NIGHTLINES
The great city of New Orleans once again played host to the Pantheon
awards, the controversial Oscar-like presentation of Community Service awards
to the "movers and shakers" of the Leather Community. Congratulations to all the recipients of the pantheon honors and the newly elected Mr. and Ms. Olympus winners.
The most surprising award of the evening went to Mr. Marcus, honoring his many, many achievements over the years as Leatherdom's most influential and beloved columnist. The most memorable moment of the evening came when a slightly handicapped (knee surgery) Billy Lane became 1999's reigning Mr. Saliva!
The most impressive showing, were the people of Atlanta's Sanctuary. This
familial group touched me on all levels, in their display of love and support
for each other as a family - truly inspirational!! When I lived in Atlanta in
1990 there was a fractured community at best. Its growth in the last few years is nothing short of astounding. Keep up the good work Atlanta!
I can't believe we're already into the month of March and the flurry of
contests around the country for International Mr. Leather contestants has
jumped into full gear. Personally I think every title holder should serve out his entire title year before moving from regional to International, sometimes within a matter of months. But hey, what do I know? I can only hope that all future contestants realize the responsibility that comes with a title sash and that its not just about how you look, but how you perform to the higher ideals of the Leather/BDSM community, and no matter how big a Top you are in your personal play, you are a bottom to the community for the entirety of your reign. Let's face it, its about representation and raising funds to further our political and social goals, personal agendas aside.
Pet peeve of the month would happen to be the Internet, the main
communication tool of our existence these days. So much of our information is coming to us through the net and its many Leather related lists. It is
because of these lists that many new generations of our brothers and sisters
in the more rural areas of our country are getting valuable information from the postings of us urbanites. This information is not just sexual in content but political and social as well and its messages are being received in the farthest corners. So it is disturbing that the brutal infighting, political nastiness, and pettiness, not to mention overt racism, is also being disseminated through the net. Preaching diversity and brotherhood is one thing, but many are learning through contrary examples. So the next time you pull your keyboard out to express an opinion, do realize that your postings are reaching hundreds, possibly thousands, of eager new minds that will make their decisions to come out of the rural (and even urban) closet based on what you have to say, and how its being said. The internet has elevated us all to international role models whether we like it or not.
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