On Saturday, September 9 Matt Johnson was named Mr. Powerhouse 2007. He and his partner, Grant, have become friends of mine and hang out at the bar a couple of days a week. In my eyes, Johnson is a perfect choice and represents my brothers and me to a T. On behalf of the men of the Powerhouse, I congratulate Johnson on his recent victory.
What follows, however, is my opinion; I do not speak for the Powerhouse staff or owners.
When I came to San Francisco from the Atlanta leather community four and a half years ago, I was very surprised by some of the differences I noticed in the leather culture of the two cities. It was apparent that San Francisco had responded to the AIDS crisis in a way that was probably superior to that of the East Coast, but there was fallout. We are able to fund many small nonprofits with our events. Many other cities have looked to the Bay Area as a model for fundraising. I must ask however, has the cost of our fundraising gotten too high?
My point is this: over the years the San Francisco leather community in general has developed a pattern of offering access to its events to a stale group of faithful. These events require raffle purchases, silent auctions, and often-funny emcees to pull it all together. A sad truth about this fixation, however, is that younger guys are on a tighter budget and don't want to pull out $20 every hour. Nor do they want to hear a list of numbers announced over and over. I am being hard here, but where is the sex? Can't we have both?
For Leather Pride, I am reminded why I wear leather. It is about what I do, not what I wear. I like to tie boys up. I enjoy hearing the moan that only a sore ass can bring. When I think about our community, I am left considering the players and the titleholders. It is almost as if there are two different camps. Why is this? The leather is a tool to express our twisted desire, not the total sum of our identity.
The truth is I identify as a Kinky Fuck. To say "leather man" doesn't exactly represent me anymore. I am convinced that our tremendous response to financial need has alienated younger players. The constant yammering has sucked much of the sex out of leather.
As you travel, you will notice that the events in Chicago, New York, or even Atlanta have younger guys and a sexy atmosphere. There are demos, sluts tied up, among other twisted delights to gaze upon. We must now use these cities as our model.
One could say that it isn't always about a hard dick. On this I could argue, but I won't. Let's assume there are other important things for our community to address besides my cockÉ Nope, the cock wins. We need sexier events! Can't Lenny Broberg wear a jock strap, or Tony Koester a sleep sack?
To go one step further, with hopes of spurring healthy dialogue, does the word "leather" really represent us anymore? Kink is what binds our tribe. In Europe they are moving to use the word "fetish" for their titleholders; are they right?
Many dirty men are playing in this town. This city still has some of the best sex the United States has to offer. Many of these boys are not wearing leather per se, but they are kinky. Wouldn't adopting a new name like "the kink community" or having a "Mr. San Francisco Fetish" title offer access to a younger generation of players who sadly think the leather part is an outfit? You and I know it is much more than that, but shouldn't we embrace what we do, as opposed to what we wear?
As a final thought, the Internet has thrown our culture a curve ball. It seems to me that after years of frustration, we as a community would have assumed online dating is disappointing and moved on. You cannot get a sense of one's butt hole from a photo. You must taste it and feel it. Same goes for a man; you need a boot-to-boot connection in order to know real attraction. I urge each of you to turn off your computer and leave the house. Cruising is hot, and fundamentally gay. Our community needs you.
Carlton Paul is a contributor to Gloss magazine.