Last week's ruling by the California Supreme Court upholding Prop 8 has thrown everyone into a tizzy. I've got a lot of mixed feelings myself, and everyone else is pretty confused about what to think and what to do. As a result, a lot of people are making mis-guided moves just because they are frustrated, don't know what to do, but feel they need to do something. Last Friday, Anna Conda and the gang from Charlie Horse decided to march down Polk Street to deliver bags of poop to the Supreme Court building. I marched with them, but kept thinking it was the wrong message. Even if it was the right message, nobody knew about it! The security guard came out and asked me what those little bags were. I didn't want him to call the cops, so I just said it was "gifts". If you're going to do a demonstration, make sure it's the right message directed to the right people AND make sure the media knows about it. Otherwise, you're wasting your time. On Saturday morning we joined a caravan to Fresno for Meet In The Middle. I'm not sure what inspired me to go, and all the while there I questioned why I was there. I also questioned why we showed up as nuns, too. The Chronicle said, "...The stray drag queens who milled about the crowd Saturday were anomalies...", and that's what it felt like. Also on Friday May 29, 2009's "Real Time With Bill Maher" during the segment "New Rules", Maher said, "If you want me to take your stance on gay marriage seriously, don't wear flamboyant, over the top costumes. (Slide of Sister Tragedy Ann of Los Angeles.) That goes for you and you (Slide of Marcy Playground, a slide of a drag queen in short skirt holding a sign that reads, "Mormons have many wives, I just want one."), and you. (Slide of Pope Benedict 16th.) The graphics below read "Disturbin' Outfitters". As much as I hate to admit it, in order to win this for equal rights and marriage equality, the freaks, drag queens, leather guys, and such might have to sit back and let the nice lesbian mommies be in the spotlight. If you're fighting for the right to emulate heterosexuals and assimilate, then that's the image you need to project. On Sunday, the Fresno group also held a leadership conference to discuss strategies. I knew I couldn't sit through that torture, so some of us played tourist in the vacationland known as Fresno. When we showed up at the end, the reports were that the more radical types felt the organizers are trying to keep the fight alive for a couple years to make a career out of it. They are also frustrated that everyone's taking a gentle, kumbayah approach rather than throwing bricks. There were, however, some very good statistics and market research studies presented that tends to support the notion of winning hearts and minds with the "we're just like you" approach. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but for the people who are passionate about assimilation and acceptance, more power to ya. Enjoy the photos from my weekend of protest, including a little retail therapy. Note the paparazzi shots of Charlize Theron and Lance Dustin Black.

I just received another big score from Ebay! Maybe not a big score in terms of volume, but something very collectible. It's a 1956 first edition (or Volume 1) Male Figure Magazine. I can't wait to get this one scanned and added to the website! I've been collecting so many awesome vintage gay porn magazines, I've had to hire an unemployed friend to do the scanning for me. We'll be adding new stuff a little at a time. You'll be blown away! At the same time Bob Mizer was producing Physique Pictorial for his company, Athletic Model Guild, Bruce of LA put out his own magazine, Male Figure. Both magazines worked on the premise that they were "catalogs" of models available for hire by artists and photographers. There was no nudity, because the naughty bits were covered with the essential "posing strap". Though no one has really bothered to connect the dots, Mizer, Bruce and other physique photographers of the day were also working with Bob Weider, the guy who still publishes Muscle and Fitness magazine and produces the big bodybuilding competitions. The photos and magazines were done (and in the case of M&F) with a wink and a nod that they were about beauty, art and appreciation of physical specimens. In reality they were producing porn for gay men in whatever way they could do it legally at the time. To see more of my collection of vintage gay porn, join the Lavender Lounge VIP Room to be treated to 10,000 images from the 1950s to the 1970s.

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Back on September 3, 2008 I made some predictions about Bristol Palin's hunky baby daddy, Levi Johnston. The scenario I wrote didn't turn out exactly as I predicted, but I came pretty damn close. I predicted a quickie shotgun wedding and divorce after two years. In reality, they didn't even make it to the alter. The same day he was to make the monumental appearance at the Republican Convention I predicted this: "He might just decide he likes the spotlight, and once he gets Bristol off his back, a slimey agent gets him on reality shows. That idea flops, and next thing you know, he's on gay porn sites." He did get on Tyra Banks and a slew of talk shows just as I predicted. And now, only eight months later, I find out that Levi Johnston posed shirtless for GQ Magazine! Um, for guys of my generation, GQ and International Male WAS gay porn! I jerked off to GQ plenty of times in my 20's. So what's next for Ex-Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's ex-son-in-law that never was? "Hello, is this Randy Blue (or more likely, Broke Straight Boys)? Are you still looking for models?" And as Perez Hilton said, "Hey, nice guns!" See, I was right, and I'd still hit it.

If the christians succeed in preventing gay marriage, the next step is eliminating the other marriages they don't like. Watch the video.

Why are people so interested in contests and competitions? In the past few weeks, mainstream media was obsessed with the finals of American Idol and the controversy surrounding Miss California (aka The Biggest Loser). Those contests followed closely behind the most drawn-out contest in history, the November 4th elections. And now we're back with the biggest annual contest for gay males, the International Mr. Leather Contest. For those of you who don't know, for the past 31 Memorial Day Weekends, the city of Chicago hosts an entire weekend of events culminating with a contest that awards the title "International Mr. Leather". Other than a sash and a few donated items, the winner receives no new car, no scholarship, no trip to Bermuda, no big fat check. What does he win? A year's worth of work raising money for charity, that's what! Over 50 men competed this year, each having been selected in advance to represent their hometown, region or sponsor. In some cases, they had to win several preliminary contests just to be there. It's a grueling process that weeds out the vapid Carrie Prejeans early on. IML is clearly not a beauty contest, and many guys outside the leather subculture don't understand it when someone that doesn't look like a porn star is chosen as winner.  There were three contestants from San Francisco this time, but I was rooting for Brandon Clark, Mr. SF Leather. He made it to the top 20, was the best looking by far, and gave a rousing speech about Don't Ask Don't Tell from the perspective of being a veteran himself. Even if you closed your eyes and ignored his Tom of Finland physique, it was the only speech that really captivated the audience. From what the audience saw onstage, he should have won. However, there is plenty of judging that happens before they even get to the stage. I've been to a zillion contests in the gay community. Leather contests, drag contests, bear contests, you name it. In 1996 I was flown to North Carolina to judge the Miss Gay America Pageant, not realizing that the pageant system in the southern states is different than we're used to in California. The winner of Miss Gay America is actually winning a paying job for a year. Naturally, when there is money involved, it gets a lot more cut throat. I am more accustomed to pageants like IML, Imperial Court and International Bear Rendezvous where winners use their title to help raise money. Who really needs to fight for the chance to do more work? 

Even though there is less competition between contestants in pageants like IML, the culture around those contests has developed its own competitiveness. It's just a symptom of modern consumer society, but there's not much you can do about it. When the producers build up hype that IML weekend is a sexually charged free-for-all, it's human nature for everyone attending to want to look and dress their best. But is wearing $500 leather chaps really going to guarantee that you get laid? 

If I go to an event like IML and allow myself to be neurotic about what I wear or how many sit-ups I did (or didn't do), then my mind wanders away from the actual contestants to some undefined competitors of my own sitting in the audience or hanging out in the lobby. If the men on stage have nothing tangible to win, what could I possibly hope to "win" competing against guys half my age and twice as athletic? People with a taste for kinky sex seem to be in competition with themselves to reach a higher level of orgasm that humanly possible by incorporating something a little "extra" into their sex play. A toy, a piece of clothing, a particular setting, a role play, an element of danger, a bit of humor, creative expression, etc. all feed a need to go one step further. As consumers we're taught that spending money on a better cock ring, a bigger dildo, or a latex suit will give us better sex. The need for internalized one-upmanship not only leads to unnecessary consumer spending, but often the abuse of drugs / alcohol and risks to bodily harm.  

When leather / kink players talk about "safe and sane" sex, it goes much deeper than choosing a safe word. To me it means staying true to what's right and wrong for your own well-being. If I want new boots, I wear them because I like them, not because I'm hoping to get laid wearing them. If I worried about my gray hair, or my glasses, or my beer gut preventing me from getting universal applause and adoration from every person in the building, I wouldn't be able to function. Not only is there competitiveness within myself to be the biggest, hottest, most attractive guy in the room, but in choosing a potential date for the evening, it's hard to squelch the urge to "shop" for the perfect abs, pecs, and biceps to take home. Well, that guy is cute, but I'll just wait for an even hotter one to come along before I approach him.At this year's International Mr. Leather, I chose to not be neurotic about being in competition with myself or anyone else. Instead, I had fun with my friends, drank in more of the architecture than the vodka, enjoyed the performances, complimented others on their looks and accessories, and prevented myself from falling into the trap of competitiveness. 

Another trick I use to stay sane among a sea of unbelievably handsome men (that want nothing to do with me), is to express myself creatively by taking photos. It keeps me busy and allows me to walk up to guys I've never have the courage to approach without a camera. I not only steal a little bit of their soul, but I am able to share it with others. Getting a VIP Membership to Lavender Lounge is not just a way to satisfy your own selfish indulgence to enhance your masturbation fantasies. Joining the Lavender Lounge VIP Room indirectly supports the good work done by the leather contestants featured in my photos, and improves my self-esteem by validating the work I do. Supporting Lavender Lounge is doing god's work! Join Now!

A winner was announced at the International Mr. Leather last night (upper left). I forgot his name and his city, I was rooting for my homeboy Brandon Clark (upper right), and everyone else just kinda blended together. I'll find out more details later, but I gonna catch a plane. The entertainment at the contest was disco diva Linda Clifford ("If They Could See Me Now") and the reincarnation of Madame the puppet. By sheer luck I got the best seat in the house - dead center second row, so I have some awesome pictures! I will have a complete set of over 1,400 photos from IML and the Grabby Awards sometime on Tuesday in the Lavender Lounge VIP Room. Join Now!

Last night was the Grabby Awards in Chicago. It's always a fun event with a lot of emphasis on it being a fan event rather than an industry-only event. I'm having such a great time here in Chicago with the International Mr. Leather events and the surrounding festivities, I just wanted to take a second to show some of my pictures and give you the results of the awards. Then I getting back to the job of having fun! Short tidbits from last night's Grabby Awards 2009. -Chi Chi was skinny. -Diesel Washington's Mom was there. (see photo below)
-Someone came out with a puppet and told jokes that might not have been racist, but sounded racist. -Cutest porn star couples: The Jarics (Falcon), Vinnie D'Angelo and Logan McCree, Steve Cruz and Bruno Bond.  -Raging Stallion's "Drifter" was big. Logan McCree wrote it and met Vinnie D'Angelo on the set. They fell in love and have been together ever since. Yesterday was their one year anniversary. The first time they had sex together was in that movie. -A Randy Blue model was chosen as a trophy boy. It was the first time a non-DVD producing studio was acknowledged that way. -People were twittering like mad. One model was twittering while on stage. I checked my email as I left the building and the results of the awards were all ready emailed out by JC Adams before I even got a cab. -I refuse to acknowledge that "twittering" is actually a verb. The complete list of winners is after the jump. Check back on Tuesday to see all my pictures from the Grabby Awards and IML in the Lavender Lounge VIP Room.

I got an "urgent" email from a magazine in Sweden this morning. A Swedish friend living in Germany referred the magazine to me because they needed a vintage photo of two guys having sex. I grabbed some magazines from my collection of vintage gay porn and scanned a couple pages for them. Then I thought, what the hell, I'll put them on my blog, too! The two on top are pretty obviously from the 1970's and the pages on the bottom are probably from the 1960's. With no copyright information, it's hard to tell exactly, but 70's clothing and hair styles are pretty unmistakable.  I hope you enjoy these samples of vintage gay porn from the 1960's and 1970's! I enjoy collecting them and some of this stuff is brilliant. I've already got 10,000 vintage photos inside the Lavender Lounge VIP Room, and I have a stack of magazines yet to be scanned that is over 3 feet high! Last night I gave a friend a big stack of magazines to start scanning for me, that way it will get done faster. Get your VIP Membership NOW before the prices go up! And along with my vintage porn magazine collection, there's my collection of vintage gay porn movies on 8mm film. Along with collecting movies, when I see an interesting old movie projector, I buy them, too. Yesterday I made a major score from Out Of The Closet thrift store. I found an old 16mm projector in a wooden carrying case lined with velvet. It's a beautiful Art Deco art piece made out of steel and chrome. Turns out it's a Kodak "Kodascope Model B" from around 1927! The bulb lights up, and motor kinda chugs along, but it doesn't quite have enough umph move film through it. Let's just say it moves like an 82 year old. I am going to be adding more and more clips from my collection of vintage gay porn movies as soon as the new version of the site launches, so stay tuned.

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VINTAGE GAY PORN MOVIES: ONLINE - ON DVD

I dug around and found my photos from the one and only time I attended IML, which was way back in 2005. I sorted out the bad shots, cropped, color-corrected and re-loaded them to the Lavender Lounge VIP Room. Getting rid of the bad shots makes all of them look so much better. Plus, they are now in a larger size. Become a VIP Member of Lavender Lounge to see my photos from IML and Grabby Awards 2005, and by next week, I'll have brand new shots from 2009. Wow, four years was a long time ago! I barely remember all that happened over that weekend in Chicago. I remember the theaters for the leather contest and the Grabby Awards were so big that I had trouble getting good shots. I was constantly fighting people's heads in the way or the distance was just too far for the flash. At the International Mr. Leather finals, I did get placed in the press section, but they made us stay in our seats and we couldn't go up near the stage. I did the best I could, and after tweaking the pictures today, they finally look good. The highlight of the finals was the performance by Judy Tenuda: "How do you turn a fruit into a vegetable? Put him onstage with a white tiger!"

Oh, Juuuuudy! That was bad!

The Grabbys in 2005 is a fuzzy memory these days, too. I remember Chi Chi and Honey West did some funny little skits, I remember sitting with porn star couple Drew Warner and Troy Punk (that relationship didn't last long...), I remember Frederick Ford sang, and I remember getting a bear hug from Zack Spears (I'll NEVER forget that!)

Otherwise, I had to do a search of old blog items to refresh some memories. According to my old blog records, Lavender Lounge ranked at the top of Google right behind IML's and Grabby's own websites. (Oh, the good old days!) And hey, according to my diary (blog) I got laid in Chicago that weekend! Woo Hoo!

IML 2005 Day One - IML 2005 Day Two

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I am going to the big festivities in Chicago this weekend for International Mr. Leather (IML) and the Grabby Awards. The last time I went was back in 2005, so it's time I returned to the big cowhide circuit party. I will be getting press passes to shoot pictures for Lavender Lounge, Carnal Nation and AVN. The GOOD shots will be saved for the Lavender Lounge VIP Members, so go ahead and get your membership now. (I'm planning to raise the prices soon.)

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