august Z 2002
$r& i n f i i o r
............ ▼..............
hat do yixi think, dear, shall we take the
open weave sling or the solid? Do you
like this studded wrist restraint or this
one?Oh, where did 1 put that zip hood...
Get yourselves ready,
Portland. Oregon Leather
Pride Week is Aug. 2 to 11
Sponsored hy Blackout
Leather Productions,
who started it up six
years ago, and Port
land Leather
Alliance, who came on
hoard a couple of years
later, the list of activi
ties during this annual
nine-day affair is ex
haustive. Each organi
zation has its own slew
of events, which Bad
Girls, In Uniform mag
azine, Portland
Leather Men and
the Imperial Sov
ereign Rose Court
all add to with black-clad
abandon. The week s diver
sions draw people from
around the state.
Why a Leather Pride
Week ? “Because mem
bers of the leather and £
B/D/S/M community j
want to celebrate
who they are,” says
alliance president
Ruth Thomas
(aka Dyke
Daddy),
Lock up your daughters
It’s time for Oregon’s biggest
leather event of the year
by
L isa B radshaw
a summer camp for children
affected hy HIV/A1DS.
“Leather Pride is anoth
er way for the leather com
munity to all come togeth
er at once besides during
Gay Pride,” Blackout presi
dent D m Hood says, “hut
it’s also a way for us to
show our.. .fund-raising
efforts for the community
because this is always a
fund-raising week."
Portland Leather Alliance bounds from a Spirit of Pride Award
Blackout s showcase
riSht into ° reSon Leather Pride Week
W inners are busy all year long fulfilling
event is the Mr. and Ms. Oregon State
their obligations to represent the leather com
Leather Contest, which this year for the first
munity at various functions and to raise money.
time will also include Leather Com m unity
“It’s an all-volunteer organization,” Hood
Awards. Lest you think you can show up
Aug. 10 at Embers as Best D essed and win,
emphasizes. “Nobody gets paid; everything that
we do goes right back into our community.”
think again. This thing is tougher than Miss
O ther highlights include a Kink Auction,
America: C ontestants are asked about their
S/M demonstrations at Leather Tastings, a
community involvement, knowledge of
Leather Family Barbecue, a Leather and Lace
leather history and fund-raising abilities. They
have to perform a fantasy entertainm ent selec Show, an Erotica Show and a smattering of
play parties. J H
tion, offer a “street look,” endure a question-
and-answer session and give a speech.
Last year’s winners were Tobin Britton and
See Pages 28 and 29 for complete OREGON
Rob Hathaway. Earlier this year Britton went
L eather P ride W eek events and activities.
on to win American Leatherwoman 2002, the
only specifically gay and lesbian national
LlSA B radshaw is the Arts and Culture Editor at
leather competition.
Just O ut.
1
.
castagna
FOR A GREAT STEAK, LOOK FOR
EXCEPT IN BEAVERTON,
WHERE THE CITY
WOULDN’T LET US
>
HAVE ONE
- 7 (9
A
sr ,2,
*
A/
Sola/
THE REVOLVING STEAK SIGN
■Ÿ
f/ta /ia /i É 8 /k¿ro
"Ser* ',nS a ll
Courtyard
Open
l^ ° f forni!u es
s,*ce / 9 46
castagna
dinner Wednesday through Saturday • 231.7373
café castagna
next door to the restaurant
dinner tuesday through Sunday • 231.9959
1752 se hawthorne boulevard
Our revolving steak sign has become a landmark in Portland.
A sign o f quality. Where you knout you can get a great steak
dinner at a fair price. Unfortunately, we couldn 1 get that same
sign in Beaverton. But honestly, we re not that hard to find.
105th & SE Stark • 503-252-4171
Sa/fU**
OLD C O U T O KITCHEN
<
home o f the 72 oz. steak
ffifw a u /u 'e
& o u )e //
6 0 S - 2 8 6 - 6 Î ) fà >
Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy at Griffith Dr. - 503-644-1492
( 0 ( 0 ( 0 .
co m
r
Sprlngwater
Grill
1/2 O ff
E n tree w / p u rch a se o f
eq u a l or g re a te r valu e
RibP.ye Steak • Pe,<to Chicken
liowtie • Pat React
Rack of Lam b • Crab Cakec
Pan Seared Salmon • (teen R eacted Chicken
Reservation.* e >’ Coupon.* Retfniret)
,\V>
o th e r ofterc h o n o re d w ith thi.* coupon
6716 SI'. M llw aukie Ave • Ó03.232.2-H2
*
iB iu y R eetl J s
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! R estau ran t A B ar
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B e s t P a t io
In Tow n!
New weekend hours.
Sat. 1 1 -la m
Sun. 1 1 - 1 2 a m
I Bring this ad in for $5 off
| a purchase of $20 or more
LEATHER ALLIANCE
“just as members of other communities
want to celebrate who they are.”
The groups hope this event fosters
not just stability and encoiftagement
among members themselves hut in
those outside the leather community as
well. “We call it a Pride celebration,”
Thomas explains, “because we are often
treated as less equal than other human
beings and sometimes as monsters, so
we want to remind ourselves and the
broader community that we are proud
of ourselves, of each other and of the
community that we have built.”
The alliances biggest event of the
season is Leathers, Feathers and Fur, a
21-and-over fetish hall Aug. 2 at the
Fez Ballroom, which kicks the week
into gear. “Its an opportunity for mem
bers of our community and our friends
to dress up, socialize, dance and enjoy
some great entertainment,” Thomas
says. The hall includes a costume con
test, no-host Moroccan buffet and danc
ing with DJ Lauren. It seems there are
other forms of dancing, too: Snake, belly
and fire are all included on the hill.
Blackout Leather Productions, the
only leather nonprofit in the state, donates all
proceeds from its events to Portland-area chari
ties. This year the recipient is Camp Starlight,
a