather title.

Don Woods won the Mr. Gulf Coast Drummer title in Dallas.

Mr. Texas Leather Jackson Myars was the director for Positive Voices, an HIV positive singing group that released Windows of Hope.

The new IML Joe Gallagher and New York City Leather activist Michael Horowitz announced their Get-Linked Project.

Steven Robling became Mr. Boston Leather.

Mickey McMahon was the new Mr. DC Bear.

Wisconsin Daddy was J.P. Ranieri and Wisconsin Daddy's Boy was Cortez Baker.

Mistress Morgana and slave michael won the International Masters and Slaves Contest.

Bob Jacobs was chosen Southeast Mr. Drummer and Rory Teasdale became Southeast Drummer Boy during Southeast Leatherfest in Atlanta.

Ms Toronto Leather was Gill.

Loren Berthelson became San Francisco Leather Daddy XIV.

Jill Carter doesn't live far from Philadelphia so the judges decided that it would be just as easy for her to take the trophy home so they chose her to be International Ms Leather. 19 women competed for the top women's title. Jill quickly sent a story, I Just Wanted To Do It For The Experience.

The new Rocky Mountain Mr. Drummer and Drummer Boy were Rick Gusler and Mike DeNisco.

The new Mr. Florida Drummer was Bill Masters from Ft. Lauderdale.

Mr. and Ms Alameda County Leather were Roger Luttrell and Victoria Rose. Taurus Webster won the Mr. Northern California Drummer Contest.

The second International Mr. Fantasy was Kevin Watson from Albuquerque, NM.

The Lords of Leather sponsored the Mr. Louisiana Leather Contest won by Michael Caster.

Kyle Brandon was named Southern California Mr. Drummer.

Doug Decker was chosen Mr. Texas Drummer.

The East Coast Titleholders Conference was held at the home of Mr. Southeast Leather 1993 Darryl Flick in Richmond, VA.

The new San Francisco Leather Daddy's Boy was Joey Faria.

Kyle Brandon from West Hollywood won the International Mr. Drummer Contest and the new Drummer Boy, chosen by the Mr. Drummer contestants, was Mike DeNisco.

International Master and Slave 1996 Mistress Morgana and slave michael held a Fetish and Fantasy event in Denver, CO.

James Murray was named Mr. Tulsa Leather.

Mark McKenzie became Mr. Palm Springs Leather.

Ricardo Morris was chosen Mr. Connecticut Leather.

Fabrice van den Bossche won the Mr. Europe Drummer Contest during Amsterdam Leather Pride.

The new Mr. Southeast Leather was David Palm from Lynchburg, VA.

Mason Timmons became Mr. Upstate New York Leather.

In Toronto the new Mr. Black Eagle Leather was James Morgan and Mr. Barn Leather was Robert Pierre Tomas.

Dauphine Sowell and Master Ken won the Ms and Mr. Georgia Olympus Leather titles in Atlanta.

An April date was set for the American Brotherhood Weekend and it was to be held in Washington, DC.

Ric Morris won the Mr. Connecticut Leather title.

The new Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull was Erich Prohaska.

James Sterling won the first Leathermaster NYC Contest.

Jim Dawson won the Ocean State Leather Contest held by the Enforcers RI and represented them in the Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather finals in New Orleans.

Lee Julien won the Mr. Silver Fox Contest in San Francisco.

News and Politics

London (Reuters) announced that Britain's Law Commission had proposed reforms that would decriminalize violent sexual acts between consenting adults.

Pantheon of Leather was held in New Orleans. This year's awards and winners were: Woman of the Year, Sarah Humble; Man of the Year, Woody Bebout; Readers Choice (Women) Cindy Bookout; Readers Choice (Men) Frank Nowicki; Lifetime Achievement, Don Thompson; Forbearer, Judy Tallwing-McCarthey.

London Vice Squad Pressure lead to a ban of GUMMI and SM Gays.

Brother Help Thyself distributed $120,000 in grants to 45 organizations at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, DC.

About 1,200 Leatherfolk attended Eulenspiegel's 25th anniversary in New York City in mid-February. Eight inches of snow did not stop people.

The Leather Archives and Museum named George Cameron of Vancouver, British Columbia as head of the Colors Project which would collect sets of club colors from around the world.

Remington's bar in Toronto, Ontario was raided and then a fund to help with legal defense was started.

Washington State Leather Pride Week was held in Seattle at the end of March. A National Emerald Award was presented to Frank Nowicki from Washington, DC.

The two children of Selina and Steven Houghton were taken from their home by authorities after a "friend" broke into their home and stole SM/fetish videotapes. What became known as the Houghton Case was given international publicity through the efforts of Robert and Mary Dante, publishers/editors of Boudoir Noir Magazine in Toronto, Ontario.

Mr. Minnesota Leather Michael DeLeon was able to meet with Los Angeles Lakers' basketball superstar Magic Johnson at the Stand Against AIDS fundraiser at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 ruling that stated that states cannot ban laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination. This successfully ended Colorado Amendment 2.

The Leather community of New York City began publicizing the name and a photo of a "Dangerous Top" who had been beating and abusing bottoms way beyond their consent and other violations against the same persons.

 The world renowned Rod's in Madison, WI owners announced that a rebuilding effort had begun to replace the burned down establishment.

Zeus Studios' annual June fundraiser netted about $5,000 to benefit Aid For AIDS in Los Angeles.

The New York City Police Department continued its crackdown on sex clubs by taking out The Attic and The Maze.

The Houghton Case came to an end when the couple accepted an offer made by the District Attorney of  a guilty plea to lesser charges. The Houghton kids spent Christmas at home.

Freeze and Sleeze weekend was cancelled.

Books and Publications

Trevor Jacques and Whole SM Publishing released The Alternate Sources Guide in Toronto.

The start of a Leather Who's Who was announced by Tony DeBlase and Trevor Jacques.

Daddy Bob took home two of the honors from the Los Angeles County Leather Fetish Awards. He won one award for Outstanding Columnist/Journal and another for Outstanding Literature (The Only Reason I Mention This).

Internet

A new web site was established for the Kink Awareness Professionals (KAP) referral service that directs individuals in need to doctors and lawyers friendly to the Leather lifestyle.

New on the Scene

Pike's Peak Summit Masters, Colorado Springs, CO; Femina Society and School, Haverhill, MA; Men of Rubber, Chicago, IL; SAAFE, Calgary, Alberta; Spanking Club, Los Angels, CA; Wisconsin Leather Men's Association, Milwaukee, WI; WHOLE (Women Holding Outrageous Leather Events), Philadelphia, PA; Southeast Conference of Clubs, Wilmington, NC; Seattle Men's Welcoming Committee, Seattle, WA; Louisville Area Trust EXchange (LATEX), Louisville, KY; Brothers In Leather, New York, NY; BD/SM Social Group, Austin, TX; Dungeon 101 by Leather University, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Milestones

25 Years: Do-A-Fool, 25th Anniversary and run, Tribe MC Detroit, MI; Inferno XXV, Chicago Hellfire Club, Chicago, IL; Pacific Coast Motorcycle Club, Los Angeles, CA

20 Years: Valley Knights MC, Sacramento, CA

10 Years: Utica Tri's, Utica, NY; Golden Gate Guards, San Francisco, CA; Firedance X run, Firedancers LLC, Dallas, TX; 10th Annual Dusty Cunningham Razzle Dazzle Picnic Basket Auction, Brother Help Thyself, Washington, DC

Five Years: Rubbout V weekend, Northwind, Vancouver, British Columbia; Chain of Command, San Antonio, TX; Texas Leather Pride V run, NLA: Austin, Austin, TX; Tom's Bar V, Tom of Finland Foundation, Los Angeles, CA; Portland Uniform Weekend, In Uniform Magazine, Portland, OR

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Artist Brad Braverman, Los Angeles, CA.

San Francisco Leather Daddy's Boy 1993 Craig Neely, San Francisco, CA.

Jackhammer, bar, San Francisco, CA closed.

Motorwerks, bar, San Francisco, CA closed.

The energetic Joe Gallagher from New York City is the coverman of Issue #84 photographed by Dave Rhodes.

Feature articles: A full 10 pages of coverage went to the International Mr. Leather Contest. Atlanta S/M Solidarity presented a successful Spring In The South weekend. E.T. Phone Home was the theme for The Wearin' O' The Hides and The Tannin' O' The Hides featured Sex and Shopping. Jill Carter wrote Sheltered, Sane and Consensual.

Leather activist and Leather designer Hawk Brooks, Boston, MA.

Leather United - Chicago cofounding member Davis Burbank, Chicago, IL.

Mr. Colorado Leather 1994 Dann Sivers, Denver, CO.

Founding president and charter member of Griffins MC Marshall Kyle, Newark, DE.

Loading Zone (San Diego) bar owner Bob Toner, San Francisco, CA.

The Attic closed due to police pressure in New York, NY.

The Maze suffered the same fate in New York, NY.

The Leather Journal Man of the Year 1988,  Leather Contingent organizer at the March On Washington in 1987 and 1993, past GMS/MA chairman and Leather activist Barry Douglas, New York, NY.

Screw The Roses, Send Me The Thorns coauthor Phillip Miller, Atlantic Highlands, NJ.