Seen on the plane to Mardi Gras in New Orleans…
From the air…SFO – MSY (NOLA)
Posted in New Orleans, San Francisco, Surveillance
Tagged air travel, msy, sfo, Surveillance
Getting Hard in the Big Easy with the Princes of Perversion and the Lords of Leather
Lord Consort XXVII Tim Lott as "Gargoyles" - Bal Masque 2010
Gay Highwaymen visits New Orleans for Mardi Gras! This site will be reporting live from NOLA from now through Fat Tuesday. The traditions of Mardi Gras are many and obscure. Krewes, King Cakes, Mardi Gras Indians, Zulu Coconuts, Boeuf Gras, Flambeaux and of course, the Bal Masque with its Tableaux. Gay Highwaymen will attend the Lords of Leather Bal Masque on Sunday night. The Lords of Leather describe themselves as the only Leather oriented Mardi Gras Krewe in the world. On a previous trip, the Princes of Perversion made us feel very welcome. These sexy young royals are the NOLA arm of the Radical Faeries. They will show their colors at Sunday’s Bal. As will we…
Posted in Leather, New Orleans, Subcultures, Travel
Tagged BDSM, Culture, Gay, Kink, Krewe, Leather, Lords of Leather, Mardi Gras, Masque Bal, NOLA, Princes of Perversion, Sexy
Great Gay Leathersex Art: Who was Michael Palmer?
It measures about 5′ x5′ and used to hang in the Jackhammer, an old Leather bar in San Francisco. The Jackhammer has been closed since 1996 and this painting now hangs in a private home. It is signed “Palmer” in the lower right corner. A quick consultation trip to Brand X antiques in the Castro district secured a last name, a look at a couple of prints on sale for a couple of thousand dollars each, and an awful story. The proprietor told us that the artist’s first name was Michael. He had quite an extensive body of work, most of which he held in his studio. When he died in the middle of the plague years, his mother, horrified by her little boy’s adult proclivities, destroyed everything.
This sort of thing happens too often. Wonderful Willie Walker, friend of this site, and founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society, used to dumpster-dive the estates of deceased gay men whose “families” would throw away their collections in shame. Walker – a hero to gay historians and a legend among archivists of any stripe. We miss you, you little weirdo.
Western art is built on the bodies of naked ladies. They call it “The Nude.” The ancients understood the beauty of the male body. We understand it. But – and this is for artists and collectors especially – the folks might not. Make wills, make bequests, make sure your lover has power of attorney, give gifts to the young gays and make sure the good stuff gets into good hands. Generations coming up will need their history. We are making it now and it is our responsibility to make sure it survives.
Meantime, any information on Michael Palmer, gay artist living in San Francisco in the 1980’s would be much appreciated.
For a bit on Chicago-based artist Etienne, click here.
Posted in Art and Artists, Collecting, History, Leather, San Francisco
Tagged Art, BDSM, Boots, BrandX, Culture, Gay, Gay Artist, History, Homoerotic, Kink, Leather, Michael Palmer, Palmer, San Francisco, Sexy, SOMA, Whip, Willie Walker
Peter Pain pounces on Puppy Lover! Bizarre mid-century Ben Gay advertising…
Not particularly gay, but very queer. Fast relief…children’s Ben Gay! A childhood joke – Does arthritis make you happy? No? ‘Cause it made Ben gay!!!
Pubic Moustache gets Shaved! Before and After, but GH is seldom SFW
From handlebars to a buzz! What a difference a day makes…and a clean, sharp blade does not hurt, either.
Posted in Photography, Subcultures
Colma: A Pilgrimage to the Emperor’s Grave
This morning was the annual pilgrimage to the grave of Joshua Norton, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. (Colma, in case you didn’t know, is where most deceased San Franciscans are buried; the dead outnumber the living in that city.) Led by his “widow” José Sarria (the Dowager Empress), a group of drag queens, Leatherfolk, and friends left Marlena’s Bar in San Francisco around 8:30 am, bound for the Woodlawn Cemetery in Colma. The event began with a procession to the gravesite, followed by speeches and performances, and finally, the Widow Norton laying flowers on the late Emperor’s grave. The crowd included political dignitaries such as San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros, and Castro district Supervisor Scott Wiener, and was MCed by Donna Sachet. Community groups performed, including Cheer SF, the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Freedom Band, and the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco. A great celebration of San Francisco queer spirit.
–AidanAbroad (San Francisco correspondent)
Posted in Uncategorized
the lady is dead
I am stunned by the visuals, and wanted to share:
in a comment thread elsewhere, a young charming Canadian man adds this:
I’ve noticed that most queer groups or queer subject matters in videos that talk about love and getting the “person” to love them back don’t show it. like they can walk around in high heels and tights but to show them kissing another guy or sing about loving another guy is still taboo. I like [this video] cause they show it.
*smooch*
Your KC ‘mo, Gryphon
as gay as gay gets…
…and we love it! Well, I do.
Leather. Rubber. Six pack abs. Spikes. High heels. Yes, high heels.
And where are they…? The Ukraine.
Fuck. Money. Trend. Fame. Sex. BM. Fashion. New.
As found on queerty.
Enjoy! From your KC ‘mo, Gryphon
Posted in Uncategorized
Flogging the Peg Boy! Sexy Sailors from London’s Studio Royale.
Another interesting vintage photograph. From Studio Royale of London.* It’s got that mid-century film still thing going on and a nice reference to the old law of the sea. Whether in the legitimate Navies or their pirate shadows authority condensed into the will of a single man, the Captain, and was enforced by, among other things…the sting of the lash.
For another mid-century photo, this one of mysterious provenance, click here. For more on homoeroticism on the high seas, check out Hans Turley’s Rum, Sodomy and the Lash: Piracy, Sexuality and Masculine Identity. NYU Press, 1999.
*Thomas Waugh. Hard to Imagine Gay Male Eroticism in Photography and Film from Their Beginnings to Stonewall, New York: Columbia University Press, 1996, page 256.
Homoerotic Contact Sports…Sizzling Hot Turkish Oil Wrestlers!
This is courtesy the very provocative and entertaining Men Without Clothes blog. This is a teaser. What moves! Lots more there. We were turned on to it by friend of this site slave jody, who knows he’d never make a win in this sport because he so enjoys getting pinned. Down, boys! All the way. Good boys. For a very different wrestler, click here.
Posted in Subcultures, Turkey, Wrestling
Tagged Culture, Men Without Clothes, Oil Wrestling, Sexy, Sports, Turkey, Wrestling
The Gay Highwaymen 