I am a very lucky woman. Both my employers know and are supportive. My family all know. My brother and his wife participated in my fantasy scene for my leather competition. I've taught my brother how to beat his wife, my sister and sister-in-law how to tie up their husbands and have now been helping my mother on her path. I took her to her first two play parties just this year. (I hard limit at my dad, who also hard limits on more information than” I’m teaching in this state.”) It was also important for them to know so I could make contingency plans for my Boy should anything happen to me.
After my divorce, I made a decision to not live in the closet. This does not mean I will shove who I am in people's faces but I will also not hide who I am. Like all things leather and otherwise, there is such a thing as time and place.
Lady Justice: Now let’s go deep inside you…what qualities about yourself do you like the most? The least?
Coral: I love being able to take charge and get things done. I love being able to help people through really difficult times in their lives.
Sometimes though I know I am gentle like train and subtle like moose.
Lady Justice: If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? And if you could change anything about others, what would it be?
Coral: I have one thing and only one thing I am self conscious about physically. I really would love better teeth. Mentally I wish I could pick up languages. I would love to be able to read more and talk to more people.
As far as others I wish I could change the education that they have received. I think people would benefit from a broader range of perspectives and options including other ways to learn.
Lady Justice: What is the last book you read that deals with leather and the last book you read that is a non-leather topic? Why did you choose those books?
Coral: I honestly cannot remember the last one I read, but in my hands right now is a gifted copy of Guy Baldwin’s “Ties that Bind”. I’m looking forward to reading it. I tend to read books that pass on like leathers. I like the tradition of transitory education.
The last non-leather topic book was “The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher” by David and Ruth Ellwand. It is a beautifully rendered photo book that leapt off the book shelf at me and my lovely Raven bought as a gift. I am currently reading “Inkdeath” by Cornelia Funke because I love her world.
Lady Justice: I think you have more…. You’re holding back… Tell me more about your lifestyle in the BDSM leather world. What are you into? And, what’s the one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet?
Coral: My spiritual calling is in hooks. I love to throw flesh hooks in people for energy pulls, hangs, art, catharsis... They sing to me. Needles, scalpels, sutures, cauterizing pens, these are wonderful tools to do my work with.
My love is throwing rope artistically. I'm not into suspension; I enjoy partials and floor work. I love playing with eels. My sadistic bastard side LOVES pressure points, punching, and body impact play. I adore boot and leather worship.
I take pride in looking great, not necessarily in traditional fetish gear. I love humor in play. Laughing is hot.
As for unfulfilled desires, I haven't facilitated a tandem hook suspension. The right people and circumstances have not presented themselves.
Lady Justice (rubbing my leather gloved finger against Coral’s quivering lips): I bet a wonton bitch like you advertises. When you flag, which colors do you wear? Do you wear them on the left or the right?
Coral: The only flags I wear regularly are a square of cloth from my Wonder Woman skirt and black and white. The side depends on the night.
Lady Justice: Tell me your deepest darkest leather fantasy….NOW.
Coral: I'm dressed in a classic 1940's style dress with perfect accessories. My boy is in pinstripe trousers, fedora and wingtips. We walk into a room filled with diverse kinks and costumes, body types and sexualities...and no one is bitching about anyone else.
Lady Justice: Do you have a dungeon or play space…a secret lair? If you do, tell us about it. If you don’t, tell us how you would design your dungeon.
Coral: I live in a BIG house filled with many kinky people and we have a Dungeon of Doom! (Which is also sometimes a laundry room and wine cellar.) It has 2 separate rooms with windows for voyeurs. Tie points and spanking benches abound, genitorture chair, sling in a dark recess, ladder in the corner, and a long cage with a padded top. This last is conveniently the perfect height for massage.
If I designed my own dungeon it would be above ground with higher ceilings for hook hangs and some of Barak's (www.adventuresinsexuality.org ) furniture. I favor natural light and natural woods.
Lady Justice: What has been your biggest obstacle to overcome as a leatherwoman?
Coral: The craziest thing of all was that I had no obstacles until I became a titleholder. Then I came upon major prejudice for being a woman, a switch, and was actually approached aggressively because "No straight woman should wear a leather title". I'm Bi, but because I own a bio/sis male I must be straight. So my greatest obstacle was and is other people’s perceptions of who belongs in the leather world.
Lady Justice: Do you remember your first time in a leather bar and what was memorable about it?
Coral: I don't remember much of it, except it was the Portland Eagle about 7 years ago when they were still on Burnside. I remember very large men surrounding me, declaring they were Bears, that I was a Mama Bear and buying me a drink. I was so confused. 2 years later I got pinned in the bar by them but had no idea of the significance. I love Bears.
Lady Justice: Let’s pretend that you’re placing a 35 word personal ad in the column. How would it read?
Coral: Dominant Owner looking for passionate Girl. Has magnificent Boy. Must enjoy food, music, art and social activities. Prefers sexually aggressive, service oriented, computer savvy, masochist who can handle their own life with or without me!
Lady Justice: You’ve had a few easy questions, now it’s going to get a bit tricky. What do you think our community needs to successfully move into the future?
Coral: Political awareness is one thing that I find in individuals and not communities. We need to allow for change and restructuring in our world knowing that in another decade it will change yet again. We need to tell our battle stories, our forefathers battle stories and we need to be heard with an aware heart. The new generation needs to tell us their battle stories, hopes and dreams and be heard with extended hands.
Lady Justice: You’ve been a good girl, what is your fondest memory while you were wearing leather over the years?
Coral: OK, true story, here it is:
I had just won my title. Ben, my sash husband, and I were leaving the Embers club to go to 3 different celebration events. We had taken separate cars. I am walking towards mine when I realize that it is blocked off by many cops and cop cars. Sadness. Meanwhile, I am obligated by contract to go these events.
I am head to toe leather, boots, pants, vest, gloves and a huge sash proclaiming Ms. Oregon State Leather. Everyone around me asked what I was going to do. I walked right up to the police and asked what was going on. Three officers at the same time tilted their heads, read my sash and asked if the contest had been tonight? I was stunned. Then they started telling me about their favorite places to get leathers, wanted hugs and asked if I could come back in fifteen minutes and I could have my car. Congratulations were had and I was on my way. I love Portland.
Lady Justice: Tell me more about any of your new endeavors. Perhaps they’ll happen if I let you out of my clutches!
Coral: In the Leather world I will be co-emceeing the NW Master slave competition in San Jose, CA ( www.northwestleathercelebration.com ) and teaching at both Sash Bash ( www.nwsashbash.org )and Kinkfest ( www.kinkfest.org )in Portland, OR. I am trying to arrange some classes in the SF Bay area and maybe some in the Northeast. I would love to teach in the Midwest again. I am writing and creating various art pieces for both BDSM and vanilla worlds. I would love to find people to collaborate with on a project featuring femme male and female bootblacks.
Lady Justice: Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?
Coral: Ummm….
Lady Justice: Anything at all?
Coral: I’m allergic to cilantro and tofu. They make me sad inside.
Lady Justice: Dear Coral, where can we find you online? Do you have e-mail, business information, or a web site you’d like to share with us?
Coral: I do not have a website yet. I loathe computers. However I can be happily reached via email at msoregonleather2007@yahoo.com. My livejournal is Oceanoracle.
Interview with David Dean
Lady Justice: Who are you?
David: I am a boy at heart and a man with values, integrity and compassion. I am fiercely loyal and fair with a slight devil streak that makes the boy in me quite interesting. I am adopted and understand the value of family and treasure friends over anything else.
Lady Justice: When did you first realize you were interested in leather BDSM/fetish? And how?
David: Like most boys my first interest in leather arose from a book I bought in Washington DC about Tom of Finland. I attended several leather bars/clubs but mainly because I wasn't a good dancer but a good cruiser. After college, I pursued the fetish community more actively. It wasn't until 2005 that I decided to venture into a commitment of being a boy. Since I came from a very regimented household the values and basis for being a boy were second-nature. I was a voracious reader and from those experiences I decided to commit myself to the leather lifestyle and fetish code of conduct.
Lady Justice: What are your hobbies?
David: I collect Mc Coy, Weller and Roseville pottery and write poetry.
Lady Justice: What is your favorite quote?
David: "Failure is not an option."
Lady Justice: How long have you been involved in the leather community?
David: Actively, for three years.
Lady Justice: Do you feel there is anything vital missing from today's leather community?
David: A sense of history; where we came from and the champions who forged the path of acceptance and change. Once we know where we came from we can openly and positively advance and chart a course that is rooted in deep traditions and open-mindedness about the future.
Lady Justice: What is your definition of a "leathermen?" What are his responsibilities?
David: A leatherman is a man who wears his pride both inside and out, someone who is NOT afraid to challenge conventional wisdom but respectful of those who have come before him; a man who gives without condition and accepts the responsibility of passing to the next generation without condition or prejudice.
Lady Justice: Which roles in the Leather BDSM lifestyle do you fit? How do the following words compare to you; Master, slave, dominant, submissive, sadist, masochist, Daddy, ect...?
David: My inner nature is a boy, playful, innocent and open to many new ideas and experiences. My role in the leather/fetish community is 50/50. I can be a dominant Top and aggressive/playful bottom and inter-switch on the turn of a dime. As I get older and become more comfortable in my own being and as a title holder, I'm finding the role of Daddy quite appealing. It’s a position of nurturer and provider without being enabling and demanding. I appreciate all roles to a certain degree and respect them as means of expression and communication but my journey is more focused on the playful and adventuresome nature of interaction.
Lady Justice: What keeps you passionate about the leather community?
David: The many different people I meet at the bars/clubs, leather events and online acquaintances.
Lady Justice: What organizations do you belong? Are you an officer of any of these groups?
David: TRLC- Three Rivers Leather Club [2 years] and do not currently hold an officer position.
Lady Justice: Please tell us about your recent experience with the Mr. Pittsburgh Eagle Leather contest? What made you decide to compete for a leather title?
David: My journey to title holder was not the usual route I would suggest. I originally thought about entering only to gain some experience for future contests. I watched enough contests to understand the mechanics but wanted the real experience to hewn my public speaking fears. The contest forced me to put myself out there in a way I've never been comfortable doing before and required me to dig down deep and prove that thru pressure I could deliver. As the contest grew closer I thought the title would help me advance several pet causes i felt deeply about and would give me a greater platform to advance them.
Lady Justice: What is your platform in your role as a titleholder?
David: My platform is three tiered; Club, History and Brotherhood. First is to focus on developing and supporting my home club by creating events for members-only and encouraging new blood to join and bring a fresh perspective to the community. Second is History. I want to design and execute a video and book about the tri-state leather community's history so we have an oral and written tradition for future generations. Three is brotherhood. I took a compass and put it squarely on Pittsburgh and drew a circle of brotherhood from a 5 hour radius...and from that radius came my idea to visit as many clubs in the area as possible and support them in any way I can.
Lady Justice: What do you look forward to as a new titleholder?
David: (I look forward to) meeting as many leather-folk as possible and forging lifelong bonds with many of them. I also want to be a positive role-model for new members and advance the causes I have outlined above.
Lady Justice: What are you most afraid of in being a titleholder?
David: Stretching myself too thin and doing my will and not that of the community. I always say the motto "service before self" and from that comes my support.
Lady Justice: Have you ever conducted a leather workshop? What was the topic? If you were to teach more leather workshops, what topics would you teach?
David: Yes, I have conducted two "leather-fetish" workshops on bondage play involving rope. These workshops were tied to my Fetish Fridays at the Pittsburgh Eagle. I am planning to teach several workshops on how-to-compete in a contest, how-to-negotiate play as a first time player, and how-to-maintain your gear for long term use.
Lady Justice: Who do you admire in the community? And, is there anyone in it you'd like to be for 24 hours and why?
David: Hmmm....Chuck Renslow, Mama, and Master Marcus...each one has contributed immensely to the leather community and to its history as well. Many, many more could and should be added to my list. Each has challenged us to a higher calling and provided us with a rich sense of family, community and respect. But of them all I would choose to be Mama for 24 hours...because she transcends all the leather groups and has created a bond and community that embraces divergent personalities and experiences. To give voice to those who have no voice is a gift beyond compare.
Lady Justice: What is your stance on "Old Guard" vs. "New Guard" leather protocols and rules?
David: Being the product of "Old Guard" and a keeper of history I am respectful of where we came from and hold those values dear but I also realize that groups evolve over time and change. This change is not always negative and I see the collective forces of both old and new coming together to forge a respectful direction that will take us into the 21st century. A direction that acknowledges the history and past and but recognizes that out of history can come even greater possibilities. Not to acknowledge either group is both destructive and divisive.
Lady Justice: Do others outside the leather community know you're into leather? If so, has that created any difficulty?
David: Yes, everyone who knows me and my place of employment know that I am a leatherman and title-holder, too. It has actually helped my professional-personal life in ways I never imagined.
Lady Justice: What qualities about yourself do you like the most? The least?
David: The qualities I like the most about myself are my ability to be compassionate and empathetic toward others, hard worker and focused, and respectful to a fault. The least? Impatience and setting the bar too high.
Lady Justice: If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? And if you could change anything about others, what would it be?
David: What I'd change I'm changing as we speak. I'm learning to be more confident and more assertive about what I want and how I carry myself. As for others, I've found that when I focus on myself and worry about my side of the street, the personalities and quirks of others don't seem as important or pressing.
Lady Justice: If you had to create and perform a leather fantasy for an audience, what would it be? What music would you use?
David: My fantasy would be about the set-up, stalking and capture of me by a bondage/whip Master. Strapping me to a table, and then to a cross and then over his knees to the music from Depeche Mode "Violator."
Lady Justice: What is the last book you read that deals with leather and the last book you read that is a non-leather topic? Why did you choose these books?
David: The first "leather-oriented" books were Guy Baldwin's "How To Compete for a Leather Contest" and "The History of IML" - given to me at last years' IML. The first book was given to me as a present from my best friend who thought it would add some additional insight from a pioneer in the leather community and the second was an neat look at the selection and history of IML. The last non-leather book I read was "The Scarlett Letter"-always a classic and really encourages me to take a stand even in the face of overwhelming pressure and social convention.
Lady Justice: When you flag, which colors do you wear? Do you wear them on the left or right?
David: Grey/ black either left or right, depending on my mood-or catch...and yellow…always, right! I'm starting red with some training on the right.
Lady Justice: Do you remember your first time in a leather bar and what was memorable about it?
David: The Pittsburgh Trucking Company. It was my first foray into gay life and the first bar I ever went into. I can still remember the small leather store, the main room bar with two pool tables to the side and the industrial warehouse-like garage doors that opened in the Summer....I met some of the hottest men at that bar. It was quiet, secluded and kind of forbidden....much like my play scenarios!
Lady Justice: Lets pretend that you are placing a 35 word personal ad in the column. How would it read?
David: Mind over matter, substance over style, athletic gay son seeks enigmatic Daddy for the journey of a lifetime. Roles are interchangeable, love is not. Clean body, dirty mind, and the difference to know fantasy from reality. Sorry…that’s 36 words....Daddy can punish me later.
Lady Justice: What do you think our community needs to successfully move into the future?
David: We need alternatives to online dating/cruising, affordable leather events and gear, and acceptance of all fetishes as worthy and brothers and sisters. If not, we could find ourselves marginalized and depleted of ranks by the successive generations that find labels and confines unacceptable and prohibitive cost of owning gear too expensive.
Lady Justice: Would you like to tell us more about any of your new endeavors?
David: My most recent endeavor has been to re-create the Pittsburgh Eagle as another leather-fetish bar in Pittsburgh. With the support of the owner and staff and Three Rivers Leather Club I have hosted FETISH FRIDAYS as a way of encouraging diverse fetish players to come out and socialize and share whatever fetish tickles their fancy. My second endeavor has been to organize and catalog the voices that will contribute to my leather documentary.
Lady Justice: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
David: Please support the bars, clubs and organizations that have supported us in the past. A community that forgets where it came from is lost. The internet is a great supplement but never a substitute for one-on-one interaction....Give your mouse a vacation!
Lady Justice: Where can we find you online? Do you have email, business information or a web site you'd like to share with us?
David: You can find me mainly on RECON ( www.worldleathermen.com/titanmuscle ). That profile is the most detailed and exhaustive account of who and what I am.
My email is mrpittsburgh2009@yahoo.com and very soon I will have a blog online for guys to send thoughts, history insights and volunteer opportunities for 2009.
What’s a Lady, or any snowed-in and getting-over-a-cold leather perv for that matter, to do on a day when the temperature only rises to a mere 11 degrees?
We utilize technology.
Those of you that know me know I am not a fan of the cyber experience and that I prefer a flesh and blood, real life connection. But, one can only watch so many episodes of Absolutely Fabulous on You Tube.
This week’s column isn’t an interview. It is the written thoughts of a young submissive and his experience that day. It served as a reminder to me, to honor a promise to myself. My New Year’s resolution, and I’m going to keep this one, is to play as hard as I work. And a reminder that all of us should be having as much safe, leather sex as possible!
It’s easy to get so immersed in fundraising, networking, titles, clubs, groups, and event organization often we forget that we are who were are because it gets us off. So, join me this year in an effort to more thoroughly balance work and play and to celebrate our leather sexuality.
Enjoy.
11:52AM
Ecstasy.
Having been given your permission to look at them, I felt ecstatic as I gazed into your eyes in your pictures. I found myself admiring them, the sparkle in them shining through everything else.
I lay back grasping my manhood swollen with lust for you. I stroke myself gently, but firm enough to not make me go over the edge, my tip glistening with the beginnings of my seed. I caress myself imagining it is your hands touching me, your soft hands firm as they wrap around…stroking me. I imagine you whispering into my ear torturing me, erotically mind fucking me into oblivion. Pretending your hand is in it, I take my soft leather glove and start awakening my body with it, not touching my manhood for fear of staining the leather.
As I hear your voice through my speakers, my cock engorges itself feeling as though it’s swollen even larger than ever before. Your voice honey through the technology as I caress my body looking into my webcam wishing I was in your presence. As it starts to get close to the halfway mark I ask you for permission to put on my collar, its feel around my neck a loving embrace. I imagine that I am there and you are the one attaching my collar around my neck, then pulling me to you by the ring and attaching a small lock to the back of my collar marking me for at least the few precious minutes I’m with you in your care. Thinking about you attaching my collar puts me further at ease. I feel a wave of love flow through me comforting me and letting me know I shall not be hurt.
Pulling down upon my ball sack, I take one hand and using one finger rub up and down right under the head caressing the vein imagining that perhaps it could be your tongue teasing me and testing my endurance further… fueling me to prove my worthiness to you. My desires and fantasies pump through my mind imagining what it would be like to serve you, wondering if you could be what I’ve been searching for. Even more erotic fantasies soar through my mind; images of me in bondage kissing your feet and licking your boots, giving you a massage after a hard day’s work.
As I continue stroking, I realize just how much precum there is… not wanting to stop I reach down wetting my fingers in it and bring them to my lips licking them clean. As you allow me to kneel before you on my webcam, my legs start to tire and go to sleep. But I find strength in other places desiring more than anything to do my utmost to please you, to let you know that I’m serious about my submission.
As I plead to you over the computer, I kneel before you seeing the image of your smile and knowing that I could cause that happiness raises my spirits and gives me strength to continue resisting exploding like a cannon. I switch among your pictures, using the three I was allowed to choose, imagining you planting your lips against mine, kissing me like a hungry lioness knowing that I’m your willing prey; willing prey falling to his knees to kiss your feet in submission. I slowly feel a new hunger building within me; a hunger to feel myself taken by you. I imagine you establishing your dominance over me as you slowly slide onto me, taking me inside of your body.
My legs tremble as I come closer, hearing your pleased voice tell me that I’ve lasted past the time you commanded of me fills me with a rush of warmth. I find myself nearing the point of no return and I ask for your permission to orgasm. As I hear you give your approval, I roar across the point-of-no-return and I explode all over my hand and onto my stomach. I lay there breathing heavily in ecstasy the likes of which I’d never felt before but hoped I would again someday. I thank you m’Lady for the amazing experience you have given me.
Submissively yours.
12:52PM
After my divorce, I made a decision to not live in the closet. This does not mean I will shove who I am in people's faces but I will also not hide who I am. Like all things leather and otherwise, there is such a thing as time and place.
Lady Justice: Now let’s go deep inside you…what qualities about yourself do you like the most? The least?
Coral: I love being able to take charge and get things done. I love being able to help people through really difficult times in their lives.
Sometimes though I know I am gentle like train and subtle like moose.
Lady Justice: If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? And if you could change anything about others, what would it be?
Coral: I have one thing and only one thing I am self conscious about physically. I really would love better teeth. Mentally I wish I could pick up languages. I would love to be able to read more and talk to more people.
As far as others I wish I could change the education that they have received. I think people would benefit from a broader range of perspectives and options including other ways to learn.
Lady Justice: What is the last book you read that deals with leather and the last book you read that is a non-leather topic? Why did you choose those books?
Coral: I honestly cannot remember the last one I read, but in my hands right now is a gifted copy of Guy Baldwin’s “Ties that Bind”. I’m looking forward to reading it. I tend to read books that pass on like leathers. I like the tradition of transitory education.
The last non-leather topic book was “The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher” by David and Ruth Ellwand. It is a beautifully rendered photo book that leapt off the book shelf at me and my lovely Raven bought as a gift. I am currently reading “Inkdeath” by Cornelia Funke because I love her world.
Lady Justice: I think you have more…. You’re holding back… Tell me more about your lifestyle in the BDSM leather world. What are you into? And, what’s the one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet?
Coral: My spiritual calling is in hooks. I love to throw flesh hooks in people for energy pulls, hangs, art, catharsis... They sing to me. Needles, scalpels, sutures, cauterizing pens, these are wonderful tools to do my work with.
My love is throwing rope artistically. I'm not into suspension; I enjoy partials and floor work. I love playing with eels. My sadistic bastard side LOVES pressure points, punching, and body impact play. I adore boot and leather worship.
I take pride in looking great, not necessarily in traditional fetish gear. I love humor in play. Laughing is hot.
As for unfulfilled desires, I haven't facilitated a tandem hook suspension. The right people and circumstances have not presented themselves.
Lady Justice (rubbing my leather gloved finger against Coral’s quivering lips): I bet a wonton bitch like you advertises. When you flag, which colors do you wear? Do you wear them on the left or the right?
Coral: The only flags I wear regularly are a square of cloth from my Wonder Woman skirt and black and white. The side depends on the night.
Lady Justice: Tell me your deepest darkest leather fantasy….NOW.
Coral: I'm dressed in a classic 1940's style dress with perfect accessories. My boy is in pinstripe trousers, fedora and wingtips. We walk into a room filled with diverse kinks and costumes, body types and sexualities...and no one is bitching about anyone else.
Lady Justice: Do you have a dungeon or play space…a secret lair? If you do, tell us about it. If you don’t, tell us how you would design your dungeon.
Coral: I live in a BIG house filled with many kinky people and we have a Dungeon of Doom! (Which is also sometimes a laundry room and wine cellar.) It has 2 separate rooms with windows for voyeurs. Tie points and spanking benches abound, genitorture chair, sling in a dark recess, ladder in the corner, and a long cage with a padded top. This last is conveniently the perfect height for massage.
If I designed my own dungeon it would be above ground with higher ceilings for hook hangs and some of Barak's (www.adventuresinsexuality.org ) furniture. I favor natural light and natural woods.
Lady Justice: What has been your biggest obstacle to overcome as a leatherwoman?
Coral: The craziest thing of all was that I had no obstacles until I became a titleholder. Then I came upon major prejudice for being a woman, a switch, and was actually approached aggressively because "No straight woman should wear a leather title". I'm Bi, but because I own a bio/sis male I must be straight. So my greatest obstacle was and is other people’s perceptions of who belongs in the leather world.
Lady Justice: Do you remember your first time in a leather bar and what was memorable about it?
Coral: I don't remember much of it, except it was the Portland Eagle about 7 years ago when they were still on Burnside. I remember very large men surrounding me, declaring they were Bears, that I was a Mama Bear and buying me a drink. I was so confused. 2 years later I got pinned in the bar by them but had no idea of the significance. I love Bears.
Lady Justice: Let’s pretend that you’re placing a 35 word personal ad in the column. How would it read?
Coral: Dominant Owner looking for passionate Girl. Has magnificent Boy. Must enjoy food, music, art and social activities. Prefers sexually aggressive, service oriented, computer savvy, masochist who can handle their own life with or without me!
Lady Justice: You’ve had a few easy questions, now it’s going to get a bit tricky. What do you think our community needs to successfully move into the future?
Coral: Political awareness is one thing that I find in individuals and not communities. We need to allow for change and restructuring in our world knowing that in another decade it will change yet again. We need to tell our battle stories, our forefathers battle stories and we need to be heard with an aware heart. The new generation needs to tell us their battle stories, hopes and dreams and be heard with extended hands.
Lady Justice: You’ve been a good girl, what is your fondest memory while you were wearing leather over the years?
Coral: OK, true story, here it is:
I had just won my title. Ben, my sash husband, and I were leaving the Embers club to go to 3 different celebration events. We had taken separate cars. I am walking towards mine when I realize that it is blocked off by many cops and cop cars. Sadness. Meanwhile, I am obligated by contract to go these events.
I am head to toe leather, boots, pants, vest, gloves and a huge sash proclaiming Ms. Oregon State Leather. Everyone around me asked what I was going to do. I walked right up to the police and asked what was going on. Three officers at the same time tilted their heads, read my sash and asked if the contest had been tonight? I was stunned. Then they started telling me about their favorite places to get leathers, wanted hugs and asked if I could come back in fifteen minutes and I could have my car. Congratulations were had and I was on my way. I love Portland.
Lady Justice: Tell me more about any of your new endeavors. Perhaps they’ll happen if I let you out of my clutches!
Coral: In the Leather world I will be co-emceeing the NW Master slave competition in San Jose, CA ( www.northwestleathercelebration.com ) and teaching at both Sash Bash ( www.nwsashbash.org )and Kinkfest ( www.kinkfest.org )in Portland, OR. I am trying to arrange some classes in the SF Bay area and maybe some in the Northeast. I would love to teach in the Midwest again. I am writing and creating various art pieces for both BDSM and vanilla worlds. I would love to find people to collaborate with on a project featuring femme male and female bootblacks.
Lady Justice: Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?
Coral: Ummm….
Lady Justice: Anything at all?
Coral: I’m allergic to cilantro and tofu. They make me sad inside.
Lady Justice: Dear Coral, where can we find you online? Do you have e-mail, business information, or a web site you’d like to share with us?
Coral: I do not have a website yet. I loathe computers. However I can be happily reached via email at msoregonleather2007@yahoo.com. My livejournal is Oceanoracle.
Interview with David Dean
Lady Justice: Who are you?
David: I am a boy at heart and a man with values, integrity and compassion. I am fiercely loyal and fair with a slight devil streak that makes the boy in me quite interesting. I am adopted and understand the value of family and treasure friends over anything else.
Lady Justice: When did you first realize you were interested in leather BDSM/fetish? And how?
David: Like most boys my first interest in leather arose from a book I bought in Washington DC about Tom of Finland. I attended several leather bars/clubs but mainly because I wasn't a good dancer but a good cruiser. After college, I pursued the fetish community more actively. It wasn't until 2005 that I decided to venture into a commitment of being a boy. Since I came from a very regimented household the values and basis for being a boy were second-nature. I was a voracious reader and from those experiences I decided to commit myself to the leather lifestyle and fetish code of conduct.
Lady Justice: What are your hobbies?
David: I collect Mc Coy, Weller and Roseville pottery and write poetry.
Lady Justice: What is your favorite quote?
David: "Failure is not an option."
Lady Justice: How long have you been involved in the leather community?
David: Actively, for three years.
Lady Justice: Do you feel there is anything vital missing from today's leather community?
David: A sense of history; where we came from and the champions who forged the path of acceptance and change. Once we know where we came from we can openly and positively advance and chart a course that is rooted in deep traditions and open-mindedness about the future.
Lady Justice: What is your definition of a "leathermen?" What are his responsibilities?
David: A leatherman is a man who wears his pride both inside and out, someone who is NOT afraid to challenge conventional wisdom but respectful of those who have come before him; a man who gives without condition and accepts the responsibility of passing to the next generation without condition or prejudice.
Lady Justice: Which roles in the Leather BDSM lifestyle do you fit? How do the following words compare to you; Master, slave, dominant, submissive, sadist, masochist, Daddy, ect...?
David: My inner nature is a boy, playful, innocent and open to many new ideas and experiences. My role in the leather/fetish community is 50/50. I can be a dominant Top and aggressive/playful bottom and inter-switch on the turn of a dime. As I get older and become more comfortable in my own being and as a title holder, I'm finding the role of Daddy quite appealing. It’s a position of nurturer and provider without being enabling and demanding. I appreciate all roles to a certain degree and respect them as means of expression and communication but my journey is more focused on the playful and adventuresome nature of interaction.
Lady Justice: What keeps you passionate about the leather community?
David: The many different people I meet at the bars/clubs, leather events and online acquaintances.
Lady Justice: What organizations do you belong? Are you an officer of any of these groups?
David: TRLC- Three Rivers Leather Club [2 years] and do not currently hold an officer position.
Lady Justice: Please tell us about your recent experience with the Mr. Pittsburgh Eagle Leather contest? What made you decide to compete for a leather title?
David: My journey to title holder was not the usual route I would suggest. I originally thought about entering only to gain some experience for future contests. I watched enough contests to understand the mechanics but wanted the real experience to hewn my public speaking fears. The contest forced me to put myself out there in a way I've never been comfortable doing before and required me to dig down deep and prove that thru pressure I could deliver. As the contest grew closer I thought the title would help me advance several pet causes i felt deeply about and would give me a greater platform to advance them.
Lady Justice: What is your platform in your role as a titleholder?
David: My platform is three tiered; Club, History and Brotherhood. First is to focus on developing and supporting my home club by creating events for members-only and encouraging new blood to join and bring a fresh perspective to the community. Second is History. I want to design and execute a video and book about the tri-state leather community's history so we have an oral and written tradition for future generations. Three is brotherhood. I took a compass and put it squarely on Pittsburgh and drew a circle of brotherhood from a 5 hour radius...and from that radius came my idea to visit as many clubs in the area as possible and support them in any way I can.
Lady Justice: What do you look forward to as a new titleholder?
David: (I look forward to) meeting as many leather-folk as possible and forging lifelong bonds with many of them. I also want to be a positive role-model for new members and advance the causes I have outlined above.
Lady Justice: What are you most afraid of in being a titleholder?
David: Stretching myself too thin and doing my will and not that of the community. I always say the motto "service before self" and from that comes my support.
Lady Justice: Have you ever conducted a leather workshop? What was the topic? If you were to teach more leather workshops, what topics would you teach?
David: Yes, I have conducted two "leather-fetish" workshops on bondage play involving rope. These workshops were tied to my Fetish Fridays at the Pittsburgh Eagle. I am planning to teach several workshops on how-to-compete in a contest, how-to-negotiate play as a first time player, and how-to-maintain your gear for long term use.
Lady Justice: Who do you admire in the community? And, is there anyone in it you'd like to be for 24 hours and why?
David: Hmmm....Chuck Renslow, Mama, and Master Marcus...each one has contributed immensely to the leather community and to its history as well. Many, many more could and should be added to my list. Each has challenged us to a higher calling and provided us with a rich sense of family, community and respect. But of them all I would choose to be Mama for 24 hours...because she transcends all the leather groups and has created a bond and community that embraces divergent personalities and experiences. To give voice to those who have no voice is a gift beyond compare.
Lady Justice: What is your stance on "Old Guard" vs. "New Guard" leather protocols and rules?
David: Being the product of "Old Guard" and a keeper of history I am respectful of where we came from and hold those values dear but I also realize that groups evolve over time and change. This change is not always negative and I see the collective forces of both old and new coming together to forge a respectful direction that will take us into the 21st century. A direction that acknowledges the history and past and but recognizes that out of history can come even greater possibilities. Not to acknowledge either group is both destructive and divisive.
Lady Justice: Do others outside the leather community know you're into leather? If so, has that created any difficulty?
David: Yes, everyone who knows me and my place of employment know that I am a leatherman and title-holder, too. It has actually helped my professional-personal life in ways I never imagined.
Lady Justice: What qualities about yourself do you like the most? The least?
David: The qualities I like the most about myself are my ability to be compassionate and empathetic toward others, hard worker and focused, and respectful to a fault. The least? Impatience and setting the bar too high.
Lady Justice: If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be? And if you could change anything about others, what would it be?
David: What I'd change I'm changing as we speak. I'm learning to be more confident and more assertive about what I want and how I carry myself. As for others, I've found that when I focus on myself and worry about my side of the street, the personalities and quirks of others don't seem as important or pressing.
Lady Justice: If you had to create and perform a leather fantasy for an audience, what would it be? What music would you use?
David: My fantasy would be about the set-up, stalking and capture of me by a bondage/whip Master. Strapping me to a table, and then to a cross and then over his knees to the music from Depeche Mode "Violator."
Lady Justice: What is the last book you read that deals with leather and the last book you read that is a non-leather topic? Why did you choose these books?
David: The first "leather-oriented" books were Guy Baldwin's "How To Compete for a Leather Contest" and "The History of IML" - given to me at last years' IML. The first book was given to me as a present from my best friend who thought it would add some additional insight from a pioneer in the leather community and the second was an neat look at the selection and history of IML. The last non-leather book I read was "The Scarlett Letter"-always a classic and really encourages me to take a stand even in the face of overwhelming pressure and social convention.
Lady Justice: When you flag, which colors do you wear? Do you wear them on the left or right?
David: Grey/ black either left or right, depending on my mood-or catch...and yellow…always, right! I'm starting red with some training on the right.
Lady Justice: Do you remember your first time in a leather bar and what was memorable about it?
David: The Pittsburgh Trucking Company. It was my first foray into gay life and the first bar I ever went into. I can still remember the small leather store, the main room bar with two pool tables to the side and the industrial warehouse-like garage doors that opened in the Summer....I met some of the hottest men at that bar. It was quiet, secluded and kind of forbidden....much like my play scenarios!
Lady Justice: Lets pretend that you are placing a 35 word personal ad in the column. How would it read?
David: Mind over matter, substance over style, athletic gay son seeks enigmatic Daddy for the journey of a lifetime. Roles are interchangeable, love is not. Clean body, dirty mind, and the difference to know fantasy from reality. Sorry…that’s 36 words....Daddy can punish me later.
Lady Justice: What do you think our community needs to successfully move into the future?
David: We need alternatives to online dating/cruising, affordable leather events and gear, and acceptance of all fetishes as worthy and brothers and sisters. If not, we could find ourselves marginalized and depleted of ranks by the successive generations that find labels and confines unacceptable and prohibitive cost of owning gear too expensive.
Lady Justice: Would you like to tell us more about any of your new endeavors?
David: My most recent endeavor has been to re-create the Pittsburgh Eagle as another leather-fetish bar in Pittsburgh. With the support of the owner and staff and Three Rivers Leather Club I have hosted FETISH FRIDAYS as a way of encouraging diverse fetish players to come out and socialize and share whatever fetish tickles their fancy. My second endeavor has been to organize and catalog the voices that will contribute to my leather documentary.
Lady Justice: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
David: Please support the bars, clubs and organizations that have supported us in the past. A community that forgets where it came from is lost. The internet is a great supplement but never a substitute for one-on-one interaction....Give your mouse a vacation!
Lady Justice: Where can we find you online? Do you have email, business information or a web site you'd like to share with us?
David: You can find me mainly on RECON ( www.worldleathermen.com/titanmuscle ). That profile is the most detailed and exhaustive account of who and what I am.
My email is mrpittsburgh2009@yahoo.com and very soon I will have a blog online for guys to send thoughts, history insights and volunteer opportunities for 2009. What’s a Lady, or any snowed-in and getting-over-a-cold leather perv for that matter, to do on a day when the temperature only rises to a mere 11 degrees? We utilize technology. Those of you that know me know I am not a fan of the cyber experience and that I prefer a flesh and blood, real life connection. But, one can only watch so many episodes of Absolutely Fabulous on You Tube. This week’s column isn’t an interview. It is the written thoughts of a young submissive and his experience that day. It served as a reminder to me, to honor a promise to myself. My New Year’s resolution, and I’m going to keep this one, is to play as hard as I work. And a reminder that all of us should be having as much safe, leather sex as possible! It’s easy to get so immersed in fundraising, networking, titles, clubs, groups, and event organization often we forget that we are who were are because it gets us off. So, join me this year in an effort to more thoroughly balance work and play and to celebrate our leather sexuality. Enjoy. 11:52AM Ecstasy. Having been given your permission to look at them, I felt ecstatic as I gazed into your eyes in your pictures. I found myself admiring them, the sparkle in them shining through everything else. I lay back grasping my manhood swollen with lust for you. I stroke myself gently, but firm enough to not make me go over the edge, my tip glistening with the beginnings of my seed. I caress myself imagining it is your hands touching me, your soft hands firm as they wrap around…stroking me. I imagine you whispering into my ear torturing me, erotically mind fucking me into oblivion. Pretending your hand is in it, I take my soft leather glove and start awakening my body with it, not touching my manhood for fear of staining the leather. As I hear your voice through my speakers, my cock engorges itself feeling as though it’s swollen even larger than ever before. Your voice honey through the technology as I caress my body looking into my webcam wishing I was in your presence. As it starts to get close to the halfway mark I ask you for permission to put on my collar, its feel around my neck a loving embrace. I imagine that I am there and you are the one attaching my collar around my neck, then pulling me to you by the ring and attaching a small lock to the back of my collar marking me for at least the few precious minutes I’m with you in your care. Thinking about you attaching my collar puts me further at ease. I feel a wave of love flow through me comforting me and letting me know I shall not be hurt. Pulling down upon my ball sack, I take one hand and using one finger rub up and down right under the head caressing the vein imagining that perhaps it could be your tongue teasing me and testing my endurance further… fueling me to prove my worthiness to you. My desires and fantasies pump through my mind imagining what it would be like to serve you, wondering if you could be what I’ve been searching for. Even more erotic fantasies soar through my mind; images of me in bondage kissing your feet and licking your boots, giving you a massage after a hard day’s work. As I continue stroking, I realize just how much precum there is… not wanting to stop I reach down wetting my fingers in it and bring them to my lips licking them clean. As you allow me to kneel before you on my webcam, my legs start to tire and go to sleep. But I find strength in other places desiring more than anything to do my utmost to please you, to let you know that I’m serious about my submission. As I plead to you over the computer, I kneel before you seeing the image of your smile and knowing that I could cause that happiness raises my spirits and gives me strength to continue resisting exploding like a cannon. I switch among your pictures, using the three I was allowed to choose, imagining you planting your lips against mine, kissing me like a hungry lioness knowing that I’m your willing prey; willing prey falling to his knees to kiss your feet in submission. I slowly feel a new hunger building within me; a hunger to feel myself taken by you. I imagine you establishing your dominance over me as you slowly slide onto me, taking me inside of your body. My legs tremble as I come closer, hearing your pleased voice tell me that I’ve lasted past the time you commanded of me fills me with a rush of warmth. I find myself nearing the point of no return and I ask for your permission to orgasm. As I hear you give your approval, I roar across the point-of-no-return and I explode all over my hand and onto my stomach. I lay there breathing heavily in ecstasy the likes of which I’d never felt before but hoped I would again someday. I thank you m’Lady for the amazing experience you have given me. Submissively yours. 12:52PM
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