Leatherati

The Leatherman's Protocol Handbook

Since it's release, there's been a great deal of back and forth dialogue (and a fair amount of controversy) in our various communities regarding John D. Weal's The Leatherman’s Protocol Handbook: A Handbook on “Old Guard” Rituals, Traditions and Protocols.

We asked Guy Baldwin, himself an accomplished author and a guy who probably knows where most of the bodies are buried in our community, to review the book for Leatherati.  We were thrilled when he agreed - by his own account this is only the 2nd book review he's ever undertaken.

We have the review in hand and will publish that on Tuesday, January 31st in the afternoon Pacific Time.  It's amazing reading and we can't wait to receive your feedback and comments.

We're also launching our first-ever Leatherati Live Town Hall Meeting following the release of the review.  It's an online, interactive environment where we can all get together to discuss issues from the book and the review.

Don't miss the Leatherati Live Town Hall on Saturday, February 4 at 1 PM PST.  
The event takes place in Leatherati Voices

News to Abuse: Wendell on Kindle - Titleholder Workshop - Mr Bullet Leather 2012

Look who's on Kindle!

Seattle's Daddy Wendell (WA & NW LeatherSIR 2006 and Seattle Leather Daddy 2003) just let us know that he's decided to make the leap into digital publishing with his book Making Leather Gear is now available for the Kindle.

Get yours here 

Daddy Wendell had this to say, "All of the gear in this book can be made without a sewing machine and with a minimal set of tools that fit inside a book bag. If you make your own gear, you can save a considerable amount of money.  A piece of gear that sells for $120 in a leather store would take an hour and $20 worth of leather and hardware to make."

He also indicated that print-on-demand copies will be available in the next few weeks.

Future Titleholder Workshop

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to compete in a leather contest? Are you curious about what leather contests are all about or interested in how to become the next International Mr. or Ms. Leather? The Future Titleholders Workshop is your chance to get answers to some of your questions about leather contests.

The Future Titleholders Workshop will be held at the Atlanta Eagle on Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 5 PM - 7 PM. During this time producers and representatives from most of the major southeast contests will present information about their contest and answer any questions you have about becoming a local, regional, or international leather titleholder.

Producers and representatives from the following major southeast contests will be participating in this workshop:

• Mr. and Ms. Atlanta Eagle
• Mr. and Ms. Georgia Leather Southeast Olympus Leather 
• Southeast LeatherSIR and Leatherboy
• Southeast Community Bootblack
• Mr. Southeast Rubber
• International Transgender
• Southeast LeatherFest

Winners from the above listed local and regional titles often go on to compete at the International level. So come out to the Atlanta Eagle for cocktails and snacks and learn about the various leather contests held here in Atlanta.

Please contact Alan@Southeastlsb.com with any questions regarding this workshop. 

Mr Bullet Leather 2012

Congratulations to the just selected Mr Bullet Leather for 2012, Dave Faunce and to first runner up Paul Brown.  Dave will represent the Bullet Bar during his title year and will go on to compete at Mr LA Leather on March 24, 2012.

More Bullet Bar info at www.bulletbarla.com and on the Mr LA Leather contest at www.lafetishpride.com

 

 

News to Abuse: BLOC - Master/slave Conference - Erotic Books Online

BLOC

Brotherhood of Leathermen of Color (BLOC)

A group based in New York City has formed a working coalition of Leathermen of Color and their friends.  Their alliance seeks to produce and promote social events that will provide relevant experiences, enhance their collective image, and improve their lives as gay leathermen.  

They welcome all who share th at vision!  Monthly Meettings are on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 5-7PM at the NYC Gay Center.

For more info, call 347-766-2562 or www.blocorg.weebly.com. 

Master/slave Conference 2011

MsC 2011 is just around the corner on the Labor Day Weekend in Washington, DC September 2-5, 2011.

Keynote speaker Guy Baldwin will be on hand to open the conference on Friday and then on Saturday night author Race Bannon will keep the dialogue alive with a speech.

You will also have  chance to attend the Northeast Master/slave Contest and well as a fantastic array of educational classes as well as the rich history of the Carter/Johnson Leather Library.

Leatherati bloggers will also be on hand to deliver coverage throughout the weekend.  

More info on the Msc website.

Erotic Book Network

The Erotic Book Network is now online and featuring the entire Pink Flamingo Publications BDSM catalog especially the non-consensual BDSM titles removed from the Pink Flamingo website.

Male Domination, Female Domination, Bondage Fantasies, Erotic Power Exchange, Abduction Tales and Erotic Slave Worlds - from Sizzling Romance to Edgy Extremes!

Consensual BDSM will still appear on the Pink Flamingo Website, plus Spanking and General Erotica titles.

More info at www.eroticbooknetwork.com

 

 

The Book of Kink

The Book of Kink:  Sex Beyond the Missionary Position

I knew it had to happen, someone has discovered that lots and lots of people out there are kinky.  And they're having kinky sex in weird places. 

Now I have to contemplate the antics going on behind all of those oh-so-innocent looking front doors on my street.  <sigh>

From the Author:

The Book of Kink is an entertaining and enlightening look into all things beyond the pale when it comes to sex. Exploring everything from equipment, sex classes, sex parties, and porn to the who, what, where, when, why, and how of kink, it delves into fetishes, turn-ons, role-playing, and how the Internet has put a new spin on kinkiness. It is an X-rated romp through cultural and social history and contemporary mores.

Whether you're appalled to learn that people actually do this or are relieved to find out that you're not the only one, you'll never see sex the same way again.

Check it out after the jump

News to Abuse: Kinky Girls - The Sisters Rock! - If Ya Gotta Have It

Kinky Girls

I guess I'm jaded but when I read a blurb that described the new book Kinky Girls (edited by Miranda Forbes) as "seriously kinky" I jumped right in.  Hmmm...outdoor sex, voyeurism and food sex don't raise the bar very high for me but I'm sure your average kink-o-phile will be satisfyingly titillated.

That said, critic Lucy Felthouse from Blogcritics.org, describes some of the stories in this kinky anthology as "sparklingly brilliant" and that's reason enough to snag a copy for yourself.

Read Lucy's full review after the jump

Get more News to Abuse here

News to Abuse: Eagle LA 5th - A Billion Wicked Thoughts - Gutter Dayz

5 years of hotness!

One of our favorite "leatherazzi" photographers, Jay Lawton of JayPG Photography was on hand for the 5th anniversary blow out at the Eagle Los Angeles.

Check out these super-hot pics.  Especially the ones of the current Eagle LA Mr Leather Joey Lopez with the snake (no, a real one).  Hot!  Note: pics are slightly NSFW due to scantily clad leather men and bondage scenes.

 

Get more News to Abuse

Interview with Jack Fritscher

Author, Historian, Founding SF Editor of Drummer Magazine

Sometimes good things take a while to percolate to the surface, and they're worth the wait!  We interviewed Jack Fritscher in 2009 during the International Leather SIR/boy weekend and had a fantastic conversation with this very fascinating guy.  Then...disaster.  The SD chip melted down (technical term) and we lost the entire interview.  Luckily Jack's partner was recording the recording and produced an archival version that we can now post.

Check it out.  Jack was the founding SF Editor for Drummer magazine and has just released an excellent book, titled, "Gay San Francisco: Eyewitness Drummer".

Teaching Extreme BDSM Play

Master John Weal is a very accomplished BDSM educator and we recently approached him about the issue of teaching extreme BDSM.  There are some factions in our community that think we shouldn't be in the business of educating on topics like hook pulls or breath play.  We asked Master John for his opinion on the topic.

WHY should we teach extreme classes to our lifestyle you ask?  Well if we don’t several things will happen, none of which are positive.  In this time where people are lear  ning things through the Internet and through watching videos, many of these educational venues don’t talk about the techniques or pitfalls behind edge play.  People are getting seriously hurt and even dying because of the lack of education in extreme BDSM.  

First off,  I am a teacher of extreme BDSM and teach everything from blood sports to crucifixion and more, including breath play.  It is my opinion and I've seen others teach simple classes and not be properly educated and teach such things like telling people to use 90 percent isopropyl alcohol instead of 70 percent in fire play.  The difference is night and day.  

My dear friend Lamalani, IMSL 2009,  and I were just talking about a class where someone was teaching fire play and didn’t mention using only cotton thread, string or whatever you need to make the fire wand they used nylon thread and caused burns in a fire class.  Oh my god that teacher should never teach again!  If good teachers are teaching, then extreme BDSM should be taught so everyone can get good correct information.  

Interview with author Steve Lenius

Life, Leather and the Pursuit of Happiness is the title of a new book just out from longtime Lavender Magazine columnist Steve Lenius.  

We caught up with Steve in Chicago at IML and had a chance to talk about the book, leather life in general and what we can expect now that a disabled transman is our new International Mr Leather.

Check it out

 

Leatherfolk: We're (Almost) Everywhere

by Steve Lenius

When the GLBT community says, "We're everywhere," they speak the truth: The 2000 U.S. census counted same-sex couples in 99% of U.S. counties. That was ten years ago; with the 2010 U.S. census now in full swing, I wonder if that number will go all the way to 100%.

Unfortunately, the 2010 U.S. census form doesn't ask any questions about leather/BDSM/fetish interests, so we're left to our own devices as far as determining whether or not leatherfolk are "everywhere." Here's a little exercise I did in 2008 on the topic. This article is included in my forthcoming book, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

We’re (Almost) Everywhere

There was a time when only a few large cities had any sort of organized leather community. But in recent years, with the help of the Internet, leather/BDSM/fetish activities have spread to many smaller cities and towns. It is a measure, I think, of how leather culture has spread over the years that currently some visible degree of leather/BDSM/fetish activity can be found pretty much coast to coast in the U.S. (with one major regional exception).