June! It's the season of pride. Time for parades, sunscreen, rainbows, festivals, socializing, and celebrating the advances we've made for social justice and equality, and maybe getting laid too. For us, it was a time to celebrate with our local family.
Denver's celebration spans both Saturday and Sunday, with the parade on Sunday. Saturday we took a turn at the Leather/Kink booth, supporting their first year. At least five local groups pitched in funds to rent the space, and carried literature and information from all groups locally. Den-PAH (Denver Pups and Handlers) had a time slot, as did the Denver boys of Leather. There were other titleholders there as well. Colorado Bootblack Erik joined Luckey and I while we spoke to the crowd and engaged people in friendly dialogue. There were many children present, and they loved the outfits they saw. "Can I have a shirt like that, mommy?" was met by "Maybe when you're older."
For about five years now, the Rocky Mountain Leather Alliance has sponsored a Leather Contingent in the Pride Parade. It started small, with less than twenty people that first year. But by the end of the parade, people had joined us out of the crowd and marched proudly with the leather folks. This year, we had about 60+ people at the start, and right in the middle of it was a bright yellow convertible with me and Luckey sitting in the back.
What a ride! We were probably going to be walking when our original red convertible was not available. That's really not an issue, but it was to our friend Shazzy. She was going to be our driver, and had her heart set on driving us down the parade route. So, she rented a car for the day. Dang, it was bright and pretty and she was a fantastic driver - didn't dump us out once! We were joined by Praxis, International Mr. Olympus Leather, who was in town for the weekend.
My good friend Brad is one of the most knowledgeable non-medical people I know concerning HIV, and one of his favorite sites to share information is The Stigma Project. When he participated in the Mr. Leather Colorado contest, Brad promised to bring a campaign to Denver to raise awareness about HIV and the stigma surrounding the virus. He named his project "Marked for Awareness" and the effort began on Sunday. He brought bright red latex body paint and foam brushes, and painted "+" "-" and "+-" symbols on volunteer's arms, legs, chests backs, foreheads, anywhere we would allow it. Then we walked the parade and spent the rest of the day with the symbols on our bodies. If anyone asked, we could discuss that they are to bring awareness to HIV and the stigma, and we encouraged people to be HIV Neutral in their attitudes. I had the "plus over minus" on my right forearm and my left bicep throughout the day, parade and all, and had several good conversations.
We had a dozen puppies following our car in the parade, with an assortment of hoods, paws, harnesses, squeaky toys, and tails. They barked and howled and enjoyed all the attention, stopping at one point for a water break by the side of the street. The car following them had fun too, because they got to hear all the comments from the people along the entire route
"Isn't that cute?", "Look at them!", "Is that a TAIL?", "OMG, I think it is a tail", "How does it stay?", "Where does it...", "Oh no it doesn't", "I bet it does - look at it move", "oh my!"
The sun was shining and the mood was upbeat along the parade route. There were only a handful of protesters in a couple of places, and the crowd either totally ignored them or carried large signs to block them. Overall, it was humbling to sit in the middle of the attention like that. There was so much love and support. I smiled and waved and made eye contact with so many people on that parade route that I had to take a long quiet lunch afterwards and soak it all in.
We walked through the fair afterwards to visit with friends and watch the people. A short rain cooled things down during lunch, so it was not as hot as previous years. We closed out the day with Beer Bust at the Denver Eagle and then headed home to rest.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
IML
Memorial Day, end of May. This trip was a lesson in patience; a walking meditation in keeping your eyes and heart open.
The universe set out a special set of lessons for us that weekend - many dealt with stress and patience. We had airline issues, baggage issues, hotel issues, relationship issues, time management issues, and more. What was the point? I believe it was to simply stay calm and keep working to move forward. This is not going to be a post to complain about everything that happened to give us stress, but I'm going to acknowledge that things happened, and ultimately, we made it through due to the kindness of our friends and strangers. Was it easy? No. There were moments that truly taxed my hypertension medication. And yet here I am, alive and healthy, a little wiser, and certainly grateful for general human kindness and helpfulness.
International Mr Leather weekend in Chicago is an experience like no other - you can make the weekend anything you want.
We wanted to have fun, reconnect with our friends and family from around the world, meet new people to add to our family, romp with the puppies at Woof Camp!, and enjoy the great opportunities Chicago has to offer. We got to do all those things.
So many of our friends that we've met this year are local or state or regional titleholders on their way to join the brotherhood of the IML competitors. It was wonderful to see them all and encourage them on their journey all year, and it was fantastic to watch them all through the weekend. It takes a special kind of courage to put yourself out there in one of the biggest competitions around. You should all be proud. Congratulations to Andy Cross, Mr. San Francisco Leather, for taking the International Mr. Leather title back home to the city by the bay and to Oil Tan Sam who took the International Mr Bootblack title home to Portland.
Many other friends are vendors at the various shows and events - it's been great to meet them and see how they pour their hearts into their wares. Support your local vendors, my friends. It may be cheaper to order merchandise from overseas, but the quality is superior here. You will get what you pay for. And if you have a problem, it's easier to deal with a human on the spot instead of a machine or service overseas. Support your local businesses!
Many of our friends do not fall under these categories. They are significant others, best friends, or community kinksters. They are wonderful supportive and loving people who make us feel at home no matter where the road takes us. They love puppies and all things puppy. We love them because they always welcome us into their lives and families anywhere we see them, and that makes our family bigger too.
There were so many conversations, so many hugs, meals shared, friendships formed, kindness shared, hot boys tied up, and good times - I could not begin to list them or even give highlights.
If you haven't figured out by now, let me make it clear - IML for me is all about my great big kinky leather family. I love them all, and I am honored to call them my friends and family. Hugs to you all!
The universe set out a special set of lessons for us that weekend - many dealt with stress and patience. We had airline issues, baggage issues, hotel issues, relationship issues, time management issues, and more. What was the point? I believe it was to simply stay calm and keep working to move forward. This is not going to be a post to complain about everything that happened to give us stress, but I'm going to acknowledge that things happened, and ultimately, we made it through due to the kindness of our friends and strangers. Was it easy? No. There were moments that truly taxed my hypertension medication. And yet here I am, alive and healthy, a little wiser, and certainly grateful for general human kindness and helpfulness.
International Mr Leather weekend in Chicago is an experience like no other - you can make the weekend anything you want.
We wanted to have fun, reconnect with our friends and family from around the world, meet new people to add to our family, romp with the puppies at Woof Camp!, and enjoy the great opportunities Chicago has to offer. We got to do all those things.
So many of our friends that we've met this year are local or state or regional titleholders on their way to join the brotherhood of the IML competitors. It was wonderful to see them all and encourage them on their journey all year, and it was fantastic to watch them all through the weekend. It takes a special kind of courage to put yourself out there in one of the biggest competitions around. You should all be proud. Congratulations to Andy Cross, Mr. San Francisco Leather, for taking the International Mr. Leather title back home to the city by the bay and to Oil Tan Sam who took the International Mr Bootblack title home to Portland.
Many other friends are vendors at the various shows and events - it's been great to meet them and see how they pour their hearts into their wares. Support your local vendors, my friends. It may be cheaper to order merchandise from overseas, but the quality is superior here. You will get what you pay for. And if you have a problem, it's easier to deal with a human on the spot instead of a machine or service overseas. Support your local businesses!
Many of our friends do not fall under these categories. They are significant others, best friends, or community kinksters. They are wonderful supportive and loving people who make us feel at home no matter where the road takes us. They love puppies and all things puppy. We love them because they always welcome us into their lives and families anywhere we see them, and that makes our family bigger too.
There were so many conversations, so many hugs, meals shared, friendships formed, kindness shared, hot boys tied up, and good times - I could not begin to list them or even give highlights.
If you haven't figured out by now, let me make it clear - IML for me is all about my great big kinky leather family. I love them all, and I am honored to call them my friends and family. Hugs to you all!
Friday, July 19, 2013
High School Days
If I knew all I know now, would I take that knowledge and go back to high school?
Nope.
I was not happy in high school. There were some serious secrets I was keeping from the world. But that was the early 1980's, and things have changed.
Now there are gay-straight alliances, clubs in high school where people can talk and learn and be themselves and not feel so alone. While it's not a perfect system, it's certainly better than NOTHING, which is what I had growing up in a small town in the bible-thumping south.
So when my friend asked me to come and participate on a panel discussion at a local high school's GSA meeting, I was happy to go.
It was their first attempt, so they invited almost 20 people and hoped that a few would show up. Well, almost everybody showed up - the panelists nearly outnumbered the students.
As a panel, we spanned an age range from 24 through 60+; sporty, academic, engineers, teachers, leatherfolk, drag queens, and parents of grown children too.
We introduced ourselves down the line and told a little piece of our personal stories. Then there were some basic questions that bounced around, and some Q&A from the students. With a panel that size, that was all that could happen in the 90 minutes they scheduled for us. The kids were amazing - they were engaged and respectful. The faculty was supportive and even the principal attended, spoke her full support, and declared no tolerance for bullying.
There were refreshments afterwards, and more visiting among everyone present.
Based on respect and confidentiality, that's about all I'm going to say.
But what really hit me was this - those kids are alive and hopeful and honest about their sexuality. At their age, I was barely living, despondent, and lying to myself and everyone around me. I dated a really sweet girl, but knew it would never go anywhere. I spent my time in church knowing that they would never accept me. I entertained thoughts of dying because it would hurt less than living.
And honestly, if the 2013 me had ever visited the 1984 me, grownup me would scare the crap out of high school me. I don't know if I would have believed that I could be happy, not be alone, find love, be at peace with my Creator, live publicly, and experience such joy. But I am, and I do. And I hope that what we did will inspire those kids to be the best and most amazing humans they can be.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Nope.
I was not happy in high school. There were some serious secrets I was keeping from the world. But that was the early 1980's, and things have changed.
Now there are gay-straight alliances, clubs in high school where people can talk and learn and be themselves and not feel so alone. While it's not a perfect system, it's certainly better than NOTHING, which is what I had growing up in a small town in the bible-thumping south.
So when my friend asked me to come and participate on a panel discussion at a local high school's GSA meeting, I was happy to go.
It was their first attempt, so they invited almost 20 people and hoped that a few would show up. Well, almost everybody showed up - the panelists nearly outnumbered the students.
As a panel, we spanned an age range from 24 through 60+; sporty, academic, engineers, teachers, leatherfolk, drag queens, and parents of grown children too.
We introduced ourselves down the line and told a little piece of our personal stories. Then there were some basic questions that bounced around, and some Q&A from the students. With a panel that size, that was all that could happen in the 90 minutes they scheduled for us. The kids were amazing - they were engaged and respectful. The faculty was supportive and even the principal attended, spoke her full support, and declared no tolerance for bullying.
There were refreshments afterwards, and more visiting among everyone present.
Based on respect and confidentiality, that's about all I'm going to say.
But what really hit me was this - those kids are alive and hopeful and honest about their sexuality. At their age, I was barely living, despondent, and lying to myself and everyone around me. I dated a really sweet girl, but knew it would never go anywhere. I spent my time in church knowing that they would never accept me. I entertained thoughts of dying because it would hurt less than living.
And honestly, if the 2013 me had ever visited the 1984 me, grownup me would scare the crap out of high school me. I don't know if I would have believed that I could be happy, not be alone, find love, be at peace with my Creator, live publicly, and experience such joy. But I am, and I do. And I hope that what we did will inspire those kids to be the best and most amazing humans they can be.
Thank you for the opportunity!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Colorado Leather Weekend
Home at last after three weeks on the road! But not to rest - The Mr. Leather Colorado Foundation weekend of contests is here! During this first weekend of May, we select the new Mr. Leather Colorado, Mr. Colorado Rubber, and Colorado Bootblack titleholders.
I was honored to be able to judge this contest for the second year in a row, and I had the distinct honor of serving as head judge. Luckey served as one of two Talleymasters - the folks who collect the scores from each judge and do all the math and ultimately tell us who won.
Friday night started with a meet & greet at the Denver Wrangler. This is a chance for the contestants to interact with the public and the judges and show off their social skills. For the general public, it's a chance to socialize and meet the contestants. But for the judges - the game is on. We are watching everything the contestants do and how they do it. Social interactions are a major part of being a titleholder, and most of it occurs in a bar setting.
After the night slowed down, it was time to sleep and get ready for the contest on Saturday. Interviews started around 4pm, and we had three contestants for Mr. Leather Co, two contestants for Mr. Colorado Rubber, and one for Colorado Bootblack. The panel of judges were no pushovers - they were local and regional folks, most were titleholders, but all were experienced and had strong views of what kind of person they wanted to send forward to represent Colorado.
There were hard questions asked; emotions were high with some contestants, others were peaceful.
When it was all done, Lonnell took the title of Mr. Leather Colorado, Boy Paul will represent Mr. Colorado Rubber, and Boy Erik will serve as the Colorado Bootblack. Congratulations to all three of these fine men!
Sunday brought us back to the Denver Wrangler for a Victory Beer Bust, which served as both a party to celebrate the winners and a fundraiser towards their travel funds.
I want to thank the panel of judges - Michael, Dayton, Nate, Fox, Treasure, and Marty - it was a pleasure to work with all of you!
Thank you Rocky and Luckey - you kept us all on track and made sure our scores were legible.
And I want to thank the producers of the contest, the Mr. Leather Colorado Foundation, for the opportunity to serve on the panel and for their hard work every year.
There are some pics of the event here!
Now it's time to rest for a few weeks and pack for IML!
I was honored to be able to judge this contest for the second year in a row, and I had the distinct honor of serving as head judge. Luckey served as one of two Talleymasters - the folks who collect the scores from each judge and do all the math and ultimately tell us who won.
Friday night started with a meet & greet at the Denver Wrangler. This is a chance for the contestants to interact with the public and the judges and show off their social skills. For the general public, it's a chance to socialize and meet the contestants. But for the judges - the game is on. We are watching everything the contestants do and how they do it. Social interactions are a major part of being a titleholder, and most of it occurs in a bar setting.
After the night slowed down, it was time to sleep and get ready for the contest on Saturday. Interviews started around 4pm, and we had three contestants for Mr. Leather Co, two contestants for Mr. Colorado Rubber, and one for Colorado Bootblack. The panel of judges were no pushovers - they were local and regional folks, most were titleholders, but all were experienced and had strong views of what kind of person they wanted to send forward to represent Colorado.
There were hard questions asked; emotions were high with some contestants, others were peaceful.
When it was all done, Lonnell took the title of Mr. Leather Colorado, Boy Paul will represent Mr. Colorado Rubber, and Boy Erik will serve as the Colorado Bootblack. Congratulations to all three of these fine men!
Sunday brought us back to the Denver Wrangler for a Victory Beer Bust, which served as both a party to celebrate the winners and a fundraiser towards their travel funds.
I want to thank the panel of judges - Michael, Dayton, Nate, Fox, Treasure, and Marty - it was a pleasure to work with all of you!
Thank you Rocky and Luckey - you kept us all on track and made sure our scores were legible.
And I want to thank the producers of the contest, the Mr. Leather Colorado Foundation, for the opportunity to serve on the panel and for their hard work every year.
There are some pics of the event here!
Now it's time to rest for a few weeks and pack for IML!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
CLAW
It's the third weekend of April and we're heading east again, but northward to Cleveland for the ever-growing Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend (CLAW). There was no contest during the weekend, but it was a puppy bonanza! Classes for an amazing variety of interests (including puppy) held in multiple locations, silent auctions rocked the nights, the vendor mart was large and the selections were wide. It takes an army of volunteers to keep this event running smoothly, and they did an amazing job.
One night offered a puppy obstacle course, complete with an MC to keep the crowd involved and the action moving. I volunteered to handle any pups without handlers so they could participate, because it was a team event. I was paired with a wonderful young pup whose handler/partner was busy volunteering and could not make the event. We had a chat about things and I learned that this was his first time as a puppy outside their house - big step for him! We talked about things and got comfortable with each other, and then he eased into headspace. Once we hit the floor of the agility course, he was ready and romping. He did a great job and we had a fun couple of minutes out in the middle of the room with a whole crowd watching. Later, his partner joined us and we had a friendly visit about how well he did. They were both proud, and they should be.
I was fortunate to spend some time with Boy Matt from New Jersey. This sexy man really helped me balance the needs of my introvert against the stress of the third weekend in a row traveling to larger events. I was worn a bit thin, and sharing time with him helped me recharge my batteries. Thank you Matt!
The second night offered a puppy mosh pit for the pups at CLAW. The attendance vastly outgrew the allocated space, long before it could begin. Wow. They were incredibly under-spaced. The mosh crew did their very best with what they had, and I was pleased that they were able to run and control the pit, but it was super crowded. Hopefully the event organizers will take note and triple or quadruple the space allocated before next year's event. Luckey did not join the mosh - it was impossible to control the snacks with such a large attendance, and his honey allergy makes him vulnerable to far too many things. So he stays alive for now, and we're ok with that.
We saw so many people, so many puppies, talked, visited, took photos, laughed, ate, and bonded. This really is an event that can be about anything you want it to be - so round up a group of your best dozen traveling friends and start planning to attend in 2014!
One night offered a puppy obstacle course, complete with an MC to keep the crowd involved and the action moving. I volunteered to handle any pups without handlers so they could participate, because it was a team event. I was paired with a wonderful young pup whose handler/partner was busy volunteering and could not make the event. We had a chat about things and I learned that this was his first time as a puppy outside their house - big step for him! We talked about things and got comfortable with each other, and then he eased into headspace. Once we hit the floor of the agility course, he was ready and romping. He did a great job and we had a fun couple of minutes out in the middle of the room with a whole crowd watching. Later, his partner joined us and we had a friendly visit about how well he did. They were both proud, and they should be.
I was fortunate to spend some time with Boy Matt from New Jersey. This sexy man really helped me balance the needs of my introvert against the stress of the third weekend in a row traveling to larger events. I was worn a bit thin, and sharing time with him helped me recharge my batteries. Thank you Matt!
The second night offered a puppy mosh pit for the pups at CLAW. The attendance vastly outgrew the allocated space, long before it could begin. Wow. They were incredibly under-spaced. The mosh crew did their very best with what they had, and I was pleased that they were able to run and control the pit, but it was super crowded. Hopefully the event organizers will take note and triple or quadruple the space allocated before next year's event. Luckey did not join the mosh - it was impossible to control the snacks with such a large attendance, and his honey allergy makes him vulnerable to far too many things. So he stays alive for now, and we're ok with that.
We saw so many people, so many puppies, talked, visited, took photos, laughed, ate, and bonded. This really is an event that can be about anything you want it to be - so round up a group of your best dozen traveling friends and start planning to attend in 2014!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
IMsL
From the warmth of the south to the chilly mornings in the city by the bay, three days later we arrived in beautiful San Francisco for the International Ms Leather and International Ms BootBlack contests. Our own local Colorado Bootblack, Foxfire Boots, was competing and we were there to cheer her along.
San Francisco is a wonderful city, and we walked our little legs off from the time we arrived until the time we left. Our friend Shazzy joined us for the weekend for a mini vacation and some shopping. Once we settled into our room, we set off on a mission - boots! Luckey needed a pair that fit him better, and my poor zip-side combat boots are showing their age. I was looking at Corcorans, and Luckey was looking to find something that fits well - he has lean calves, so fitting can be a challenge. Mr. S Leather was a great resource and we had lots of fun there, and followed on with a visit to Stomper's Boots. We finished our day with Shazzy ordering a custom pair of Wesco Boots for herself from Stomper's, Luckey finding a pair of oh-so-gently-used Wesco boots in Stomper's consignment section, and I found a pair of Corcorans at Mr. S. Success!
After a fantastic dinner, we joined our brothers and sisters at the host hotel for a Burlesque/Boylesque show - we had so much fun! There were amazing presentations, costumes, reveals, and people. As men, we were certainly in the minority at the event, and we were treated wonderfully by all the other attendees. There were classes, dungeon times, shopping, and so many wonderful people to socialize with that time flew by all weekend.
And yes - true to form - we ate. Blueberry pancakes in a wonderful diner, next to a tasty Indian restaurant just two blocks from the hotel - they got our business twice. Japanese/Sushi for lunch, tasty dinner - we ate well.
I made the time to sit in on the public interviews for the bootblack title, and enjoyed that very much. Shazzy and Luckey had a blast with the corsets in the vendor mart, and she came home with three new ones. (It was buy two, get one free!) We enjoyed the contest for both nights, and were blown away by so many amazing speeches - I did not envy the judges their job to select only one!
When the scores were tallied, Sarha carried the International Ms Leather title forward to a new year, joined by Bella with the International Ms BootBlack title. Congratulations to them both!
And congratulations to each and every one of the brave individuals who stood up and were willing to put themselves on the line for the opportunity to represent their community. The experience is a learning time for each one, and not always the easiest weekend. It takes guts and heart to stand up, and each one of them should be proud of themselves.
With such fun and so many friends, and some of the best blueberry pancakes I've ever eaten, it was hard to leave San Francisco. But it was time to go home, do laundry, repack, and head out one more time...
San Francisco is a wonderful city, and we walked our little legs off from the time we arrived until the time we left. Our friend Shazzy joined us for the weekend for a mini vacation and some shopping. Once we settled into our room, we set off on a mission - boots! Luckey needed a pair that fit him better, and my poor zip-side combat boots are showing their age. I was looking at Corcorans, and Luckey was looking to find something that fits well - he has lean calves, so fitting can be a challenge. Mr. S Leather was a great resource and we had lots of fun there, and followed on with a visit to Stomper's Boots. We finished our day with Shazzy ordering a custom pair of Wesco Boots for herself from Stomper's, Luckey finding a pair of oh-so-gently-used Wesco boots in Stomper's consignment section, and I found a pair of Corcorans at Mr. S. Success!
After a fantastic dinner, we joined our brothers and sisters at the host hotel for a Burlesque/Boylesque show - we had so much fun! There were amazing presentations, costumes, reveals, and people. As men, we were certainly in the minority at the event, and we were treated wonderfully by all the other attendees. There were classes, dungeon times, shopping, and so many wonderful people to socialize with that time flew by all weekend.
And yes - true to form - we ate. Blueberry pancakes in a wonderful diner, next to a tasty Indian restaurant just two blocks from the hotel - they got our business twice. Japanese/Sushi for lunch, tasty dinner - we ate well.
I made the time to sit in on the public interviews for the bootblack title, and enjoyed that very much. Shazzy and Luckey had a blast with the corsets in the vendor mart, and she came home with three new ones. (It was buy two, get one free!) We enjoyed the contest for both nights, and were blown away by so many amazing speeches - I did not envy the judges their job to select only one!
When the scores were tallied, Sarha carried the International Ms Leather title forward to a new year, joined by Bella with the International Ms BootBlack title. Congratulations to them both!
And congratulations to each and every one of the brave individuals who stood up and were willing to put themselves on the line for the opportunity to represent their community. The experience is a learning time for each one, and not always the easiest weekend. It takes guts and heart to stand up, and each one of them should be proud of themselves.
With such fun and so many friends, and some of the best blueberry pancakes I've ever eaten, it was hard to leave San Francisco. But it was time to go home, do laundry, repack, and head out one more time...
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