The Suit Guy Is A Leather Man - Patrick Grady

By Rodney Burger

In 1997, Patrick Grady was working as the Director of Catering at the Washington Plaza Hotel on Logan Circle in Washington, DC when he learned that a Leather club called the Centaur Motorcycle Club had booked the hotel for their Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. Although born in the small town of Peru, Indiana, Patrick was from a military family whose father was stationed in England and brought him to Europe as a small child on the RMS Queen Elizabeth, so he had seen a thing or two in his life. Plus, he always loved seeing men in boots and uniforms dating back to his years growing up in England. While living in Germany, he discovered that the German soldiers, unlike Americans, were far from prudish and had no problem stripping down and going for a swim. In those pre-internet years, he learned about the world by sneaking into adult bookstores. He moved around a lot and learned a lot too.

Flash Back Gallery

Southwest Leather Conference

The Southwest Leather Conference was held in late January in Phoenix, AZ. It was known as the "Woo Conference" due to its emphasis on spirituality in particular. This photo is of a drumming corps which played at the main events on Friday and Saturday nights in 2011. Southwest Leather Conference included workshops, classes, spiritual meetings and services for a variety of faiths, Southwest Master slave contest, group dinners, cocktail parties, an awesome hospitality suite, a limited vendor mart and huge play parties on Friday and Saturday nights. Scroll down to see all 45 photos.

Flash Back Gallery - Motor Sport Amsterdam's 25th Anniversary

Dave Rhodes' first and only trip so far to Europe brought back many memories including Motor Sport Amsterdam's 25th Anniversary and the ECMC Annual General Meeting European Council of Motorcycle Clubs in the Netherlands. Nearly 2,000 hot men from all over the planet descended on land of Vincent van Gogh for a weekend of revelry and partying. Scroll down for our 33-photo gallery. At the invitation by International Mr. Leather 1993, Henri ten Have,I made the trip.

 Links to all Dave Rhodes' Hump Day posts

Now you can read all of Dave Rhodes' Hump Day news blogs with links to them on this page.

Scroll down to see what you like. They are listed in chronological order with the most recent being at the top.

Flash Back Gallery: Mid Atlantic Leather - 1993 to the present

One of the top Leather club runs is Mid Atlantic Leather Weekend produced by the Centaur Motorcycle Club of Washington, DC. It's main double feature is Leather Cocktails on Saturday nights and the Mr. Mid Atlantic Leather Contest on Sunday afternoons. Big are the vendor market, Saturday and Sunday night dances, club-sponsored parties, announcements of the IML judges, great food at the host Hyatt Regency, tourism and dining in the nation's capital. Oh, and the virtually all-day, all-night lobby crowd, Scroll down to see what photos The Leather Journal has from over the years.

Flash Back Gallery - 1993 March On Washington

Bill Clinton had only been in office a few months before the 1993 March On Washington occurred in the nation's capital. The 1993 March On Washington saw almost 1,000,000 LGBT, friends and allies from all over the United States, its territories and several friendly countries on April 25, 1993. President Clinton was not there, but Hillary was and she delivered a proclamation. Politicians and leaders spoke on The Mall, and Leather made a huge presence, just as it had in the 1987 March On Washington.

Gayle Rubin to be honored at Creating Change Conference

Community leaders Gloria Allen, Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, Javier Hernandez, and Gayle Rubin will all be honored at the 33rd annual Creating Change Conference. Held virtually from January 28-31, the conference will include four plenary sessions, 16 day-long institutes, and 48 workshop and caucus sessions.

Happy Holidays - A look at the last 20 years - Flash Back Gallery

This week I have scoured my photo file of the last 20 years and have come up with about 25 or so gems I think you will like. Most of these are from Southern California with clubs such as Avatar Club Los Angeles' Wreath Auctions and Krampus, Regiment of the Black and Tans with Toast to the Season, Satyrs MC Anniversary parties after Thanksgiving, ONYX Southwest, California B&B Corps with their parties at the Tom of Finland House, San Diego clubs combined party, and the Tom of Finland Foundation's huge bash complete with professional carolers and Muscle-bound Santa Claus.

A King Without A Kingdom

By Rodney Burger

On February 28th I was on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It was a beautiful Friday evening and the bars in Wilton Manors, the popular gayborhood, were hopping. I had enjoyed happy hour at Hunter’s and was having dinner at the Garden Café across the street next to the Eagle Wilton Manors, when I saw Mr. DC Eagle 2020 Justin Sawyers walk by the window. I had been to the Mr. and Ms. DC Eagle 2020 Contest in November and had seen Justin at other events since then. After dinner, I was happy to greet him and several other Leather titleholders who I knew who were also in town and checking out the newest Eagle bar. It was a magical evening that now seems a lifetime ago.