1989

1989

The Leather Journal

Ron Curtis by David John Beck was the man on the cover of Issue #9 with a chain around his neck. A photo series by David John Beck that had been on display at the One Way bar in Los Angeles was featured. The Leather Journal named Judy Tallwing McCarthey and Shan Carr as Co-Women of the Year and Alan Selby as Man of the Year 1989. Club or Organization of the Year was Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club (RMMC). Immobilized Training was a fantasy story by Chris Andrews of Los Angeles. He had recently been found dead in his own playroom by friends. Marcus Hernandez reported news from San Francisco including the Inter Club Fund's Folsom Follies and the announcement of the upcoming Motorcycle Awards, Mr. San Francisco Leather and International Ms Leather contests. Les Robinson's coverage of the Midwest clubs began. News about Gateway MC, Rodeo Riders, and Conductors LL appeared. Robinson's photos of the Rodeo Riders MC's Rodeo 13 run was the centerspread. Jim Schreier' In Uniform column started.

Paul Hernandez photographed at Mike's Corral in Long Beach by Floyd Ballou appeared on the cover of Issue #10. Feature articles included Wally Sherwood’s Around the Bay column debuted.  Rope Rap by Papa Bear featured chair/rope bondage. NLA: San Diego’s first Leatherfest was the center photo spread.  Floyd Ballou captured several hot action photos of the Los Angeles Gay Rodeo.

Bill Murray, Guy Baldwin, and Mitch Davis by Spike Owens were the covermen on Issue #11. Feature articles included Full coverage of the 1989 International Mr. Leather Contest won by Guy Baldwin of Los Angeles. Les Robinson interviewed IML 1988 Michael Pereyra and Guy Baldwin in this issue. One of the last drawings by Tom of Finland appeared in the form of a display ad on page 3 for the One Way bar in Los Angeles, CA.

Zeus model Scott Answer was again on the cover of Issue #12. "Hot Scott" was in a centerspread in Leather, rubber and torn underwear. Feature articles included coverage of Living In Leather, Fantasy '89 and the Mr. Drummer Contest. Dave Rhodes returned from a three week trip that had him stop in cities on the way to and from Inferno. Wally Sherwood and Eddie Cunningham covered Spearhead's Spearhead in Space run held just outside Toronto, Ontario. Les Robinson covered Corpus Christi MC's Beachhead IV weekend.

Clubs

A four member panel from the Gay Officers Action League addressed GMS/MA's( Gay Male S/M Activists) first meeting of the year. The Cornhaulers L&L club raised $5,824 at the 1988 All Iowa AIDS Benefit in October. The SFGDIs Constantines, and Barbary Coasters took home most of the hardware at the Motorcycle Awards in San Francisco in February at the Motorcycle Awards in San Francisco. Best Rider of the Year was Greg Mills of Warriors MC in Los Angeles and Best Buddy Rider of the Year was the Golden Gate Guards’ Jack Goodall of San Francisco. 4,000 bikers converged on Olympia Washington for the annual Biker Toy Run with toys being given to the Salvation Army for distribution to children. Five clubs met in Chicago to form COSMOS (Confederation Of SM Organizations). They were SigMa, dreizehn, GMS/MA, Chicago Hellfire Club, and Windy City Bondage Club. Somandros held Desert Captive Weekend II in Palm Springs in May with 65 men attending. Ken Lowry was crowned Oedipus Rex LVI in front of 450 people at the annual Oedipus Motorcycle Club Coronation in Los Angeles. The Regiment of the Black and Tans held their annual Spring Maneuvers weekend in Los Angeles. More than 100 men relaxed over Memorial Day Weekend at Oedipus MC’s Grecian Games run. GMSMC of Philadelphia held a candlelight vigil when the AIDS Quilt was there. Dignity, the Catholic gay and lesbian organization started Defenders as an outreach program for the Leather community. The first two chapters were in New York and Tampa. The Firedancers from Dallas held Firedance III; the Rochester Rams held their Hallow-Weenie Crystal Balls XIV run.

Leather Titles

 Rick Orr and Cooper Aaxton were named Mr. and Ms Puget Sound Leather. In San Francisco, CA Susie Shepherd became International Ms Leather 1989. Susie was the third woman in a row from Portland, OR to win the title. Brian Dawson took the Mr. Southern California Drummer title at Probe in Los Angeles.

Guy Baldwin and Jan Lyon became Mr. and Ms NLA at Living In Leather. The Mr. Drummer 1989 Contest was won by Brian Dawson from Huntington Beach, CA at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. This was the beginning of the very active Drummer titleholder.

Mr. Pacific Northwest Drummer was Greg T. Sylvester, Dustin Logan won the Great Plains Mr. Drummer title, Mr. Midwest Drummer was Gregg Lakotta. Winners of the Mr. and Ms Fresno Leather Contest were Ric Lewis and Cory Zamora. William "Taurus" Webster was chosen Mr. San Diego Leather 1990 and Pat Sullivan became Oklahoma Leatherman 1990

News and Politics

Griff’s bar moved from its longtime location across from the KHJ Television Studios to a new location at Melrose and Vermont. The new bar replaced The Zone which only lasted a few months.

The CORE Program (Community Response to AIDS Education) in Los Angeles released a safe sex booklet for clubs and organizations nationwide. Mistress Elizabeth and Master Gilberts of People Exchanging Power appeared on the Geraldo Rivera Show.  Hot Ash announced that their international membership had swelled to 200. The National Leather Association and Safe, Sane, Consensual Adults agreed to a merger and formed a National Advisory Committee that had Judy Tallwing McCarthey of Portland and Jim Richards of Dallas as its cochairs.

The International Mr. Leather 1989 Contest won by Guy Baldwin of Los Angeles. Tony DeBlase presented a Leather Pride flag on stage at IML that became accepted as the identifying symbol for the international Leather community.

New York and San Francisco’s Leather communities were visible in their respective Gay and Lesbian Pride celebrations in June.

Dustin Logan and his lover Bob Ewing from Omaha, NE produced Fantasy '89 in August under a tent on a Iowa corn field near the home of Two Wheelers of Omaha club president Tom Winfield. Fantasy raised over $9,000 for three local Omaha charities.

Living In Leather IV was held at the Portland Memorial Coliseum in October and drew about 450 Leatherfolk from around the country. About 30 workshops and demonstrations educated and titillated those who attended. ORGASM hosted the dungeon party in a 13,000 square foot dungeon. Geoff Mains and Cynthia Slater were given lifetime Achievement honors.

San Francisco's Leather community survived the 1989 Loma Prietta earthquake. Most of the stores and bars received minor damage. Desmodus, Inc, publishers of Drummer Magazine, had major damage that caused them to move locations within a few short months. Several organizations and The Leather Journal formed the "We Love You San Francisco Earthquake Relief Fund" to held those in need. The relief fund raised over $1,500 to help Leather community victims of the earthquake.

The Barn was named Toronto's favorite Leather bar at the JOLD Awards.

Robert E. Sheets gained 10 percent of the popular vote as an openly-gay/leather candidate for the Charlotte, NC city council.

New on the Scene

Gay Male SM Club, Philadelphia, PA; NLA: Portland; NLA: San Diego, CA; Seattle Dungeon Guild, WA; Knights On Iron, San Diego, CA; ORGASM (Oregon Activists in SM), Portland, OR; Loco Ticklers No. 3338; 6/2 Society, San Diego, CA; Rangers, Cleveland, OH; Menamore, Wilmington, NC; SLUG (Southbay Leather Uniform Group), San Jose, CA; LINKS, San Francisco Bay Area; Brotherhood of Pain, Houston, TX; Southern California Leather Coalition, Los Angeles, CA; GFMC/DC, Washington, DC; Motorcity Men in Leather, Detroit, MI; Defenders LL, New York, NY; Defenders LL, Tampa, FL; Men Shaving Men, Vancouver, British Columbia; Trusted Servants, San Francisco, CA; NLA: Dallas; NLA: Denver; NLA: Detroit; Adeptes S-M Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Seattle Men in Leather, Seattle, WA; Silver Dolphins, Corpus Christi, TX

Milestones

35th Anniversary: Satyrs MC, Los Angeles, CA

20th Annual Victoria Run by Border Riders, Seattle, WA

15 Years: Gateway MC, St. Louis, MO, held Show Me XV run; SFGDI’s (San Francisco God Damned Independents), San Francisco, CA; Knights d’ Orleans, New Orleans, LA; Regiment of the Black and Tans, Los Angeles, CA

10 Years: Centurions of Columbus, OH; The 15 Association, San Francisco, CA

Five Years: Motorcyclemen of New Mexico, Albuquerque, Hot Air Run; Boot Camp Saloon, Milwaukee, WI; SigMa, Washington, DC; Fifth Anniversary Run, TWO (Two Wheelers of Omaha), Omaha, NE; Wasatch Leathermen MC, Salt Lake City, UT, host Falcon Flight V; T-Bears of Boston, MA; COPE (Colorado Power Exchange), Denver, CO; Hartford Colts, Hartford, CT

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Mack McKinnon Leather shop owner and community philanthropist of Vancouver, British Columbia; Chris Andrews, Los Angeles, CA.

The Knights Templar, San Francisco, CA disbanded.

California Motor Club of San Francisco after 26 years.

Leather sex symbol Fred Halsted died of a drug overdose on May 9 in Orange County, CA. Fred appeared in El Paso Wrecking Corp., Sextool, A Night At Halsted's among others. He co-owned Halsted's, an LA sex club.

Bob Damron, founder of the Bob Damron’s Handbook, San Francisco, CA died on June 20. Bob founded the San Francisco Eagle bar and the Rendezvous, Febe's, Alley Cat, PS, Church Street Station and others before that.

Erotic video star and director Fred Halsted of Los Angeles committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Community activist and lover of IMsL 1987 Judy Tallwing McCarthey Sashie Hyatt of Portland.

Author of Urban Aboriginals and Gentle Warrior Geoff Mains of San Francisco, CA died due to AIDS-related complication.

Sashie Hyatt died the day after Susie Shepherd won the International Ms Leather Contest. Sashie was a Leather activist and lover of the first International Ms Leather, Judy Tallwing-McCarthey.

Bearisters bar home of the Hartford Colts in Hartford, CT closed.