26. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

Leathermen’s Discussion Group is an independent community-based not-for-profit organization that serves the educational needs of men interested in BDSM, fetish, kink and leathersex. Responding to their specific interests and concerns, LDG programs cover the full range of sexuality and community-related topics. The events foster information exchange among participants in a safe and supportive environment.

For more Twisted Links

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20. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

The International Deaf Leather 2008 Philadelphia Contest Weekend will be held on July 17 to 19, 2008

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19. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

It’s pretty cool now that the marriages have begun. And many local retailers are getting in on the act by offering specials to the betrothed. But this is our favorite -

Bells are ringin’…

Free “Mr. S” Wedding Bands! In celebration of gay weddings being legal as of today in California – we’re giving away a pair of Mr. S ‘Wedding Bands’ to any queer couple that shows us they’ve gotten hitched.

Bring in your wedding certificate and we’ll give you a pair of our new welded-steel chainsand padlocks. These are smooth welded links – our way of ‘tying the knot’ for the long haul. Don’t get us wrong, wedding rings are romantic too, but as they say, “When you’re coming
to San Francisco, don’t forget to wear a padlock around your neck… um… flower in your…

um… Ok, fuck it – have fun and we look forward to seeing you all stop by!

For more on marriages

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17. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

It used to be one earned his leathers. There were leather “families” and the old guard had a pretty rigid protocol. Are those days gone? Here’s what you told us -

• The families are still around and quite a few are visible if you know where to find them. Myself, I’m part of a rather large Canadian-based Leather Family that, at points, has extended as far south (and west) as Texas, as far east as Washington DC and Nova Scotia, and as far north as Winnipeg with a number of members in the Greater Toronto Area.

• As Aids took away the older members of the leather community, we lost our teachers and mentors. The young ones wore the uniform, but never were taught the code of ethics. There are pockets of the Old School, but they are few and far between. I miss them. Not only “safe, sane and consensual” but honesty, respect and discretion were part of being a leather man.
• Yep. Replaced by contests and spotlights. The remaining “old guard” leather folk are underground, once again. You pretty much have to be invited in.
• I have several major theories as to why Old Guard seems to have disappeared, or is disappearing and rather than list them and get my head chewed off and spit back out, I’ll simply say this: I believe simply that those Old Guard members who ARE still out there, have just chosen to return to the “underground” if you will. Tired of the onslaught of folks young and old who rally against the protocols the Guard holds near and dear, claim they are outdated and too rigid, etc, as well as fighting the gentrification or assimilation into mainstream and mixed sex (read vanilla and straight crowds), they have chosen to return to the shadows where their lives are not exposed and therefore deemed outdated by the mainstream, and more importantly, subject to the rules of society that say we should all play nice-nice and follow someone else’s rules that has (to borrow a phrase) marched in someone else’s boots. I’d feel a little safe to say also that they are a bit tired of supporting bars that don’t support them in favor of other venues and crowds.
• The loss of an historical perspective on the old guard is the real loss. We need to remember where we came from, and what it meant to us. Respect and trust were the founding principals; we need to instill those attributes in the new guard. Good luck to us all.
• The internet killed the old guard.

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13. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

Recently, a friend stopped by the office the other day.  Looking around - he said, “You have the strangest job . . .”   I somehow managed to end up in the lower depths of Kink.com’s dungeon and I thought “I have the strangest job . . .”.

Stay tuned, that story doesn’t come til later. . .

I moved to SF eight years ago - a wide-eyed boy from the Midwest (well, not really - but just go with it) and now I’m in the bowels of the Armory. Like that wasn’t enough, now I can finally make an honest man out of husbear. The weddings start in 3 days.

Wow, Mom would be so proud. Speaking of proud, all of us at The Complete Bear and The Twisted Bear want to wish you all the best at this momentous time - If you are getting married - Mazal Tov! And to the rest of you - Happy Pride!!

2008 Gay Pride Calendar

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6. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

The New York Leather Weekend is coming-up this fall. Their provocative new ad banner says, “We look forward to having you… Literally!”

This year’s theme is “Return to the Mineshaft,” featuring a multi-media retrospective of the infamous bar and the era that started it all. According to Robert Valin, President of the NYLWleather, the NYC leather community is back in full-force. Was there ever any doubt? Check the zip on your chaps and check it out!

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3. June 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

and other kinky tales . . .

The debut collection of stories from Markus Larsen contains some really creative kink. He mixes a fondness for Mystery Lit with his SM, making the title track one of the more interesting fetish stories to hit the racks for some time. Oddly enough, it’s also the story with the least amount of bump-n-grind. It’s followed by “Dick Strong and the Case of The Missing Slave,” which puts the Queen back in Ellery Queen. And the sex, too.

The remaining stories are solid fantasy reads, with particular imaginative plots in “Surviving Master’s Hell” and “Black Cross New Mexico” being the strongest. Bushy faced leathermen doing dirty things to each other lurk all through “The Sex Club Murders and Other Kinky Tales.” This is good, highly recommended bed-stand reading.

Shop Today

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25. May 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

Photo by Dan Nash for IML, Inc.

GARY IRIZA, MR. IML 2008
MR. PALM SPRINGS LEATHER 2008

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6. May 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

  Mistress of Procurement
 I went to IMsL and all I got was one boot

We are pleased to announce that our very own Mistress of Procurement was a contestant in this year’s International Ms. Leather contest (L to R - Rope, Larry & Liza).

Liza was first runner up to the title.

Congratulations to Hobbit who is the 2008 IMsL titleholder and Cue who is the 2008 International Ms Bootblack. And a very special thank you to one and all who made us feel welcome.

The 22nd Annual International Ms Leather contest and the 10th Anniversary of the International Ms Bootblack contest returned to San Francisco this past weekend.

IMsL can boast being the longest running women’s leather competition. There is no other contest with its history. No women’s contest has continually brought fierce, yet friendly, competition of leather women, educational seminars, one-stop shopping for all kinky needs at the vendors’ space, and, of course, hot play parties around the clock.

. . .and Liza’s fantasy rocked!!

Next, its off to IML - see ya in Chicago! Ask me about the boot . . .

IMsL 2008

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16. April 2008 by The Twisted Bear.

Terrence Higgins Trust has just launched a new website called ‘Hardcell‘ aimed at gay men interested in rough sex, S&M and other other hard core sexual practices. The site combines facts about sexual health and recreational drug use with information about sex acts and rough sex.

This is the first time a sexual health organization has produced such a comprehensive website aimed at men interested in this scene. The site has a section dedicated to sexually transmitted infections including causes, symptoms, treatments and prevention. It also has a section on recreational drugs giving clear information on the effects and risks of drugs from GHB to Viagra. In addition, Hardcell covers issues such as sex ‘addiction’, sexual dysfunction and personal safety.

Will Nutland, Strategic Lead for Health Promotion and Health Improvement at Terrence Higgins Trust said “When we were researching the site we found that men had questions about specific sex scenes but they didn’t know where to get reliable information. The website provides up-front information right through from bondage to S&M. The site not only focuses on the pleasures of hard sex - it looks at the risks of mixing different types of drugs during sex, avoiding trouble during sex, and gives information on where the law currently stands on S&M sex. Hard Cell has been designed for men into S&M and men who are curious about harder sex.”

The website is aimed at gay men who are over 18.

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