Community
Violating Consent
Author Lorelei
Celebrate Harvey Milk Day
Author Lorelei
Happy birthday, dear Harvey Milk. You still give us hope.
I am celebrating with tickets to Mollena‘s one-woman show, 69Stories. Not only is she a brilliant writer/performer, she is the 2010 International Ms. Leather.
Go forth and be as queer, as flamboyant, as unique as you are. Harvey Milk died for your right to be queer. For too many of us, the alternative was staying home and the slow, stifling suicide of the closet, or the faster death of addictions or the razor. But some of us came to San Francisco where we could be out and proud: freaky, passionate, kinky, and accepted.
REVIEW: Perverts Put Out
Author Lorelei
Perverts Put Out is an occasional series of readings held in San Francisco. It showcases hot erotic stories, poetry, and dance from some of the best performers working in the genre today.
Saturday night, I got to see some astonishing performances. I’m just hitting the highlights here — everybody who read was top-notch.
Daphne Gottlieb (who is just beautiful) read some poetry. She has skill, style, energy, and a compelling performing voice. I was very sorry not to get to meet her; she had another reading to do. I also need to buy her books to savor the words on the page.
I also enjoyed the hilarious and hot story Meliza Bañales read about strippers, an FTM transsexual, and cunnilingus.
Thea Hillman read a disturbing and achingly tender story about people trying to transcend the limitations of race, class, gender in New York.
Then Steven Schwartz did Bearlesque, while Lori Selke narrated. I wasn’t surprised at all to see that Lori was an excellent narrator, but Steven had been apologetic about his dancing. Yet he moved with controlled grace and comic glee—a really fine performance of an insightful comic piece. I was not the only one who cracked up at the Lacan reference. And he finally explained the difference between boys and girls — something that should clear up much gender confusion.
And Carol Queen, the magnificent, told us about a random encounter with someone at a Jack- and Jill-Off sex party staged for the Playboy Channel.
S. Bear Bergman told an incredibly hot tranny smut story. How hot was it? It was a good thing that my partner and I were sitting in the front row, of I’d have been doing highly improper things to her. As it was, I had a couple of “Look, ma, no hands” orgasms just listening. Bergman is a strong writer and performer whose professional discipline and rhetorical skills enhance the power of the performance. Nothing showy, nothing artificial, just sheer skill and power. It’s damned hard to be that natural in front of an audience.
The evening finished with a bang, so to speak, as Simon Sheppard performed a very funny piece on the attractions of the Reverend Ted Haggard.
Definitely watch for the next version of this reading series.
And next weekend is going to be good, too, since I have tickets for the Saturday performance of Bear Bergman’s Monday Night in Westerbork at Theater Rhinoceros (2926 16th Street at South Van Ness in San Francisco).
(Theater Rhinoceros makes me think: All cats die. Socrates is dead. Therefore, Socrates is a cat. Or a theater. Or even Ionesco.)
Collective Nouns
Author Lorelei
A friend asked what would be the collective noun for a group of gay men. I responded:
I think it depends on various factors:
a fist of otherwise unspecified gay men a star of twinks a pelt of bears a cruise or a hankie of gay bars a tosca of opera queens a roundup or a lasso of gay cowboys
Same with lesbians:
a rouge of femmes a bench (shortened from workbench) of butches a daddy or a diesel of dykes a scoop of earth mothers a lick or a fist of lesbians
Also:
a quirk or quark of queers a cadre of LGBTQ activists a buffet of bisexuals (waffle is also used, but may be considered disparaging) a kate of genderqueers
For any of us, gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer:
a family of lovers
Goddamn it. A *family*. Is that so complicated?
Support Your Local Hero of the Revolution
Author Lorelei
Our community has a tradition of caring for one another in practical ways as well as emotionally. Now one of the best writers we have needs help.
Patrick Califia has had a heart attack. He doesn’t have health insurance.
Patrick’s ex-partner writes:
I’m asking for you to help in whatever way you think you can. Think good thoughts, whatever. Cards can be sent here:
Patrick Califia 2215-R Market Street #261 San Francisco, CA 94114
Nobody, but nobody, writes better or more passionately about the kink than Patrick. His work has always profoundly moved me — not to mention getting me off. With The Lesbian SM Safety Manual, he helped pioneer the BDSM how-to book.
Raelyn Gallina stricken with aggressive breast cancer
Author Lorelei
EVERYONE PLEASE FORWARD THIS, POST THIS, AND SEND TO RELEVANT PRESS:
We are a group of devoted friends of Raelyn Gallina and wish to inform you of what is happening in her life right now. As Raelyn is a beloved, very well known member of the piercing/SM/art/spiritual and other communities, we know that many folks all over the country will want to know this important news. Upon the day Raelyn returned home from her Mother’s funeral in September, she was diagnosed with the rarest, deadliest form of breast cancer. She had to start chemotherapy immediately. On December 8th, she had a double mastectomy. After that, she will have more hemotherapy and start radiation treatments five days a week for many months. Raelyn is just 49 years old, and has always been extremely healthy, energetic and powerful, so this comes as a huge shock.
The good news is that Raelyn has a chance of getting through all this, as the cancer seems to have been caught in time. Her devoted partner of ten years, Babs is by her side every step of the way and of enormous help and comfort. (Babs’ beloved brother died just before Thanksgiving.) This is all terrifying and exhausting, but the gals are still managing to keep their spirits up most of the time.
Raelyn has been a pioneer of the body modification movement since 1982; the first to make 18k gold body jewelry, inventor of the fishtail labrette, and an innovator of scarification. She touched and adorned many as she brought her magic all around the country over the years. Her focus was always on the spiritual, and on generously sharing the wealth of her knowledge with others and showing us how to do body modifications safely, pleasurably, and meaningfully in numerous demos, workshops, and presentations. Being a Santeria priestess, over the years Raelyn has ministered to many of us with problems, and given us so much of her love, which has trickled down throughout our communities. Her strong faith and spirituality have been an enormous source of strength and support.
We would like to ask you for your prayers and good wishes for Raelyn right now. Visualize her having the strength to withstand and survive her cancer treatments. See her in good health, send her love, cards and letters of support.
Financially things are very rough for Raelyn and Babs right now. Raelyn has been too sick to work much. She didn’t have health insurance or savings due to the bad economy, being a freelancer, and living in the expensive bay area. Babs cleans houses for a living, and has had to cancel a lot of work to nurse and help Raelyn. They won’t be able to make much money for at least the next seven or eight months. They need our financial help so they don’t lose their home, to cover living expenses and health care needs. We urge you to send financial gifts. Organize benefits in your town. Send whatever you can. Show Raelyn we love her, and want to keep her around! Show them we are the great community and friends we say we are!
You can send a donation through Pay Pal. https:www.paypal.com raelynlove@sbcglobal.net Or send directly to: Raelyn Gallina (and Babs) P.O.BOX 20034 Oakland, CA 94620. You can check on Raelyn’s progress at a web site that Babs set up at: http://www.geocities.com/raelynlove@sbcglobal.net/mypage.html Thank you, Annie Sprinkle, SF Cathy Opie, LA Kate Bornstein and Barbara Carrellas, NY Idexa and Black and Blue Tattoo, SF Carol Queen and Robert Lawrence, SF Kim Airs and Grand Opening, Boston & LA John Weis, NY Sharrin Spector & Pierce/Ink, SJ, CA Lolita, NY Fakir Musafar and Cleo DuBois, SF Midori, SF Peg Preble, Boston Ketti Neil, Phil. Lamar Van Dyke, Seattle Wickie Stamps, SF Glenda Rider & Sarah Humble & Playhouse Studios, Balt.
The Scenery in Hayward
Author Lorelei
I was offering this information to a friend and decided I should share it with everybody. The Scenery in Hayward, California, is a great playspace, run by genuinely kinky, genuinely kind people. And I owe them a lot, since I mislaid my cane case (stocked with about $300 worth of canes) the last time I was there. They searched for it and ultimately found it — and they seemed as happy as I was to get it back.
Here is the Events list, which includes classes and play parties every Friday and Saturday.
Finger foods, water, tea and coffee are included in your admission dues. $10 per person annual registration fee + $20 single or $35 per couple per evening. And the Scenery card gets you a discount at various local kink stores.
Subs can Ask Kit about what the atmosphere is like and what toys they have. (Slings. Medical tables. St. Andrew’s Cross. Lots of spanking benches. Many other cool playstations.)
Or you can look at this picture, which doesn’t do it justice. It’s a vast space, and there’s a big separate seating area for conversation. Smoking is outside only.
I’ve always found the atmosphere there friendly and wonderfully free of trolls.