From Issue 2.3 - December 1995/January 1996
Several titles changed hands in the past couple of months. In San
Jose, a new title was awarded for the first year, combining the
previous titles of Mr/Ms. San Jose and Mr./Ms. South Bay. The
Mr. South Bay/San Jose sash went to Kevin Roche, who was last year's
Mr. San Jose. The new Ms. South Bay/San Jose is Miranda Von
Stockhausen. In San Francisco, the Mr. SF Bear title was captured by
Michael Yates in a contest at the Lone Star. At the National Leather
Association's Living in Leather conference in October, Stacey (who
apparently does not use a last name) was selected Ms. NLA and David
Hofenbacker of Idaho won Mr. NLA. Further afield, Mr. Leather Europe
(decided by judges) and Mr. Europe Drummer (decided by audience
acclaim) were both won by Antonio Sanchez of Madrid, Spain. Both
contests were held in Amsterdam, as part of a set of events that
included a reception for the leatherfolk in the mayor's office
(probably the only place besides SF where such a thing could
happen!). (Thanks to Mr. Marcus)
No doubt many of you caught the slag of leatherfolk that appeared in an
interview in SF rontiers' so-called "diversity issue" (27
September). David Greer of the national Log Cabin Club (a gay
Republican group) compared leathermen and women -- and our equally
maligned counterparts, the drag queens -- to the KKK. Greer claimed
that "there are certain elements of our community [whose] behavior
need not be civilly protected." He went on to call us "extremists" who
"show contempt for mainstream society." If Greer represents the
mainstream, he's certainly earned our contempt!
Punk bondage gear went under the hammer at Christie's
recently. Early kinky fashions desiged by Vivienne Westwood for Sex
Pistols-era punks went for big bucks to the haute couture
crowd. Bondage shirts (made to resemble straightjackets) were going
for nearly $500, and tartan bondage trousers (with one leg strapped to
the other with a leather thong) were fetching as much as $930. The
sale was scheduled to coincide with an exhibit of "steet fashion" at
the Victoria and Albert Museum. (Thanks to Pat Califia and
Spectator)
Pushing the Limits, a
food drive sponsored by Leatherwomen United and San Jose's own
International Ms. Leather pat baille, will be continuing through
December 31. To help those less fortunate during the holiday season,
call (408) 464-2839.
A recently passed law (AB17, aka Penal Code 313.1(c)(2)) requires full-time guards at newsracks and street vending boxes if they contain materials "harmful to minors." A federal district judge in Los Angeles has ruled that "alternatve magazines are not entitled to first amendment protection because they don't convey a point of view." Bay Area publications such as Spectator and Cuir Underground are directly affected by this law. Publishers face jail time (and most likely a sex offense on their record) for violation of the law. "Harmful to minors" includes any profanity and innuendo (such as "suck," and even tame words like "anal"); nudity (genitalia, female nipples); sex-oriented devices (strap-ons, phallic-looking items in the wrong context); and anything the courts deem "harmful."
A coalition of adult publishers is appealing this unfair ruling in the 9th Circut Court of Appeals in defense of the right to see and publish alternative material. On November 23, a day before AB17 was scheduled to go into effect, the court issued a stay of the preliminary injuction against Spectator. This is good news, but publishers are not off the hook -- an Appeals Court wil wl hear an appeal of this case at a date yet to be determined.
The
censors don't have budget problems -- they're using tax dollars to
tell us what to publish. Contact your California representives and
offer what you can (time, money) to: BTI Legislative Trust Fund, PO
Box 1984, Berkeley, CA 97401-1984. (Thanks to Jay Moyes)
The
Eulenspeigel Society, the oldest existing U.S. pansexual organization,
will celebrate "25 years of loving S&M" with a 3-day event February
16-18 in New York City. The celebration will feature 2 days of
workshops and seminars and 3 nights of play parties. There will also
be fashion shows, a photography exhibit, and a large vendor
area. Workshop topics include branding and tattooing, corsetry,
crossdressing, medical scenes, and SM history. The event will be held
at the Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan (call 1-800-223-8585
for reservations). Registration is $100 in advance or $120 at the door
(less for TES members). For more information call (212) 388-7022, send
email to tes@dorsai.com, or check the TES Web Page.