1998

1998

The Leather Journal

After a few months hiatus The Leather Journal came back as a free-distribution newspaper. It's circulation was almost doubled with Issue #96 which featured Pantheon of Leather Man of the Year Joseph Bean and Woman of the Year Jill Carter on the front cover.

The newspaper had strong coverage of Centaur MC's Mid Atlantic Leather weekend as well as plenty of club news to make up for the few months missing. The idea of a free newspaper for the Leather community caught of much faster than even the brightest optimists predicted.

Issue #98 rehashed Pantheon of Leather and focused on the Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather Contest won by Charles Garrett and Katherine. The Olympus winners and International Bear Rendezvous appeared on the front cover.

International Mr. Leather 1997 Kevin Cwayna was photographed by Dave Rhodes for the cover of Issue #98.

The Mat Issue had a paragraph on most of the men who would compete at International Mr. Leather which was celebrating its 20th year.

Issue #99 saw photos of the International Mr. Leather winners and American Brotherhood winners on the front cover. Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 1998 Tony Mills, a resident of Miami, FL, won the International Mr. Leather 1998 title. 6,000 Leatherfolk attended the 20th Anniversary of IML in one capacity or another.

Danny Clougherty supplied good photo coverage of American Brotherhood Weekend. A full-length interview with Mr. Marcus Hernandez, Leather columnist for the Bay Area Reporter in San Francisco, CA appears.

If you are going to enter a contest and you know that Mr. Marcus is going to be a judge, take the following to heart: "The Leather Journal: What qualities do you look for in a Leatherman when judging IML or one of its preliminaries?

'Marcus: It has been my experience throughout life that the most successful people are those who are honest, loyal and caring for their own.  There have been so many rip-off people both in and out of the Leather community.  I cannot condone ripping off money from charitable events. The accessibility of the contestant is important to me. I like bold men who reach out to meet and greet people. I can always tell if they are sincere. I especially note the hand shake of everyone I meet. Not a strong handshake, or timid or limp -- my red light goes on.  Uncanny as it seems, my instinct there always proves true. So yes, I look for honesty, loyalty and those who care for all other people.

As a subsection of that, I need to know how much history they have of their chosen lifestyle. Anyone who can’t name the current IML, IMsL or Drummer and Drummer Boy, has no business in a contest. If they don’t care enough to know who they will have to deal with on the celebrity circuit of IML, IMsL or Drummer people, they have no business being in the contest.'"

Atlanta's Frank Puckett graced the cover of milestone Issue #100 and South East Leather Fest had major coverage.

The Leather Leadership Conference created two important documents at is New York convention. Education Policy and The Difference Between S/M and Abuse came out of the first-year event. A two page spread of photos from International Mr. Leather 1998 was the centerfold. Vern Stewart coverage of Bearfest '98 by the Highwaymen TNT which celebrated its 20th Anniversary in Washington, DC. More photos from South east Leather Fest also appeared.

The Leather Journal reached a significant milestone when Issue #101 was published in August. The main stories were the judge's decision in the Scanlon lawsuit against GMS/MA and Megan DeJarlais winning the International Ms Leather Contest in Atlanta. Leather was visible at pride celebrations all over the planet and The Leather Journal got some of the news.

Chris Scanlon was awarded $1,000 but all charges against three GMS/MA defendants were dismissed/ Since The Leather Journal received radically different accounts of the decision by attorneys from each side, we decided to publish both, side-by-side, to let readers decide.

The lyrics to One Common Heartbeat, the proposed Leather anthem written by Gary Aldrich and Kevin Tyrrell were printed in full. David Stein's What is the Difference Between Old Guard and New Guard? appeared.

Issue #101 featured the first Thunder in the Mountains weekend held in Denver, CO. Consensual SM Does Not Equal Abuse Says Oregon Appeals Court, concluding a case that stared in April 1997.

Full coverage of Fantasy's 10th Anniversary in Omaha, NE was a feature in Issue #102. The Leather Journal moved to Hollywood from its West Hollywood location in the French Quarter at the end of August.

Issue #103 included coverage of San Francisco Leather Pride Week, the Folsom Street Fair and the 20th Annual International Mr. Drummer Contest which was won by Herve’ Bernard of Paris, France.

The Leather Journal learned that there were three open Leathermen running for political offices on the November ballot. They come from the three largest political parties, but do not come from San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. John Birch from Chicago is running for the U.S. House of Representatives; Russ Russell is running for a state office (Lt. Governor in the State of Georgia; and Kevin Shancady is running for a city office (Denver City Council) and a statement from each covered almost two full pages.

The Leather Archives and Museum announced in Issue #104 that it was undergoing major changes in nearly every area. Among the changes was that the central administration of the Colors Project would have to be handled in Chicago. Also on the cover, the Tom of Finland Foundation held its Fourth Annual Erotic Art Weekend in Los Angeles with the main event being an Erotic Art Fair which had at least 60 erotic artists displaying their works.

Mr. San Francisco Leather 1996 Gary Virginia was on the cover of Issue #105. "I was honored to be asked to participate in a hearing in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Charter (1948).  San Francisco is petitioning the U.N. to add the words 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identification' to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (30 articles).

With hope, other cities and countries will petition the U.N. as well. I was asked to read Article 7 and was offered to speak for two minutes.  It was an inspiring hearing."

Over 450 attended Living in Leather XIII, the National Leather Association: International’s (NLA: I) annual Leather/SM/Fetish conference October 8-11 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dallas, TX. A complete list of all the Pantheon of Leather 1999 nominees appeared . Sybil King sent great coverage of Leather University's Dungeon 301 which was held in Fort Lauderdale, FL. There was   a complete article on BR '98 and Dave Rhodes' Annual Christmas List was as rude as ever.

Leather Titles

Mr. and Ms Santa Clara County Leather winners were Billy Raby and Zan Blaum. They were the lone contestants.

Danny Clougherty moved back to Philadelphia from New York in time to win the Mr. Philadelphia Leather 1998 title at the Bike Stop. The first runner-up was Richard Russell and the second runner-up was Jim Nott.

Charles Garrett from Orlando, FL was chosen to be Mr. Olympus Leather and Katherine from Atlanta was Ms Olympus Leather.

Miami's Tony Mills was chosen to be Mr. Mid Atlantic Leather in Washington, DC.

James Heaton won the Mr. BC Leather 1998 title in Vancouver, BC.

Billy Lane had quite a February. He was named the winner of the Local Community Service Award at Pantheon of Leather in New Orleans and then was named Mr. Seattle Leather 1998 in Seattle one week later.

Marci Schrager walked off the stage at the Faultine with the Ms LA Leather sash on February 28. Stephanie Locke was the runner-up.

Bears LA presented the Mr. Southern California Bear 1998 Contest at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Rocky Thompson from Lake Isabella bested 12 other men to win the title.

Mauro Montoya was named Mr. Puerto Rico Leather/Cuero 1998 at the end of February. Montoya was Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 1996.

James Young became Mr. Dixie Belle Leather 1998 in a contest held at the Dixie Belle Saloon in Kansas City, MO.

Mr. Powerhouse Leather Stephan Edwards became Mr. San Francisco Leather 1998 at Club Townsend. Gary Virginia won the Peter Austin Award.

Kevin Watson and Shari won the Mr. and Ms New Mexico Leather Contest on Saturday night, March 21 in front of a packed house at the Ranch in Albuquerque, NM.

One week after John Milovich was declared the winner of the Washington State Mr. Leather 1998 Contest it was discovered that there was an error in counting the judges scores. It turned out that Gary Rose, who was announced as the first runner-up on Saturday night, had received the most points and was thus declared the winner.

Ronnie Fanshier was tops among seven contestants at the first Mr. Leather of All Texas 1998 Contest at the Dallas Eagle on Saturday night, March 21.

Randy Taylor won the Mr. Kentucky Leather ’98 contest sponsored by the Bluegrass COLTS and hosted by Crossings in Lexington, KY.

Danny Olesen captured the Mr. Boston Leather title on Saturday night, April 18 and Jay Christopher was judged best of five contestants and became Mr. Pistons Leather 1998 at Pistons in front of about 200 onlookers on the same date.

The Mr. Cell Block/Male Hide Leatherman 1998 Contest was won by Wayne Hussey during the Cell Block’s Leather Pride Weekend in Chicago.

Anthony Russell was tops among seven men and won the Mr. Southern California Leather 1998 Contest at Probe on April 25.

American Leatherman 1998 Martin Hall was from Providence, RI; American Leatherwoman Mercea was from Chicago, IL and was sponsored by ONYX; and Terry Sapp was the second woman to with the American Leatherboy title and was from Baltimore, MD.

Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 1998 Tony Mills, sponsored by the Centaur Motorcycle Club from Washington, DC and a resident of Miami, FL won the International Mr. Leather title on Sunday night, May 24 at the Congress Theater in Chicago. This killed two birds with one stone; it's the first time than a man from Florida and a Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather titleholder has won the big one.

The folks from the Land Down Under were quite pleased, too, as Mr. Mephisto 1998 sponsored by Mephisto Leathers in Sydney was named first runner-up. Ed Ryder, sponsored by Pittsburgh Leather Central, was announced second runner-up.

The first Mr. Drummer regional was the Gulf Coast Mr. Drummer Contest at the Dallas Eagle on Saturday night, May 16 and Dr. Steve Bayes was the winner.

Mr. Pennsylvania Drummer 1998 was Scott Reikofski; first runner-up was Maxx and second runner-up was D.J. Jones. Pennsylvania Drummer Boy 1998 was Ryan Goldner. Six men competed in each contest.

Tom Stice became Southeast Mr. Drummer at South East Leather Fest in Atlanta in June. Sybil King was declared Ms Leather Pride the same weekend at the same event.

John Zimmerman won the Mr. LURE Leather title on Saturday night, June 20 in New York, NY. The bar was packed with hot men from all over the Eastern Seaboard for the Folsom Street East block party sponsored by GMS/MA and Leather Pride Night which raised about $27,000.

Potomac MC sponsored the DC Mr. Drummer Contest won by Carl Baldwin.

Megan DeJarlais was best of 17 women in the International Ms Leather Contest in Philadelphia, PA. First runner-up was Mona Cleveland from Albuquerque, NM and the second runner-up was Lynne Pierce from Portland, OR.

Generic Leather Productions of Washington decided the rename the Seattle Leather Ambassador title to Washington State Leather Ambassador.

At Thunder in the Mountains in Denver, CO Bruce Chopnik was named Mr. Rocky Mountain Leather 1998 and Abby Smith was chosen Ms Rocky Mountain Leather 1998.

Carl Baldwin won the Mid-Atlantic Mr. Drummer contest at the Hippo in Baltimore, MD on Saturday night, July 11.

Ray Tilton, who was Mr. San Francisco Leather in 1990, was named Mr. Northern California Drummer and Northern California Drummerboy was Nicholas Murphy at the Sound Factory on Saturday afternoon, July 25.

The Mr. and Ms Alameda County Leather 1998 Contest was won by Den Calkins and Marilyn Dickman.

Steve Pierce earned the most points in answering a tie-breaking question at the Southern California Mr. Drummer Contest held at Probe on Saturday, August 15.

Mike Fergusen won the Great Plains Mr. Drummer Contest.

Michael Cruz from Fort Lauderdale, who finished in the top 20 at International Mr. Leather in May, was the new Florida Mr. Drummer. Florida Drummerboy was Matthew Keel.

Don Hood became Mr. Oregon State Leather 1998 and Falcon was named Ms Oregon State Leather 1998 at Embers Nightclub on Saturday night, August 15 in a contest sponsored by Blackout Leather Productions of Oregon.

Herve Bernard from Paris, France won the Europe Mr. Drummer title.

Seattle’s Erik Leiff received a special invitation from Drummer Magazine’s Robert Duvolt to compete as “Pacific Northwest Drummerboy 1998.

The 10th Anniversary for Fantasy Weekend in Omaha, NE August 20-23 was something special. Omaha's Tim Kernan iced the cake when he was named International Mr. Fantasy 1998 at The Max.

A tie between Jeff Dell from Denver, CO and Danny Carbonell from Alexandria was left unbroken at the International Mr. Deaf Leather 1998 Contest held at the Adams Mark Hotel in Denver on September 5 making it the first time that two individuals shared the same international Leather title. Susan Gonzales was named International Ms Deaf Leather 1998.

On Saturday evening, September 19, Benjamin “Benjie” Robertson, of Durham, NC, was awarded the title of Mr. Southeast Leather 1998-99 in front of a standing-room only crowd at FLEX Bar in Raleigh, NC.

Scott Garrett from New Orleans wowed the audience and the judges at the Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans, LA to become Mr. Louisiana Leather 1999 on Saturday night, September 5. Gregory Cain from Baton Rouge was first runner-up and Chris Hall from New Orleans was second runner-up from a field of five contestants.

The packed house at Club metro Underground saw Joshua Smith win the Mr. Minnesota Leather 1998 Contest on Sunday, September 6 and Mario became Ms Minnesota Leather 1998. On September 19, Benjamin “Benjie” Robertson, of Durham, NC, was awarded the title of Mr. Southeast Leather 1998-99 in front of a standing-room only crowd at FLEX Bar in Raleigh, NC.

Drummer Boot Camp was the theme of the 20th Annual International Mr. Drummer Contest held at the Russian Center on Saturday afternoon, September 26 in San Francisco, CA. Herve’ Bernard of Paris, France was selected Mr. Europe Drummer 1998 and. Mid Atlantic Drummerboy ryan goldner from Philadelphia was championed as International Drummerboy 1998.

When all was said and done, Kent Botkin, 33, a flaming redhead (his description)  was selected as Mr. Hillside Leather 1998 in early October in New York. The contest was founded by Utica Tri's members Roger Flemming and Ron Gurney as a feeder to the Mr. Upstate New York Leather competition.

Sal Perrone, of Chichester NY, won the Mr. Upstate New York Leather 1998 contest in Utica, NY on Sunday, October 11 and Michael Barcellos, of Elmira, NY won the first Upstate New York Leatherboy title.

Magus Tenebrae was chosen Mr. Southeast Olympus Leather 1999 and Kerry was picked to be Ms Southeast Olympus Leather 1999 at the Atlanta Eagle on Saturday night, October 24 in Atlanta, GA.

Seven men vied for the Mr. New York Eagle 1999 title on Saturday night, October 24, but only one could win and that was Laren Landin.

When the dust settled at the Silver Star Saloon in Tulsa, OK, on Saturday night, October 24, Ric Poston was left standing as Mr. Oklahoma Leather 1999. This was also TULSA's (Tulsa Uniform Leather Seekers Association) Tenth Anniversary Weekend. First runner-up was Randal Kinnear.

Thomas Smith from Minneapolis was named Mr. International Rubber during Rubber Blowout Weekend in Chicago, November 13-15. The contest was held at the Cell Block on Saturday night, November 14.

The new Mr. Palm Springs Leather titleholder was Dale Breunig. The contest was part of the Sweatin' Bullets weekend sponsored by the Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert and Palm Springs Gay Pride weekend held November 6-8.

Sr. Hellfire N. Dalmatians, a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, won the Washington State Leather Ambassador 198 title.

Mark Winthrow walked off the stage at the Triangle in Denver with the Mr. Triangle Leather 1998 title in early November.

The Mr. and Ms Florida Olympus Leather 1998 contest, held November 13-15, was won by Jack Greeney and Mistress Bernadette at The Club at Firestone in Orlando.

Miss Khiki and KRASH! sponsored the first North Carolina Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather Contest on Saturday night, December 6 at Metro in Asheville, NC. When the dust settled, Billyboy and Missi won the respective titles.

The Mr. and Ms Minnesota Olympus Leather 1999 Contest was won by Greg Hausler and Cori Ander on Sunday, December 13 at The Saloon in Minneapolis.

The organizers of the Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull competition had declared that they were “Hell Bent for Leather” to produce an event that people would remember. And on November 14, they delivered. That night, over 500 people packed one of Canada’s foremost music halls to witness the selection of 41 year-old communications analyst and fitness instructor Dean Ross.

Jon Rochat was named Mr. Russian river Leather 1999 on December 12 at the River Business bar in Guerneville, CA.

Over 300 hot Leathermen gathered at The Detroit Eagle on Saturday, November 14, to watch as a field of nine representatives from the Motor City Leather community compete for the title of Mr. Detroit Eagle 1999. When the dust settled, Buck Burks emerged as the winner.

The Suncoast Resort Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL hosted it's first Leather contest on December 5 when Greg Adams was named Mr. Suncoast Eagle 1999.

A sold-out crowd of Leatherfolk from Canada and the United States packed Toronto’s Opera House Saturday, November 28 to watch Mr. Black Eagle 1999 Chris Holmgren be crowned Mr. Leatherman Toronto 1999.

Seattle’s Cuff Complex was turned into the Holodeck of the Starship Enterprise on Saturday, November 28 where 200 Leatherfolk witnessed the Tenth Annual Seattle Leather Daddy and Daddy’s Boy Contest. Carl Buzzard was announced as Seattle Daddy’s Boy 1999 and Jacob Brower was announced as Seattle Leather Daddy 1999.

News and Politics

Pantheon of Leather was held at the Le Petit Theater in New Orleans where Jill Carter was named Woman of the Year and Joseph Bean was announced Man of the Year. Black Rose won Club of the Year and Club Event of the Year.

The Leather Archives and Museum announced its Capital Campaign, a goal to raise $500,000 to purchase a building to house the rapidly-growing Museum.

Daddy Bob and Michael Lara became the new owners of the Bullet in North Hollywood, CA. The duo connected the bar to the San Fernando Valley's Leather community in a huge way.

The Leather Archives and Museum's April newsletter reported that 86 clubs, including several from Europe, have donated colors to the Leather Archives.

Brother Help Thyself surpassed the $1,000,000 mark in fundraising when the organization doled out $125,486 at the Washington Plaza Hotel. A great way to celebrate 20 years of service to the community.

Mr. Rocky Mountain Leather 1997 Rich Docktor, CJ's Leather and KMA Productions produced Thunder in the Mountains July 31 - August 2 in Denver, CO. Patterned after San Diego's (Club X) successful yearly event, Thunder in the Mountains maintained a standard of quality and play in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. In addition to the educational seminars and demonstrations, Thunder in the Mountains included the Mr. and Ms Rocky Mountain Leather Contest and hot play parties.

A book of (Robert) Mapplethorpe’s pictures was seized as obscene, out of the University of Central England. A hapless art student took photos of the book’s pages to illustrate a thesis, and she was turned in to the authorities by the photo-development business she used to develop her film. The university refused the police’s request of them to destroy the book. The police could have prosecuted the publisher (Random House) and the university under Britain’s Obscene Publications Act.

The Phone Scam Artist contacted Philip Turner, manager of Daddy’s bar in San Francisco and George Cameron in Vancouver, asking for money. He fraudulently claimed to be Mr. Leatherman Toronto James Anderson.

Jill Carter was named the winner of the National Emerald Award presented by the Washington State Mr. Leather Organization (WSMLO) in Seattle during Washington State Leather Pride Week. Other award winners on March 29 included: Leather Emerald Awards to John Sedgwick, Marc Mead, Dan “puppy” Daniels and Beyond the Edge Cafe; Washington State Community Service Awards to Kahula Ice, Owen Morgan, Jaxon Greenlaw, Club Z and Eric Bonesteel; and Seattle Men in Leather honorees were Man of the Year Marc Mead and Community Service Eric Bonesteel.

New York's Leather Pride Night (LPN) was held at the Roxy on Saturday night, June 20. The auction and flea market funds went to Heritage of Pride, the producers of the NYC Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade, GMS/MA Legal Defense Fund, Feminists For Free Expression and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Think Tank.

GMS/MA held their Second Annual Folsom Street East block party on 13th Street between 9th Avenue and Washington Street (the block outside the LURE) on Sunday, June 19.

Southeast Leatherfest ’98 held in Atlanta, GA, June 12-14 featured guest speaker Guy Baldwin, a large vendor fair, the Southeast Mr. Drummer/Drummer Daddy/Drummer Boy 1998 Contest, and the Ms Leather Pride Contest 1998.

The Ohio Leather Coalition hosted the first Ohio Leather Fest in Cleveland the weekend of August 21-23. One of the highlights will be a Friday night slave auction to benefit the Leather Archives and Museum.

On April 21, NOW members Kelly Fahey and Jonathan Kall gave an educational presentation to the Capitol City NOW Chapter, which meets in the NOW national office in Washington, DC. The 20-minute presentation focused on the SM community within NOW, the policy reform effort and the personal experiences of Leatherwomen.

New York's Leather Pride Night committee released the figures from June's Leather Pride Night and the total exceeded $30,000.

Several groups in Seattle, WA raised $3,500 and presented it to the Leather Archives and Museum at that organization's membership meeting in Chicago in May.

In August the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) presented a Leather and the Law Symposium in Los Angeles, CA.

Chris Scanlon was awarded $1,000 but all charges against three GMS/MA defendants were dismissed. Greatly conflicting accounts of the judge's decision were sent out by each party's attorneys.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control board was harassing bars in Southern California. The use of the term "beer bust" had to be stopped in Southern California and each drink had to be paid for separately. No more buffet-style alcohol sales.

665 in Los Angles was hosting men's dungeon nights in Los Angeles, CA.

The First Thunder in the Mountains weekend, July 31 - August 2, in Denver, CO, was a whopping success. Approximately 750 Leatherfolk attended either the workshops and demonstrations, vendor fair, dungeon parties and/or Leather contest.

Consensual SM Does Not Equal Abuse Says Oregon Appeals Court was the result when The Court of Appeals in Oregon issued a ruling on July 15 in a case involving SM activity which has some good language for SM players.  The case was Boldt v. Boldt, Case # 95-DR-0441, CA A 99286.

The first Colors Call Fundraiser for the Leather Archives and Museum in Los Angeles saw more than $1,000 raised.

Golden Gate Guards president Andy Rose became the first person to win the Lexicon Award for Leather Excellence at Daddy's in San Francisco, CA on July 18. The Most Outstanding Leather Man Award was captured by Peter Fiske who served several years as chairman of The 15 Association, The Most Outstanding Leather Woman Award went to Alameda County Leather Corps president Yvonne Driver. A.L. Allen was chosen Most Under-Recognized Leather Supporter Award winner. The Most Outstanding Leather Business Award was taken by the Powerhouse bar. The Most Outstanding Leather Organization Award was won by the Golden Gate Guards.

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom announced that it was conducting a survey to find out more about the types of hate crimes and discrimination in the community.

Play House Studios and Gallery hosted Just Play '98, a weekend of play for women in Baltimore, MD.

From One Community to Another: The Jack Stice Memorial Library Book Drive was conducted from September 25 to October 25. The fledgling Asheville, NC Leather/SM/Fetish community was seeking new and used Leather/SM/Fetish books for the newly-established Jack Stice Memorial Library.

Three open Leathermen ran for political offices on the November ballot. They came from the three largest political parties, but do not come from San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York. John Birch from Chicago ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican; Russ Russell is running for a state office (Lt. Governor in the State of Georgia as  Libertarian; and Kevin Shancady is running for a city office (Denver City Council) as a Democrat.

International Ms Leather 1998 Megan DeJarlais began coordinating the Leatherwomen’s Herstory Project for the Leather Archives and Museum.  "We need your stories — about coming out into Leather, your title year, the year you entered your first (or last) slave contract, the year you became a Mistress.  In short, we want your history!" DeJarlais said.

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom announced that it has received a donation of $5,200 from an ad-hoc group of activists known as the Washington DC SM Activists.

The Leather Archives and Museum, "located in Chicago and serving the world," announced that it was undergoing major changes in nearly every area. The changes were intended increase the outreach of the Leather Archives in the Leather communities of the United States and the world and to make it possible for the organization to weather the persistent stresses of limited space in its rented storefront, limited staff and, predictably, limited money. The central administration of the Colors Project would have to be handled from Chicago.

The Tom of Finland Foundation held its Fourth Annual Erotic Art Weekend in Los Angeles October 16-18. The main event was a two-day Erotic Art Fair at LA Lofts on Saturday and Sunday which had at least 60 erotic artists displaying several mediums of work ranging from pencil illustrations to full-body size sculptures. The Foundation held an open house/mixer for artists, collectors and other interested parties at the three story headquarters in Echo Park. Saturday night featured a fundraising dinner at the Taix Restaurant followed by the large Erotic Art Dance Party at the El Rey Theatre.

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom joined leaders of 30 national policy-oriented sexual minority organizations at the third National Policy Roundtable on September 17-18 in Washington, DC. The Roundtable was sponsored by the Policy Institute, a think tank inside National Gay and Lesbian Task Force dedicated to research, policy analysis and strategy development.

Leather University's Dungeon 301 saw 170 attendees at the Third Annual Fort Lauderdale event which had many improvements over its two previous successful years. Instructors from all over the nation were brought in to share their craft.

A law passed by Congress in October that would keep minors from accessing adult web sites faced its first challenge on November 19 when American Civil Liberties Union attorneys asked in federal district court in Philadelphia for a temporary restraining order to prevent enforcement of the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), sometimes called CDA II. The U.S. Justice Department opposed granting the order.

NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom) board member Mark Frazier announced on October 6, “I will be stepping down this year as president [of NLA-I] and have requested that I be replaced to pursue other opportunities.

Mistress Monica and 665: One Number Short of Hell hosted a pansexual play party and silent auction on Friday night, November 27 to benefit Pantheon of Leather.

The Bullet in North Hollywood, CA hosted Dave Rhodes' Second Annual 49th Birthday Party in December.

The long-awaited expansion of The Cuff bar in Seattle has finally opened to the delight of the Pacific Northwest's Leather community. The expanded area included the Cuff Kitchen restaurant, Cuff Dance: A Man's Club and larger patio area.

A packed house at Harvey’s restaurant celebrated the Third Annual Holiday Leather Brunch and raised $4,000 for the Positive Resource Center in San Francisco.

Books, Publications and Show Biz

Race Bannon's web-based Off Center radio program started.

Leatherwomen III by Laura Antoniou was released.

The South Of Market Bare Chest Calendar was acquired by SMMILE (South of Market Merchants and Individuals Lifestyle Events) in San Francisco, CA.

Black Rose of Washington, DC published The Black Rose Guide to Hosting A Leather Event.

A radio program that includes interviews with some of the Leather/SM/Fetish community's leaders hit the airwaves in Houston and College Station, TX. The local radio program (KPFT fm90.1 Pacifica Nonprofit/ simulcast on KEOS in College Station) was called After Hours: Queer Radio With Attitude.

Shann Carr was the executive producer of an acclaimed TV pilot Out For Laughs.

Boudoir Noir, the Canadian magazine about Leather-fetish-consensual SM lifestyles, folded after 17 issues. Publisher Robert Dante cited the economics of being a small publisher as the main reason for the critically successful five-year-old magazine’s demise.

Internet

www.TheLeatherJournal.com announced that 100 clubs had been linked in the Club Directory section of the web site.

New on the Scene

Leather Leadership Conference, New York, NY; ONYXpearls: Women of Color; RAWW, Los Angeles, CA; Capital City Leather Association (CCLA) Sacramento, CA; Men Of Discipline: DC Chapter, Washington, DC; DV8 retail store opened in New York, NY; The Studio Las Vegas, a retail store targeting electro-stimulation fetishists opened in Las Vegas, NV; District of Columbia SM Activists (DCSMA), Washington, DC; Women's SM/Leather Conference, Women at Amsterdam Leather Pride, Amsterdam, NL

Milestones

40 Years: Oedipus Motorcycle Club, Los Angeles, CA

25 Years: Chuck Renslow's White Party, Chicago, IL

20 Years: Brother Help Thyself, Washington, DC; International Mr. Leather, Chicago, IL; Zeus Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Highwaymen TNT, Washington, DC

15 Years: Avatar Club Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; Olympia XV by Centaur Motorcycle Club of Washington, DC; Leather Pride Night, New York, NY

10 Years: Panther L/L, Atlanta, GA: Masters And slaves Together: San Francisco (MAST), San Francisco, CA; Fantasy Weekend, Omaha, NE; Oklahoma Mr. Leather, TULSA (Tulsa Uniform Leather Seekers Association), Tulsa, OK; Seattle Leather Daddy/Daddy's Boy/Grand Dad, Seattle Men in Leather, Seattle, WA

Five Years: Suncoast Leather Club, Tampa, FL; Damn The Torpedoes run, Knight Hawks of Virgina, Norfolk, VA; Potomac MC, Washington, DC; Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley, San Francisco, CA; Camelot V, Leather Knights, Dallas, TX

Gone, But Not Forgotten

The Lion Regiment voted to disband in Boise, ID.

Houston Leather activist and past NLA: Houston president Mike Geinzer died on January 12.

Mr. BC Drummer 1991 David Miles died at the age of 47 due to AIDS-related illness in St. Paul, MN.

Houston Area Bears president Lyle Barrett passed away suddenly at Park Plaza Hospital in Houston on Tuesday, March 3.

Leonard Dworkin, past board member of The Eulenspiegel Society (TES) and a member of GMS/MA passed away on June 5. He was a cofounder of the New York S/M Activists, a political action organization.

The Tom of Finland Foundation’s newsletter, Dispatch, reported that “erotic Master of the graphite pencil” Olaf Odegaard died on Christmas Day, 1997. Much of his “best known works revolved around the subject matter of devils and satyrs. Perhaps his most famous set of works illustrated The Story of O, a popular book that details the training of a slave.”

The 15 Association member Paul Click died at his home on October 2, 1998 with members of his immediate family at his side. He was a cofounder and the first president of the Golden Gate Peace Officers Association served as a sergeant in the San Francisco Sheriffs Department. Paul was also a member of Chicago Hellfire Club and Delta International.

James Dennis “Jim” Jensen, a leader in the Denver Leather Community, passed away of AIDS related complications at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Denver on November 4.

Jon Grotte,  AKA Nature, from Salt Lake City, UT, originally from Las Vegas passed away November 10 after a heart attack. Nature was very active with the motorcycle clubs, arranged many road trips and fundraisers in the Las Vegas area. His favorite trademark was to pin people with a pink feather.

Ron Pollar held the titles Lord Merlin XVI and Lord Consort IX in the Lords of Leather. Charter member of the Krewe and board member for seven years, was on the New Orleans AIDS Task Force board, New Orleans Alliance of Pride board and  was parade coordinator for many years.

David Jaffrey Wood died on October 26 and was a member of Spearhead in Toronto, Canada from 1984 to 1990 and again from 1997 and served as a behind-the-scenes volunteer. David was the organizer for the AIDS Committee of Toronto computerization project.

Canada's magazine about Leather/Fetish and consensual SM lifestyles, Boudoir Noir, folded.

Donnie Rice, manufacturer of violet wands and a board member of the Los Angeles Leatherfest Committee in 1994 and 1995, was killed while excavating shark remains near Bakersfield, CA in late November.

Clubs

One of the events held during the highly successful Washington State Leather Pride Week at the end of March was Seattle Men in Leather’s (SML) Ninth Anniversary Brunch held at The Cuff. Donatable money raised in 1997 totalled $3,100 and was given to Lambert House. The new steering committee for SML was president John Sedgwick, secretary Marc Mead, treasurer Terry Sutherland; members-at-large Eric Bonesteel, Sheldon Jacobs, Fletcher Kistler and Rick Yarbrough.

The 15 Association honored Peter Fiske at their 18th Anniversary at The Cliff House in San Francisco in February

After 12 years of service to Idaho’s Leather/SM/Fetish community the Lion Regiment voted to disband on March 7 in Boise, ID.

The new officers for the Southeast Conference of Clubs (SECC) were elected at the Spring meeting held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL the weekend of March 27-29. Saber MC hosted the conference in conjunction with their 16th Anniversary celebration. The officers were president Chris Zimmerman, vice president Frank Gerlando, treasurer Cary Bass and sergeant at arms Victor Lipe.

The ONYXpearls: Women of Color was a national group up and running at the beginning of the year. Stacey from New York served as the East Coast coordinator and Elaine M. was the West Coast coordinator.

The Tom of Finland Foundation presented its annual fundraising party, Tom’s Bar, on May 10 at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. An exclusive exhibition of the works of the winners of the Foundation’s Emerging Erotic Art Contest was there.

Black Rose and SigMa joined forces in presenting two workshops on S&M emergencies and legal aspects.

Panther L/L, Atlanta, GA celebrated their landmark Tenth Anniversary with a trip to the Fernbank Museum of Science and Natural History and a Sunday afternoon visit to Six Flags over Georgia.

Members of the Great Lakes Harley Riders of Milwaukee, WI celebrated Harley Davidson 95th Anniversary Celebration.

The SF GDI Club of San Francisco held their 24th Annual Run at the Willows in Guerneville and the theme was It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World.

The Knights of Malta: Yosemite Chapter, Fresno, CA hosted the national convention of all Knights of Malta chapters the weekend with a theme of Hot Sweaty Knights.

The Centaur Motorcycle Club of Washington, DC produced their biennial Olympia XV run over Labor Day Weekend.

The Capital City Leather Association (CCLA) is in its first year in Sacramento, CA, raised several hundred dollars for Christmas toys donated to the University of California at Davis Medical Center Pediatric Ward and held a Mr. Capital City Leather Daddy contest which was won by John Lyon at the end of February.

The Sandia Leather Men and Leather Women produced a successful New Mexico Leatherfest the weekend in Albuquerque, NM.

Over 60 people attended the Victoria Day Run XXIX sponsored by the Border Riders Motorcycle Club the weekend of May 15-18 at the Pine Flats Campground near Ardenvoir, WA.

The Warriors and California Cyclemen Motorcycle Clubs presented their Ninth Annual Joint Weekend Run: Tuned In Tooned Out June 12 - 14 at Camp Wasewagan in the San Bernardino National Forest, CA.

Jason in the Congo” or “Me Tarzan, You Jason!” was the theme for Golden Fleece Run XXVI (GFR), sponsored by the Rocky Mountaineers MC July 2-5.

The Tarheel Leather Club of Greensboro, NC held Stars and Stripes VIII at the Travelodge in Greensboro the weekend of July 3-5.

The Atons of Minneapolis hosted Gopher Broke: Lucky 13 July 17-19. The 1950s: roadhouses, backrooms, motorcycles and James Dean was the theme.

The Alameda County Leather Corps (ACLC) held a successful Leather Weekend: Beyond Leather Dome the weekend of July 31 - August 2 when more than 250 Leatherfolk attended and over $11,000 was raised through several events. The Silver Bell Award for outstanding community service was presented to Den Calkins by Yvonne Driver.

August 7-9 the Camelot V, Leather Knights, Dallas, TX had the honor of hosting a very successful Camelot V with members of Texas MC, Cowtown Leathermen, NLA: Dallas, T-Bears, Inquisition Dallas, NLA: Houston, Houston Area Bears and FIST attending.

Even though the temperatures were near 110 degrees in the San Fernando Valley on Saturday, August 29 it got hotter during Avatar's annual Exploratorium. Exploratorium featured 12 scenes including fisting, whipping, hot wax, flogging an piercing. An estimated 300 Leatherfolk, mostly men, attended at some point in the evening.

GMS/MA club officers were elected in June and they were chairman John Weis, president Philip Williams and treasurer Michael Horowitz were reelected. New officers are vice president Bob Pesce, executive secretary Joe O'Sullivan and membership secretary Andrew Harwin.

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and the National Leather Association’s Portland chapter announced that NLA: Portland has made a $1,000 donation to the NCSF. The money was raised during NLA-Portland’s successful Leather Pride Week.

The Fifth Annual Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley started in San Francisco on Saturday, October 10, wound its way through Yosemite National Park over Tioga Pass, Death Valley to Zabriskie Point, to Bakersfield an d returned via deserted roads through Central Valley and back roads through the coastal mountains.

ONYX, a club for Men of Color in Chicago, held their Third Anniversary Run/Blackout ’98 the weekend of October 9-12 (Columbus Day Weekend) in Chicago. Events included a People of Color Leather Institute, Leather workshops, ONYX and Onyxpearls general meeting, after hours parties, welcome reception, awards dinner and the Blackout Benefit Leather Dance.

San Francisco Leather Daddy Steve Gaynes and Leather Daddy’s Boy David Meyer presented Meet Your Match II at the Eagle Tavern, an event exclusively for Bay Area Internet-connected gay men.

The Oedipus Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles, CA held their 40th Anniversary celebration on October 17 at Nino's Italian Restaurant in Long Beach.

The Defenders/Dignity NY presented Indulgence I, a Benefit Dinner for the Leather Community, on Friday evening, November 20 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY.

Of the many events that Leathermen look forward to on the east coast, Olympia, produced by the Centaur MC of Washington, DC is held every other year, and generally sold out months before the Labor Day weekend that it is held. This year was  no different with over 315 men in attendance, making it the Centaurs' biggest Olympia run to date. The recent Oscar-winning block buster movie Titanic was shown.

Avatar Club Los Angeles installed its new officers on Saturday night, October 10 at the residence of Dave Murdock in Silver Lake with 75 guests in attendance. The new officers were: president Mark Burstein, vice president Dave Murdock, treasurer Scott Gilmer, secretary Jeff Breslaw, members-at-large Drew Wilson, Bob Farrell and Alexei Romanoff. The out going officers were president Brian Wadsworth, vice president Glenn Walker, treasurer Scott Gilmer, secretary Tom Tomcko, members-at-large Gary Lichtenberger, Mark Baranowski and Alexei Romanoff.

Columbus Day weekend, October 9-11, marked the AUA's (American Uniform Association) 21st International Uniform Review in Portland, OR. Review was put together by the board of AUA in conjunction with Andy Mangels and Don Hood.

The California Eagles Motorcycle Club held an overnight run to the Russian River on Saturday, November 14.

Over 450 attended Living in Leather XIII, the National Leather Association: International’s (NLA: I) annual Leather/SM/Fetish conference October 8-11 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dallas, TX. The Crowne Plaza was also host to one of the many U.S. Marine Bands in Dallas for the infamous Texas/OU (Oklahoma University) football game held Sunday at the Cotton Bowl.

Over 1,200 Leatherfolk from around the world flocked to Washington, DC for BR '98 the weekend of October 16-18.  BR '98 was hosted by Black Rose.

More than 150 men and women attended the Defenders/NY Indulgence I, a benefit for the Leather community, on Friday November 20 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Indulgence I featured the presentation of the first Black and Blue New York Awards to David Samuel Menkes and The Long Island Ravens MC.

The Atons of Minneapolis announced their slate of new officers: president Sam Carlisle, vice president Jim Courtney, treasurer, Keith Cheetham secretary Paul Rozendaal.

On December 1, 1998, the Executive Council (EC) of the National Leather Association: International (NLA: I) rescinded the chapter charter for NLA: Portland. This decision was made because the Portland chapter had come out of compliance with its chapter charter by one,  diluting the voting rights of International members within the chapter and two, failing to limit board membership and voting to International members.

A new group, District of Columbia SM Activists (DCSMA), elected a transitional board which included SigMa chair Paul Bohli, vice president of Men Of Discipline Randy Brown, Black rose member Melinda Chateauvert and DCSMA cofounder and past board member of Black Rose Jonathan Krall.

On Halloween Alan and Joee Perryman of Orange County, CA had a bonding/marriage ceremony in Palm Springs, that was a fantasy come true, for Joee. Fantasy/Renaissance was the theme. Joee and Alan met at an OCLA (Orange Coast Leather Assembly) meeting on April 15, 1997.

The three initiated members of the Men of Discipline in San Francisco formally declared themselves an independent, autonomous fraternity to be known as the Men Of Discipline: San Francisco on November 27 and elected the following officers: colonel Stafford Hemmer, Lt.. Colonel Demetri Moshoyannis and major Eddie Whitehurst.