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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2006)
■/UkYZi.üOTC 0 Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, Oregon Bears, Oregon Leather Fraternity, PacificFriction, Pyromagik, Queer Fetish, Whipper-Snappers as well as the aforemen tioned long-standing organizations. Many of the goings-on take place in community bars like Gail’s Dirty Duck, Embers and the Egyptian Club. Other events such as the seventh annual Leather, Feathers & Fur Fetish Ball require larger space and will be held at the Ambridge Event Center. Similarly, the family-friendly Leather Family BBQ is an outdoor event held at Overlook •Park. Needless to say, there is something for everyone—and 1 mean everyone. Beneath the umbrella of what is known as the leather community are numerous sexual and social interests, so when the urunitiated wonder what “leather culture" real ly means, the answers might surprise you. Essentially, the leather community embraces those with interests in sexual role-playing, B/D/S/M (bondage/spdomasochism), kink, perversion and fetishes (voyeurism, shoes, boots, rubber, body piercing, tattoos<jinder- clothing, etc.). People can be into all, some or just a single one of these areas to be considered part of this wide-ranging, often deeply personal community. Sigmund Freud found B/D/S/M and fetishism to be a critical aspect of human sex uality: the relationship between human orgasms and conditioning. Ongoing research makes this relationship more clear. For example, one study indicates that male rats accustomed to having sex in a particular cage will have elevations of “pleasure inducing chemicals in the brain” simply from being in the particular cage, even if a female is not present. Sexual conditioning occurred, and it is hypothesized that human sexuality might similarly be tied to conditioning, which would explain the phenomenon of sexual fetishism. So, a specific act—wearing rubber, seeing sexy shoes or having someone spank you with a paddle—cannot only cause arousal, but can actually become the most erotic catalyst for sexual expression. The leather community and its widely diverse factions get this. And it has created a family of like-minded, nonjudgmental individuals who share these common interests, so if you want to learn more, see more and become engaged, then participate in any of the myriad events next month. © K, so you review the list of Oregon Leather Pride Week events, and while many are interesting, a couple jump out at you and scream, “Check this out!” For example, Aug. 5 is the Mixed Dungeon Party and Aug. 11 is the Pansexual Dungeon Party. Let’s go over the protocol, aka “How to Behave at Your First Dungeon Party.’’ Please pay attention, or you will be reprimanded at the end of this section: 1. Be respectful. No mouth-dropping. No pointing and screaming, “Oh my God, did you see that?" Do not jump in between a couple, throw up your arms and screech, “My turn!" Do not get too close. Do not giggle. Be cool—or get the hell out. 2. Do not interfere when others are engaged. Like when you stumble upon someone performing a sex act behind a club. (You know who you are.) Again, chill out. You can watch from a distance. But do not bring out the cell phone camera. Do not bring out binoculars. Do not pull up a chair and microwave a bowl of popcorn. 3. Stay in your space. You know those idiots at work who come into your cube and get-this-close to you? And all you want to do is say, "Can you scoot back a little bit?” Same is true at dungeon parties. If a couple are fisting, they probably won't mind if you watch. (In fact, 1 bet they expect it.) But that does not mean you can rest your chin on the bottom's back to get a better view. 4. No drinking or drug use allowed. The leather community engages in safe play, and undoubtedly bondage, flogging and other hardcore behavior by definition can hurt someone if they lose control, lose perspective and forget that playing safe is the No. 1 priority. So, forget drinking or being high—remember, your high comes from playing and experiencing the sex act. Not being wasted. 5. Don’t be a perv. I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but when you act like a perv (even in a dungeon) you-'re acting like a moron. So, guys, you cannot grab your crotch and ask, “Hey, you want some of this?” Bad form. You cannot stop a couple tn progress and say, “Man, look at all those wrinkles (or fat or hair or Crisco).” In others words, be on your best behavior, or don’t be shocked when someone gets offended. 6. If you want to borrow someone’s toys, ask first. This ranks first on my gross-out-meter. You’re at the party and see a lovely dildo that lights up, moves to the beat of “Warm Leatherette” and is about 12 inches in diameter. Do not just get on board and ride it. Do not put it in your part ner on the off chance someone won’t mind. These parties are all about sharing, but it’s like when someone takes the last french fry out of your Happy Meal without asking—that shit pisses you off. 7. No guns. So you have this pistol fantasy. Toys might be OK; the real thing is not permitted. Like, duh. 8. For more information on dungeon play, go online. My personal favorite Web site is www.frugaldomme.com; click on techniques and scene ideas for a veritable leather culture encyclopedia of things you can see. do or find out about during Oregon Leather Pride Week. This site is frank and nonjudgmental with pages on subjects like: diaper pail friends, age play, anal fisting, lingam massage (I never heard of it before, either), cock and ball torture, humiliation, masturbation, pony slaves, G spot play, suggested music to play by (!) and watersports. Other sites include www.castlerealm.com, www.fetishalliance.com and www.sexuality.org. Play long, play safe, and have fun. —JR © JOSHUA R yan is an Emmy-nominated performer and writer and a former award-winning Continued on Page 25 club owner and Las Vegas showgirl. You can write him at sashascarlett@msn.com. Buprenorphine (Suboxone®) TREATMENT STUDY * OHSU is enrolling participants who are HIV+and addicted to heroin, oxycodone, or other opiates. Interested? Call 503 494 6770. OHSU VALUES DIVERSITY AHO IS AH tOUAL ORFOHTUHItr/AFFIHMAtlVl ACTIOH tUHOif* Vins Property Management focuses W estover H eights ke<’pmg vout properties full of happN l/mg'term tenants, looking great and making nom numcN CLINIC Offering general internal medicine and excelling in sexual health care 503-546-7902 Seri'imj the community for 22 yearo 6 1 1 0 N lon’bord St Portland OR «7203 2330 NW Flanders Suite 207 503-226-6678 www c.ntu'1 o.‘> ri.lo com REPAIR FACILITY A COLLISION CENTER BMW. 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