Hurricane Katrina news and resources (including leather, gay, and GLBT resources) for leatherfolk, leathermen, leatherwomen, leatherdykes, BDSM folk, fetish folk, bears, cubs, and the leather community.

A pansexual BDSM club whose membership is in the area hardest hit by Hurricane Rita has not yet heard from many of its members.

BDSM Beaumont, which covers such areas in Texas and Louisiana as Port Arthur, Orange, and Lake Charles, reported earlier this week that eighteen of its active members had not yet reported in following the hurricane.

BDSM Beaumont has a total membership of about two hundred. At least thirty of its members have checked in.

The group's leaders, says spokesperson cajunrose, "are getting a tad anxious and desperate for news from those missing. All of the board members and moderators have tried to find someone that can give some info."

Meanwhile, John Szewczyk, founder of the GLBT hurricane assistance group Houston's Rainbow Cross, expressed concern at how the media is handling coverage of Hurricane Rita's devastation of rural areas.

"Orange County, Texas, got hit very, very bad," reported Mr. Szewczyk on September 28 at the e-mail list for Houston's Rainbow Cross, which includes leather/levi clubs among its members. "I have called all the local Houston stations and the cable ones such as Fox and CNN. They all said they 'covered' Orange. There are over 80,000 people there and what they show from the interstate and the Blockbuster that got looted is nothing."

Mr. Szewczyk, who is a charter member of Firedancers Houston and a member of the Texas Conference of Clubs, added, "Orange is very heavily wooded with thousands of homes tucked into the woods. Mile after mile I drove through housing division after housing division; there were very few homes that had no damage at all from fallen trees and huge limbs. Over 80% of the trees are down and almost all of those downed trees have damaged or destroyed homes. I saw more power poles and lines down than there were left standing."

He ended with the plea, "Can anyone please help with getting media coverage? The more media coverage, the more help will arrive. All I have see on CNN and other channels is the big Louisiana 'cow' rescue."

The heavy destruction of their territory has not beaten down the survivors at BDSM Beaumont, though. Currently, members are preparing for a "domestic service demo and hands-on lesson on how to clean the yard after a hurricane."

RELATED LINK

BDSM_Beaumont_TX. E-mail list for BDSM Beaumont.

News has circulated on the New Orleans leather and BDSM lists during the past week that Hurricane Rita had not prevented government officials from re-opening portions of the city to businesses and residents.

At the same time, confirmations have been received of the deaths of two New Orleans BDSM folk during Hurricane Katrina: Lady Dianne of the New Orleans Bondage and Leather Enthusiasts (NOBLE) and a member of Club FEM New Orleans whose name has not been released. An obituaries page has been established at True Tales.

RE-OPENING OF CITY

A member of the Cavaliers Motorcycle Club reprinted news on September 28 from WWL Radio in New Orleans of the re-entry plan by Mayor Ray Nagin.

"Starting tomorrow, Thursday, all businesses can return to the targeted zip code areas. On Friday all residents can return to stay and live in the targeted zip codes . . . primarily areas in and around uptown, downtown and the quarter. Those zip codes are 700112, 70113, 70114, 70115, 70116, 70118, 70130, and 70131.

"One week from today, Wednesday, October 5th . . . the remainder of the city excluding the lower ninth ward will be allowed to look and leave, meaning those residents and business owners will be given a chance to check the damage to their properties . . . and salvage anything they can."

RETURN OF LEATHERFOLK

Even before the announcement, New Orleans leather organizations had begun to make plans for their return.

Jay Borne, owner of the Second Skin Leather shop, posted a notice at the Leather Nation Job Board e-mail list on September 18 that he was seeking employees in place of ones who had been relocated due to the hurricane.

"We are concerned for our gay brothers and sisters who have suffered losses due to the storm and stand ready to help with anything within our power to do," he wrote.

The publishers of Ambush Mag, the gay magazine that has provided the only local news of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the GLBT and leather communities in New Orleans, have already returned home.

"On Tuesday, September 27, the first four gay businesses – Queen Fashions, Le Roundup, Ambush Mag and Café Lafitte in Exile – re-opened, the beginning of the GLBT community's commitment to rebuild and save New Orleans as we all know it can be, following both Hurricane Katrina and Rita," publishers Rip and Marsha Naquin-Delain announced at their Website.

Ambush Mag will publish a Katrina Survivor Edition on October 11.

Among the GLBT businesses that have reopened in the French Quarters are a leather/levi bar, Rawhide 2010. Café Lafitte in Exile, one of the oldest gay bars in the United States, hosted several Cavaliers MC members on October 2. The Cavaliers announced today that they will be holding their First Post Katrina Beer Bust at Café Lafitte on October 29, the Saturday before Halloween.

"All proceeds will be donated to local charities providing direct assistance to members of our community recovering and rebuilding New Orleans," said Cavaliers president Doug Minich.

Tim and Bobby, owners of the Phoenix, have likewise announced at their leather/levi bar's Website that they plan to work to repair the bar. They took over the bar just nine days before Hurricane Katrina arrived.

Meanwhile, Rawhide 2010 blazed an announcement on its home page for a Halloween Party this year. "The French Quarter will not be held back!" the bar cried.

As groups affected by Hurricane Rita count their losses and groups affected by Hurricane Katrina seek to return to normal life, the leather community nears the end of its heavy fundraising period for hurricane victims.

The last major event will take place on October 7, when the International LeatherSIR and Leatherboy Weekend holds a Celebrity Mardi Gras Auction to raise funds for its Leather Tribe Based Relief Fund for hurricane victims.

The fund will remain open to donations after the weekend, as will several other funds. In all, at least five leather and BDSM organizations are holding ongoing relief fundraisers with no final deadline.

BUSINESSES

Throughout September, leather-related businesses donated money to hurricane victims.

Fetish Auctioneer, a Website that sells fetish items, is currently running a contest in which the largest donor receives a basket of items from Fetish Auctioneer. The contest is sponsored by Catherine Gross of Fetish Auctioneer, Ms. Victoria, and Viola Johnson.

Dominate Radio, a BDSM radio station, paired itself with Licks and Lashes, online retailer of adult toys and fetish gear, to advertise a donation campaign being run by Licks and Lashes until November 1. A portion of the store's profits will be donated to the American Red Cross.

Likewise, the BDSM Store and the heterosexual BDSM e-zine Darker Pleasures pledged to give a portion of their profits during September to hurricane relief.

AVN, an online news service that covers adult industry news, reported on various efforts by the adult industry to raise money for hurricane victims. Among other things, it reported on the relief efforts of Mr. S Leather, one of the longest-running leather stores in the United States.

Its sister company, Madame S, also ran a relief campaign.

LEADERS

As mentioned in other news articles at True Tales, a number of leaders of BDSM and leather groups stepped forward to provide aid to hurricane victims. Even leaders outside the South stepped forward.

Keith Richardson wrote to True Tales, "As Mr. Missouri Leather 2005 I felt it was my responsibility to take an active role in the areas response to the evacuees from Katrina. It became very apparent that our fellow tribe members but also of the greater LGBT and HIV positive evacuees were not always being with dignity and respect nor all needs being tended to. I worked with government officials and charities charged with evacuee processing in the area to ensure that all evacuees would be treated with respect, and get the immediate and adequate access to medication that they may require, including HIV meds."

He added, "Working with those same organizations I then set up a housing referral program for evacuees those who wanted to be placed with or rent from LGBT or HIV positive welcoming environments. Offers to aid our tribe and family members came from all around the Midwest, from Missouri and Illinois to Indiana and Arkansas."

Offering its group's services to assist evacuees, Shane, co-chair of the National Leather Association Columbus, wrote to True Tales, "There are NLA members all over the U.S. and it seems like it's all about networking right now."

MEDIA

A small number of leather and BDSM media organizations were quick to respond to the crisis.

The swiftest to move was the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, which on September 2 sent out an action alert about a religious political group that had blamed Hurricane Katrina on gay people's participation in the New Orleans GLBT festival Southern Decadence, which is popular with leatherfolk.

The Dominant's View, a pansexual BDSM e-zine, was also early to respond. In addition to running an editorial on Hurricane Katrina, editor Kayla Kuffs added links to mainstream relief fundraisers on its home page and started up two forums to allow readers to post about hurricane-related matters.

Midwest Bound, a regional leather/BDSM publication, posted an editorial on the hurricane on September 5, as well as information on various relief fundraisers being held inside and outside the leather/BDSM communities. The e-zine continued to update this information as the month went on.

Leather-Links, a leather/levi Web directory that includes space for club newsletters, placed a long notice on its opening page, urging members to donate money to relief fundraisers. The site's owner, Donn Wolfe, also sent out a letter telling leatherfolk of fundraising efforts within the leather community. In October, Mr. Wolfe helped sponsor a drive to collect leather clothing and toys for three New Orleans clubs.

Bear Podcast has covered Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in three of its broadcasts since the beginning of September.

Ambush Mag, a GLBT magazine in New Orleans, proved to be one of the main sources of information on the hurricane's effect on the GLBT and leather hurricanes. Despite the fact that its staff was forced to flee New Orleans and its printing press was shut down, the publishers quickly began posting information at their Website that the magazine received from other sources, such as e-mails and articles.

Other leather media sources brought news online at a later date.

Two major leather news sites were unable to respond quickly because they were offline: LeatherPage.com and Great Lakes Den. Great Lakes Den is now offering hurricane news.

YNOT Radio, an adult industry radio station, held an online hurricane relief auction on September 16 that included an interview with BDSM author Jamie Joy Gatto, who had escaped from the New Orleans flooding.

Late in September, The Leather Journal, a monthly printed newspaper for the leather community, published a lead story about the hurricane. "Follow-up on missing persons being found, reports of damage to buildings, fundraising around the continent," was how editor Dave Rhodes described his newspaper's coverage to True Tales. The newspaper also joined in the relief efforts around that time by posting a notice encouraging visitors to its Website to donate to the fundraiser sponsored by International LeatherSIR and Leatherboy.

Throughout the month of September, several leather and bear news columnists mentioned the hurricane in their columns: John Pendal (International Mr. Leather 2003), Mister Marcus (writing for the Bay Area Reporter), Max Verga (writing for BENT: A Journal of CripGay Voices), Blakkat (American Leatherman 2005), and Steve Lenius (writing for Lavender Magazine). Thomas S. Roche, a leather author, wrote an article on kinky New Orleans for Eros Zine. Except for Mr. Pendal and Blakkat (whose columns appear at their own Websites), all of these columnists were restrained by publishing deadlines.

Most leather media sites did not publish information on the hurricane during early September. To make up for this, individual Websites posted information on the hurricane.

Two New Orleans clubs were swift to place information about their members online: Cavaliers Motorcycle Club and the Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe. The Phoenix Bar in New Orleans also placed a wealth of information online and started a blog.

A True Rose, a pansexual BDSM site run in part by a member of the New Orleans Bondage and Leather Enthusiasts, encouraged visitors to post articles, stories, and poems about New Orleans.

Around mid-month, the Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club devoted its home page to links related to the hurricane.

A handful of other leather and BDSM Websites posted notices about fundraisers or encouraged visitors to donate to the Red Cross. Among the Websites that did this in early September were BDSM News, Mama's Family, the National Leather Association, and Leather Journey Magazine.

For the most part, though, the swiftest information came, not from the leather media, but from e-mail lists and blogs. Anthoney Perkins, editor of Midwest Bound, believes that communication in those places was quite strong.

"The communication between the BDSM and Fetish community has been great," he says. "I am a member of a Yahoo group that within days had listings of the organization and their members detailing any information about their safety. Emails have been floating almost immediately of people looking to see if others have checked in anywhere. It was a true community coming together. You don't see that much any more."

RELATED LINKS

Relief Fundraisers in the Leather, BDSM, and Bear Communities. [True Tales]

Hurricane Writings and Art. Includes links to news stories mentioned in this article. [True Tales]

A remarkable hurricane fundraising project is being spearheaded by several New Orleans and Texas clubs, in which gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and heterosexuals have banded together in a movement they describe by the word "Unity."

Representatives from the New Orleans clubs NOBLE (pansexual), Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe (leather/levi), and Crescent City Outlaws (leather/levi) have joined with representatives from two Houston and Austin pansexual clubs, Houston PEP and GWNN, to create a Leather Fund to provide assistance for leatherfolk and BDSM folk who have been affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

This cooperation by the leather/levi and pansexual communities of New Orleans and surrounding areas is not new. The Lords of Leather and NOBLE are affiliates of one another, and hold a fetish ball together annually on New Year's Eve. According to cajunrose, a member of NOBLE, "Lords of Leather helped the fledgling NOBLE get it legs in 2003. [The clubs] have remained close, and their members sit on each other's boards on a regular basis."

PAST UNITY

Last year, the Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) 8 was held in New Orleans. The conference was supported by the above three New Orleans groups and Houston PEP, as well as the Cavaliers Motorcycle Club (leather/levi), the Knights d'Orleans (leather/levi), MAST New Orleans (pansexual), and various other pansexual groups from the South.

Eerily, the links page for the conference included an entry for the Louisiana Superdome, "one of the most amazing structural and architectural achievements in the arena of arenas."

The conference co-chairs for LLC 8 were Master Sade of NOBLE and Timm Holt of the Lords of Leather, who are now among the leaders of the Leather Fund. The keynote speech for the conference was given by Travis Wilson of Houston PEP, who is now one of the leaders of a Texas coalition of BDSM groups assisting hurricane victims. With this past structure of cooperation already in place, the Southern groups were able to move quickly to start a project to rebuild the lives of leatherfolk and BDSM folk who have been affected by the hurricanes.

SLOWLY GROWING IN STRENGTH

The first hint of assistance came on August 28, the day that New Orleans was evacuated due to Hurricane Katrina. On that day, Leo il Maestro of GWNN and Travis Wilson of Houston PEP posted a joint message on the e-mail list for NOBLE, offering housing by their groups' members to evacuees.

Six days later, on September 3, Edge, a member of the NOBLE Council, urged list members to wear their leather in order to gain strength from it during the time of trial. Master Sade picked up on this phrase, posting a poetic refrain in which he said that he would wear his leather until all the NOBLE members were home safely.

Within twenty-four hours, the Texas and New Orleans groups had joined together in a plan to sell leather wristbands and armbands as a sign of unity and to collect funds for hurricane victims from the leather and BDSM communities. Later, SAADE, a pansexual group in Texas, and APEX, a pansexual group in Arizona, also joined the effort.

The purpose of the leather bands was not simply to raise money. On September 6, Master Sade wrote in an e-mail circulated on various lists, "My email box is full of requests for means to help. Here is one that is easy and simple. Wear a scrap of black leather, an armband, a wristband, or a simple black leather shoecase somewhere on your person. (Under your clothes if you feel that is best.) Let us know you are doing so. We, here in New Orleans, are asking that everyone wear something of black leather to demonstrate their unity with us. "

DONATIONS

Gradually, the idea grew of establishing a fund to accompany the wristband and armband movement. By the end of the middle of September, the cooperating groups had announced that they had received a one thousand dollar donation from the pansexual New England Leather Association, and a five hundred dollar donation from Jessi Holman Ahart (International Ms. Leather 2005) and FIST, a leatherdyke club in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

In a cross-posted announcement on September 29 that the clubs would join together to create wristbands and armbands to sell, Leo il Maestro said, "Duncan, Chief Counsel of SAADE, and I, are calling on all of our Members and friends to make Leather armbands that can be worn over or wristbands that can be worn under one's clothing with the word 'UNITY' on them."

Leo il Maestro stated that a Website would be established for the project. He finished by saying:

"If there was ever a time for us all to 'put our money where our mouth is' and show that our community can do better, be better, and come together for a common goal . . . this is it!

"It will mean seeing some folks you haven't seen in years. Working together with folks you may have disagreed with in the past. 

"It will mean setting aside our differences and focusing on what we have in common. And that ain't so bad.

"Unity and love are not just words or rhetoric. They are what we do."

RELATED LINK

LeatherFundAustin. E-mail list for the Leather Fund.

A new Leather Pride logo designed by Caro (Ms. Olympus 2005) and Stephen Bloom (Mr. Padlock Leather 2001) was unveiled at an e-mail list for leather titleholders on September 10.

The Leather Pride / Katrina Aid logo, which was designed to assist in the leather community's hurricane relief efforts, shows a large red hurricane symbol against a modified version of the Leather Pride Flag.

Caro said that she got the idea for the logo as the result of her connections with two clubs in New Orleans, one pansexual and the other leather/levi.

"I know some of the people from NOBLE and LORDS of Leather as they were the host groups when I presented at the Leather Leadership Conference when it was in New Orleans," she says.

An e-mail from Master Sade of NOBLE prodded her into creating the logo. "Right after Katrina, I got an e-mail stating that they'd like folks to wear a piece of leather, black armband or something as a token of solidarity with those in NOLA," she says. "I thought that was a great idea but I thought that if we all had a real 'symbol' that could identify what it was all about, [that] would be better. So, I got to work with my paltry artistic talents and developed a really rough looking symbol."

Her original design showed the black, blue, and white stripes of the Leather Pride Flag designed by Tony DeBlase in 1989, with a red-colored hurricane in the corner where DeBlase had placed a red heart.

"Having worked with Stephen on the creation of 'the bolt,' the logo used for [Drummer publisher] Robert Davolt's memorial, I wrote Stephen again and asked him if he'd be kind enough to look at my mess and 'fix it,'" Caro says.

In his work for a network television affiliate in Phoenix, Mr. Bloom has the opportunity to design logos. "I love branding," he says dryly.

"Caro gave me the concept, and I just ran with it," Mr. Bloom says. "It's important to design a piece that can work in many different uses.  Print, screen media, etc. Ending up with something that works really small, or really large is key. Then having a mark that stands alone and can easily be interpreted is the next key."

With these principles in mind, Mr. Bloom set out to fiddle with the original design.

"Caro's design had the hurricane symbol in the upper left . . . top? . . . dominant?" he says. "I wanted to place the hurricane symbol in the center, to denote that this was about all of us (and more), so in the center addresses both power sources, dom and sub."

Taking the rough sketch of a hurricane that Caro had created, Mr. Bloom changed it into the international symbol for hurricanes: a circle with curved arms at the top and bottom to indicate the swirling winds within a circular hurricane. Then he enlarged the symbol to be as big as the flag stripes behind it, and placed the symbol in the center of the logo.

He produced various versions of the logo, some of which included the text, "Hurricane Relief Fund, August 2005."

On September 10, Caro announced the logo's arrival at the Leather Titleholders e-mail list.

"There are so many efforts going on and being planned that I thought that it might be a good idea if we had a 'symbol' to identify those efforts," she said.

She added, "For those of you unfamiliar with 'logo design' and creation of any original artwork, it can run into the thousands of dollars and once created, it's not uncommon for fees to be paid to use that artwork. I'd like to be the first to thank Stephan for his generosity in developing this symbol and giving it to all of use to use. It's a symbol of our unity and pride in the face of this disaster by using the image for all 'hurricane-relief' efforts within the Leather Community."

Since then, the design has been adapted by NOBLE for its Leather Fund to raise money for hurricane recovery. NOBLE added the word "UNITY" to the text below the logo.

RELATED LINK

Leather Pride / Katrina Aid logo.

Three major sources of leather communication are back online after being offline throughout most of the period following the arrival of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

Queernet.org hosts many leather and bear e-mail lists. LeatherPage.com hosts and links to leather and BDSM news columnists. Great Lakes Den is the only leather news site that offers nearly daily updates. Great Lakes Den also covers bear news.

Both Queernet.org and LeatherPage.com went offline on September 1 because of a server failure. Great Lakes Den was already redoing its Website at the time Hurricane Katrina arrived.

Queernet.org's main page is still offline, but it is in the process of recovering its mailing lists. Online Policy Group, which hosts Queernet.org, is asking list moderators to get in touch with it about recreating their groups. Currently, a handful of groups have been recreated, including bear and the major leather e-mail list gl-asb.

Previous subscribers to Queernet.org Groups will need to submit new passwords and resubscribe to their e-mail lists.

LeatherPage.com has come back online and was updated on September 5. One of the articles it currently links to is Steve Lenius's poignant account of what he misses about New Orleans, prepared for his Leather Life column in Lavender Magazine of Minneapolis.

Great Lakes Den has returned, but without its extensive archive of news that dated back to 2001. Under its new format, Great Lakes Den is offering daily notices of updates to its site. The news site also advertises that it is seeking reporters to cover bear, leather, and kink events in the Midwest.

Among the hurricane-related articles that Great Lakes Den has posted since its return is an account of a September trip to New Orleans by Suka, current International Ms. Bootblack, to work with Pet Rescue Volunteers.

LINKS

Queernet.org Groups.

LeatherPage.com.

Great Lakes Den.

Missing New Orleans. By Steve Lenius. [Lavender Magazine]

Bootblack SUKA in New Orleans. [Great Lakes Den]

Meanwhile, Houston area leather, BDSM, and bear clubs report that their losses are small, though some members in the worst-hit areas remain unaccounted for.

Rita, a Category 3 hurricane, avoided a direct hit on Houston on September 24 but slammed into southwest Lousiana and southeast Texas, badly damaging many towns and rural areas there.

PANSEXUAL GROUP REACHES OUT

BDSM Beaumont, whose territory covers southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, released this afternoon a growing list of its survivors and missing persons. The group is seeking information on the moderator of its e-mail list, kimberlee, as well as a member named Jeff. Three other members – Mark, Jamie, & little mistress Emily – were staying in western Louisiana but have not been heard from since September 23.

Most of the members of the group have not yet checked in, but it is thought that many do not yet have computer access, due to the effects of the hurricane.

A group representative, cajunrose, says that BDSM Beaumont is willing to help any BDSM folk and leatherfolk who were affected by Hurricane Rita. The group can provide assistance with emergencies, locating long-term housing, and other needs.

HOUSTON CLUBS ASSESS LOSSES

Robert Conn of the Houston Area Bears reports that his group is also trying to track down members. "We were fortunate that the storm took some last minute turns and spared a direct hit in the Houston/Galveston area," he says. "We do have members across the area including some as far away as Beaumont and into Louisiana."

Other Houston groups have been more fortunate.

A representative of the Houston Leather Boys, boy robert T, says that all of the club's members are safe.

"Some of the boys bunked down here with me," he reports. "It turned into a movie night. . . . Our club has always had an emergency call list and we've all check in safe. Last Christmas, all of the boys received Grip Power flashlights (never need batteries, shake it and it works . . . as seen on TV) in their stockings at our holiday party."

Brad, Houston PEP board chairman, said yesterday that the pansexual BDSM group was still assessing their situation, but that "from what I am understanding we've fared pretty well through this storm."

HOUSTON EVACUATION DIFFICULTIES

Boy robert T provided a vivid description of some of the stress that Houston area residents underwent during the evacuation of that city.

"I personally witnessed several fistfights in grocery stores over everything from a carton of eggs to a six-pack of bottled water. I watched people snatch food items out of other people's carts, yelling, 'You're hoarding the food . . . I'm taking this.'

"I sat in a gas line and watched a car cut into line . . . and the truck he cut off literally rammed him repeatedly until the car was back out of the line – causing damage to the other cars around the incident.

"An all-out brawl at the Chevron in the Montrose (gay district) because they weren't 'filling the tank fast enough.' It took four squad cars to break up that fight."

CONCERN OVER MEDIA HYPE

Boy robert T, who is also on the board of officers of the Houston Council of Clubs, says he retains a lot of anger at how the media handled the news of the oncoming hurricane.

"A lot of us believe that the broadcast media has done more damage than the storm," he says. "They overhyped the danger, manipulating the fear that Katrina caused for ratings. People who didn't need to evacuate did, and now they and this city are paying the price – in some cases with their lives . . ."

He says that, because Houston is located in a hurricane-prone zone, its buildings are built to withstand hurricanes, "as they are in California with their earthquake building codes."

He adds, "The broadcast news didn't talk of the safety of the buildings here. They didn't tell people to fill the bathtub with water so you can wash or flush your toilet the day after the hurricane. Or fill jugs with water and put it in the freezer so if the power goes out your food will still be good. They just said, 'Hey, buy a lot of overpriced bottled water, fill up your car, and get the hell outta dodge or die.'"

He concludes flatly, "The mass exodus was 'overkill' for lack of a better term. The need to evacuate certain areas, most definitely. But evacuating the entire city was unnecessary and obviously caused more damage and more problems than the storm did."

While BDSM folk at the Louisiana/Texas border have expressed gratitude at the timely warnings to evacuate, some Houston residents remain skeptical about their own evacuations. Pam, moderator of the BDSMhealth list that has many members in Houston, posted a list of questions:

"Given the horrible gridlock of traffic to evacuate, if this happens again, would you
leave or would you stay?

"Do you feel like this was a case of better safe than sorry, or do you feel politics played a role in over-reacting, or maybe emotions over the horrible Katrina made more people flee that wouldn't have before?

"Has this been a good learning experience for you or a hassle?"

Pam, who had previously offered her e-mail list as a place for survivors to check in, told True Tales that the questions were not intended to express any special opinion of her own.

"I made those questions up to help people vent if needed," she said. "Sometimes the after-effects of such an event can lead to stress or depression."

RELATED LINKS

BDSM Beamont of southeast Texas and northwest Louisiana is providing housing and needed items for leatherfolk and BDSM folk who are affected by Hurricane Rita. Contact cajunrose. More information.

Houston Area Bears.

Houston Leather Boys.

Houston PEP and its e-mail list.

BDSMhealth e-mail list.

The online gay leather magazine True Tales: Gay Leather News, Narratives, and Fiction has begun posting articles written by leather journalist Wally Sherwood, who is currently "in exile outside of Dallas" as he awaits the reopening of his native city of New Orleans.

Mr. Sherwood writes a regular column for the New Orleans GLBT magazine Ambush Mag that is entitled "Sherwood's Forest." The column offers especially strong coverage of leather and bear news.

Ambush Mag was forced to suspend operations after its August 16-29 issue when New Orleans was inundated by flood waters as the result of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Sherwood was among the Ambush Mag staff who successfully fled the city.

The magazine's publishers, Rip and Marsh Naquin-Delain, had hoped to publish their next issue on October 11, but the re-flooding of New Orleans as the result of Hurricane Rita may delay publication. In the meantime, True Tales is providing space to Mr. Sherwood for his news articles about the leather and bear communities around the Gulf Coast.

True Tales has also published the last pre-hurricane column that Mr. Sherwood wrote, which was scheduled for Ambush Mag's aborted August 30 issue. The article describes the plans in New Orleans for the Mr. Louisiana Leather contest, which had to be cancelled due to the storm.

Mr. Sherwood also reviews a recent queer art exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. As described by True Tales in a September 11 breaking news item, several of the artists from the exhibit were declared missing after the hurricane struck.

Wally Sherwood was awarded the Man of the Year award by The Leather Journal's Pantheon of Leather in 2005. In addition to his journalistic career, Mr. Sherwood has worked as an AIDS activist, an actor, and a model. Previously a resident of San Francisco, Mr. Sherwood has been active in the leather and bear communities of New Orleans.

RELATED ARTICLES AT TRUE TALES

Sherwood in Exile. News column.

Most MAsT New Orleans Members are Safe; Three Ambush Mag Staff Members are Missing.

MAsT Members and Ambush Mag Columnist Located.

Drummer Photographer Survives Katrina. Mentions the art exhibit that Wally Sherwood reviewed.

RELATED LINKS

New Orleans AIDS Activist Wins Man of the Year Award. [PrideSpecialty.com]

Ambush Mag.

As it became clear today that Houston would be spared a direct hit by Hurricane Rita, Houston e-mail lists grew quiet. But concerns remained among the members of the BDSM_Beaumont_TX BDSM group, whose territory covers such hard-hit areas in Texas and Louisiana as Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Lake Charles.

Reports sent in to True Tales  overnight and today by BDSM_Beaumont_TX member cajunrose reveal the continued tension in that group.

11:32 p.m. CDT, September 23: "Houston is holding firm in downtown. Just got an email from an extended leather family member there with the information that they still have power and very little wind."

7:58 a.m., September 24: "[A member of BDSM_Beaumont_TX] just called me. Where they evacuated to is still in a Category 2 hurricane, but they are all OK, her parents, brother and all of their pets are OK. They have lost power in Kirbyville and have about two more hours of the worst of the storm with some scary times."

8:19 a.m.: "One leather family member in West Houston says 'things went well and still have power with no flooding.'"

10:24 a.m.: "We are now having rain and power surges and may be going down in just a few minutes or seconds."

10:27 a.m.: "So far no one hurt but information is sketchy coming in."

10:29 a.m.: "One [BDSM e-mail] list we are on says that they have people stranded in Pasadena, Texas, and that no one showed up to help them evacuate. We will have to wait for more information from them as the weekend continues."

10:51 a.m.: "[The Beaumont member mentioned before] is OK but totally cut off from all PC access. She is trying to reach me by cell phone to try and get some emails to close family members."

11:46 a.m.: "I have not been able to contact her again but she was evacuated to a town that was hit with wind and she was out of power. She does intend to try to go home later today or tomorrow to see the damage for herself. . . . I am going to lay down for about an hour. We are still having some minor wind and power surges, but so far we are not receiving anything at all alarming."

11:53 a.m.: "The Lake Charles pictures [on the television] are heart-breaking but they have yet been able to get to areas like Moss Bluff where there is suppose to be some real wind and water damage."

1:02 p.m.: "I am still trying to reach [the Beaumont member] by phone and keep getting the voice mail. Not sure what is going on there but she may have finally been able to lay down for a bit. She had been without sleep for over 48 hours. There were several of our group that decided to weather it out and try to hold on. I know she was very worried about them."

Shortly after 1 p.m., cajunrose's home lost power.

RELATED LINK

BDSM_Beaumont_TX e-mail list.

Houston members of the leather and BDSM communities report that they are cautiously optimistic that they will be able to ride out Hurricane Rita, but BDSM folk from southwest Louisiana remained worried Friday night as the Category 3 storm aimed itself toward the Texas-Louisiana border.

Scott Kenyon, chairman of the Houston Council of Clubs, told True Tales at midnight, "Things are looking good for Houston, we appear to be on the west edge of the storm. Hopefully we will ride it out okay. Our friends to the east seem to be set to take the worst of it, our thoughts are with them tonight. We will have to find out when the storm clears as to what help is needed."

Mr. Kenyon added that, as the result of work done by the Houston leather community to assist Hurricane Katrina evacuees, "With that network already in place, I think we are well positioned to assist those people who are affected by Rita."

Barton, representative of the pansexual group MAsT Houston and Webmaster for the pansexual group BDSM Lake Charles, said at 11 p.m. Friday, "I will likely have the eye pass right over my home." Barton reports that he is presently safe in another state.

Members of the Texas e-mail lists BDSM_Beaumont_TX, HoustonBDSM, and BDSMhealth began doing roll calls of those who were safe from the storm on Friday afternoon. "This is going to be tricky but it can be done," said one list member at HoustonBDSM.

Some BDSM folk in Beaumont had not yet reported in to e-mail lists by late Friday evening.

Meanwhile, a visit to Houston BDSM groups by leather author Viola Johnson was postponed, and the Misfits, a Houston leather/levi club, cancelled their Misfits Ball 07: Locker Room Lockdown. The Texas Conference of Clubs had earlier announced that the PWA Holiday Charities Campout for September 23-25 had been cancelled due to Rita.

The GLBT news service 365Gay.com reported on Friday evening that two of Houston's major GLBT resources for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, Montrose Counselling Center and Bering Omega HIV/AIDS center, had temporarily shut down because of the new hurricane.

One leather organization, though, was taking the arrival of Hurricane Rita in stride. "The Ripcord is open till 2 AM," announced a representative of the Houston leather/levi bar.

And a member of several Houston BDSM lists had her priorities in order. On Thursday evening, she posted a message about the one-week postponement of a thirtieth anniversary screening of a film at two Houston theaters. She headed the post, "Rocky Horror, anyone?"

RELATED LINKS

MAsT Houston e-mail list.

BDSM Lake Charles e-mail list.

BDSM_Beaumont_TX e-mail list.

HoustonBDSM e-mail list.

BDSMhealth e-mail list.

Disaster Course. [Gay365.com]
 

A new hurricane is forcing leatherfolk in the coastal areas of Texas and Louisiana to rush to make new plans.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami described Rita as an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane" that could upgrade to Category 5 within the next 24 hours. Category 5 is the strongest category of hurricane.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of Texas and Louisiana, including New Orleans. The Associated Press quoted the Army Corps of Engineers as saying that the New Orleans levees could give way again if the city received six inches of rain.

The Associated Press also said that Lafayette, Louisiana, where some New Orleans leatherfolk and BDSM folk were evacuated, is preparing for the possibility that the evacuees there may need to be moved north.

The National Hurricane Center announced that the most likely landing area for the hurricane is near Galveston, Texas. In 1900, Galveston was the site of the one of deadliest American hurricane disasters.

In Houston, sixty miles inland, Mayor Bill White called for an evacuation of lower-lying areas, according to The Washington Post. Many leatherfolk, BDSM folk, and bears from New Orleans were evacuated to Houston and surrounding areas.

A small flurry of posts to e-mail lists alerted Louisiana and Texas leatherfolk and related groups to the danger.

"With all that we have been through with Katrina this is exactly what we don't need," wrote Cavaliers MC president Doug Minich at the New Orleans club's e-mail list, before urging his members to "stay alert."

Affected leatherfolk posted about their plans to move or to stay put during the storm. "Plenty of bathrooms and closets to hide in if necessary," wrote one club member. "We feel we should be safe in this location, and certainly are weary of evacuating."

The Texas Conference of Clubs announced that the PWA Holiday Charities Campout for September 23-25 has been cancelled due to Rita.

Groups assisting leatherfolk evacuees moved quickly to provide new assistance. According to a post on the e-mail list for the New Orleans BDSM group NOBLE, the BDSM group RSVP in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is once more making its play space available for evacuees who need housing.

Another post at the same list announced that the Texas coalition assisting leatherfolk evacuees is ready to help find new housing for any leatherfolk and BDSM folk who are endangered by the storm.

RELATED LINKS

RSVP of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is providing housing and needed items for leatherfolk and BDSM folk who are evacuees. Contact Fred by e-mail or at 225-202-3588.

A Texas coalition is providing housing for leatherfolk and BDSM folk who are evacuees. Contact Leo il Maestro (GWNN) or Travis Wilson (Houston PEP). More information.

Rita Plows Across Gulf; Evacuations Begin. [Associated Press]

Rita Upgraded to "Monster" Category 4 Hurricane. [The Washington Post]

The number of leatherfolk, BDSM folk, and bears who are missing from Hurricane Katrina continues to dwindle, though some groups have not yet reported on the status of their members.

LEATHER BUSINESSES

DB (David Buck), manager of the Phoenix in New Orleans, reported in his leather/levi bar's blog that bartender Ron Glass has been located. The only staff member still missing is Daddy Don.

DB also noted that a number of the Phoenix staff will be present at a fundraiser in their honor in Atlanta this weekend. The Sunday location of the fundraiser has been moved to the Atlanta Phoenix.

A representative of Rawhide 2010, a leather/levi bar in New Orleans's French Quarter, told True Tales that the bar's Website will be updated within the next couple of days with news of how the bar and its staff fared the storm. 

AMBUSH MAG COLUMNIST AND MARIGNY LEATHER CONTESTANTS

In a letter forwarded to True Tales by Dave Rhodes of The Leather Journal, Lords of Leather officer George Hester reports that he has been in contact with Toni Pizanie, the leather columnist who was reported missing by Ambush Mag of New Orleans. Mr. Hester says that Ms. Pizanie is safe.

In a separate letter to True Tales, Ambush Mag columnist Wally Sherwood notes, "Toni J. P. Pizanie won the title of Ms. Gulf States Olympus, competing as Ms. Marigny Leather III."

Mr. Sherwood, who is the creator and producer of the Marigny Leather Contest in New Orleans, went on to mention that several of the other contestants have survived.

"Both Tom Simic, Mr. Marigny Leather IV (Crescent City Outlaws), and Princesse Stephaney, Ms. Marigny Leather IV, have signed in and are OK," he wrote.

"Eric Sins, third alternate to Mr. Marigny Leather V, is just fine . . . No real word from Matt McShee, but apparently all the Cavaliers [Motorcycle Club members] are accounted for. After winning Mr. Marigny Leather V, Matt went to Leather Weekend in Mobile and was voted Sexiest Leatherman."

GULF COAST CLUBS

Several clubs in Mississippi and Alabama – including SMART near Biloxi – reported earlier that all their members are accounted for. But news remains sparse from some Gulf Coast clubs, such as ClubFEM Mississippi in Gulfport and ClubFEM New Orleans.

ClubFEM is an international organization for female dominants and male submissives. The secretary of ClubFEM International, slave gene, wrote to True Tales, "We have not heard from any of the members in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama with one exception. The HeadMistress from Club FEM New Orleans (NOLA) is now in Houston, living with a Club FEM member here. Her name is Mistress Nan and She will be the guest of honor at the Club FEM September 23rd party."

He adds that ClubFEM International, which is headquartered in Houston, has donated money and food to the local relief efforts.

NEW ORLEANS CLUBS

Survivors continue to report in to New Orleans clubs, club representatives report.

As of Saturday evening, 49 of the 57 members of the New Orleans Bear and Bear Trapper Social Club were believed to be safe.

The Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe say that only one of their members is missing, Dr. Billy K.

NOBLE is still tallying its numbers, but an officer of the group stated earlier that she believed most of the members were accounted for.

The Knights d'Orleans have not yet issued a report.

The Cavaliers Motorcycle Club, the Crescent City Outlaws, and MAsT Houston have all reported that their members are safe.

The Mid-America Conference of Clubs (MACC), to which two of the New Orleans clubs belong, has announced the following:

"Threasa Rushing, MACC President, is collecting money and is acting as a 'clearing house' as such, for any money wanting to be given to our Brothers and Sisters of Crescent City Outlaws and the Knight d'Orleans, or any other friends and family. Any money sent and stated to be given to individuals will be given as such. All other money sent will be divided out equally between the two clubs.  All donations given will be under the strictness of confidence."

RELATED LINKS

Links to New Orleans Leather, BDSM, and Bear Clubs and Businesses. [True Tales]

ClubFEM International.

ClubFEM Mississippi (e-mail list).

ClubFEM New Orleans (e-mail list).

The arts world continues to feel the impact of Hurricane Katrina. George Dureau, a New Orleans photographer and artist whose work drew praise from leathermen in the 1980s, managed to survive the storm, leather author Jack Fritscher reports.

Dureau is among the most famous of New Orleans's gay artists. One of his models over the years has been New Orleans leatherman Wally Sherwood.

"George Dureau, who rode out the hurricane in New Orleans, has made it uninjured to safety in New England where a temporary studio has been set up so that he can continue to create," Mr. Fritscher says.

Jack Fritscher interviewed George Dureau in New Orleans in 1991 for a biography of Mr. Fritscher's former lover, Robert Mapplethorpe. By coincidence, a portion of his New Orleans interview is reprinted in the August issue of True Tales, along with Mark I. Chester's essay on Mr. Dureau's male nude photography.

That essay originally appeared in the "Maimed Beauty" issue of the gay leather magazine Drummer in 1986. Mr. Dureau's photography helped to prompt an avalanche of mail from readers who enjoyed the issue. The August issue of True Tales, which is a retrospective on Drummer #93, links to some of Mr. Dureau's online photography, including photos of New Orleans models who appeared in the "Maimed Beauty" issue.

Some of the Drummer photos were originally published in a book called New Orleans.

In his interview with Mr. Fritscher, George Dureau described a visit by Robert Mapplethorpe to his Louisiana hometown.

"We had an absolutely splendid time cruising through the cold of Mardi Gras," he said. "Canal Street, the main drag, was mobbed. We played a cruising game like we were gunners in a war bomber. I'd say, 'Look at three o'clock: tall, skinny, tan.' He'd say, 'Look at nine o'clock: mean, black, dangerous, sexy.' That's what we shared the most mutual joy in, the hunt."

Mr. Fritscher is among those who believes that Robert Mapplethorpe's style of photography was influenced by George Dureau's work. Mapplethorpe, who photographed a variety of people and objects, was most notorious for a series of portraits he created in the late 1970s of his fellow leathermen.

Robert Mapplethorpe died of AIDS in 1989, at the age of 42.

In a 1999 article for the Times-Picuyane in New Orleans, art critic Douglas MacCash noted that Mr. Dureau's work was an integral part of the New Orleans landscape.

"At Cafe Sbisa in the French Quarter, his mural of glamorously dressed bon vivants glows in the spotlights above the bar," he said. "At city functions in Gallier House, his elegant depiction of a mythic Mardi Gras parade dominates an entire wall. His muscular cast-bronze nudes guard the side entrance to the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park; his seductive portrait of Professor Longhair appeared on last year's Jazzfest poster; and, most recently, his enormous bust of Artemis began staring down on Canal Street from the pediment of Harrah's casino. Dureau is hard to miss."

Douglas MacCash pointed out that his surroundings were an integral part of Mr. Dureau's creative process. George Dureau, he said, "spent countless hours conversing with his models, dining, drinking and strolling the French Quarter before he began a photo session."

This slow process, Mr. MacCash said, mystified a photographer from a faster-paced city. "Why, Mapplethorpe wanted to know, didn't he just pay [the models] and tell them what to do?"

At the time the hurricane struck, Mr. Dureau's artwork was appearing in an exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in New Orleans, "The Culture of Queer." Works by Robert Mapplethorpe and Tom of Finland also appeared in that show.

The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation in New York notes on the home page of its Website that the museum building was in an area that was not flooded. However, the foundation continues, "according to David Rubin, curator, not all of the artists in the show are accounted for at this time."

RELATED LINKS

Drummer's "Maimed Beauty" Issue Retrospective at True Tales. For adults only. Includes George Dureau links.

Imaging Sadomasochism: Robert Mapplethorpe and the Masquerade of Photography. Includes leather photography.

The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

Mapplethorpe: Assault with a Deadly Camera. By Jack Fritscher. Includes Mr. Fritscher's full interview with George Dureau. [Amazon.com]

Opening the Shutter: George Dureau's Photos Expose a World of Flawed Beauty. By Douglas MacCash.

The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation.

The Culture of Queer: A Tribute to J. B. Harter.
[Contemporary Arts Center]

In a bit of ill timing, an Internet service provider that hosts major leather Websites and e-mail lists has been recovering from a server crash during the past week of the crisis over Hurricane Katrina.

Online Policy Group, a non-profit ISP, went down on September 1 and remains down after eight days. The ISP posted a message saying that its main server had suffered a catastrophic disk failure.

List services and e-mail services have also been affected, although some e-mail services are now back up.

Online Policy Group's latest message says that it hopes to have the Websites restored over the weekend. In the meantime, it is asking many of its customers to get in touch with it.

One of the biggest domains affected by the down time is Queernet.org, which claims to be the ISP's longest-running project. It was founded in 1991.

Queernet.org serves as a host to a number of leather Websites, such as the Leather Leadership Conference and Lesbian Sex Mafia. It also hosts LeatherPage.com, a Website by International Mr. Leather 1996, Joe Gallagher. The site collects articles by and links to major leather columnists.

Queernet.org's list of GLBT and leather e-mail lists is long and includes gl-asb (gay/lesbian-alt.sex.bondage), one of the oldest queer SM lists.

Both Online Policy Group and Queernet.org have policies in favor of freedom of speech. Queernet.org specifically states its willingness to provide online services for the leather/SM community. 

The server's failure has impeded communications during the hurricane disaster. LeatherPage.com, for example, is a major source of leather news. Earlier this year, when former Drummer publisher Robert Davolt died, many leatherfolk learned of his death through a notice that Mr. Gallagher posted on the home page of LeatherPage.com.

Online Policy Group is asking for donations to help pay for the high cost of data recovery.

RELATED LINKS

Online Policy Group.

Queernet.org (archived).

Queernet.org E-mail Lists (archived).

Meanwhile, a post on the e-mail list of the New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers Social Club by a non-member revealed that Wally Sherwood, who had been declared missing by several New Orleans groups, is safe in Waco, Texas.

Wally Sherwood was the Man of the Year in this year's Pantheon of Leather, sponsored by The Leather Journal. Two New Orleans clubs, the Lords of Leather and the New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers Social Club, had Mr. Sherwood listed as missing. He was also declared missing by Ambush Mag, the New Orleans GLBT magazine that he works for.

Mr. Sherwood sent a brief message to friends that began, "Wally is alive and well deep in the heart of Texas."

In the meantime, affected leather, BDSM, and related groups are continuing to track their members.

The New Orleans Bears have announced that they have located five more members: Gary C., Gary L., James Van D., John L., and Tim H. Thirteen members remain unaccounted for.

NOBLE (New Orleans Bondage and Leather Enthusiasts) is attempting to figure out which members are safe. A member of the pansexual group's e-mail list has started a database of survivors through the Yahoo Groups Website for the list.

A representative of SMART (Southern Mississippi Associates in Roses and Thorns) in Moss Point says that the pansexual group now has three members who "have lost everything and are homeless."

RELATED LINKS

New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers Social Club and its e-mail list.

NOBLE and its e-mail list.

MAsT NEW ORLEANS

According to Master Ces, a member of MAsT Houston and founder of the D/s discussion group The Open Door–Houston, nearly all of the members of MAsT New Orleans have checked in. Two members who do not live in New Orleans are still unaccounted for.

Master Ces received her information from Master Lanie, head of MAsT New Orleans.

MAsT New Orleans is a pansexual chapter of Masters And slaves Together, a national network of organizations for "adults who live the Dominant/submissive lifestyle."

AMBUSH MAG

The New Orleans magazine Ambush Mag, noteworthy for its heavy coverage of leather news, has updated its Website with information provided by its publishers, Rip and Marsha Naquin-Delain.

Rip Naquin-Delain posted a vivid description of what it was like to be in New Orleans during the crisis:

"We all heard a crash down the street and saw that a police cruiser had pulled up to Mary's and was breaking down the door. Apparently, we thought, they were getting supplies they needed to insure the Quarter's safety. Another car drove up and a police officer, with what looked like a machine gun, got out and stood guard while both cars were loaded from Mary's. That was certainly scary. Little did we know that that would be the last time we'd see police officers through the night and the next morning, Wednesday.

"As the city became pitch black with nightfall, the noise began. . . ."

Mr. Naquin-Delain said that three of their New Orleans staff members have not yet contacted the magazine: Toni Pizanie, Wally Sherwood, and Kevin M. Butler.

Toni Pizanie was the first runner-up in the Miss Louisiana Leatherette contest in 2004, which was sponsored by the Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe.

Wally Sherwood was the Man of the Year in this year's Pantheon of Leather, sponsored by The Leather Journal. Two New Orleans clubs, the Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe and the New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers Social Club, have Mr. Sherwood listed as missing.

Ambush Mag has published a number of e-mails it has received which offer help and tell who has survived from New Orleans.

The magazine is one of the sponsors of the Southern Decadence gay festival, which attracts many leatherfolk. The magazine earlier announced that an Unofficial Southern Decadence in Exile will take place on Wednesday, September 7, at 5 p.m. in Lafayette, Louisiana.

GLBT and mainstream news sites around the nation have been providing information on a small, impromptu Southern Decadence celebration that took place in New Orleans on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the news site Gay365.com quoted Dan Craig, FEMA's director of recovery, as saying that it could take up to two years of repairs before New Orleans residents were permitted to return to their city.

RELATED LINKS

MAsT New Orleans and its e-mail list.

Ambush Mag.

Gays Defiant in Katrina's Wake. A news article from Gay365.com.

In a post to the Leather Titleholders e-mail list on September 3, this year's International Mr. Leather, Michael Egdes, urged leatherfolk to set aside debates over which charity to donate to, and simply respond quickly to the emergency situation faced by hurricane victims.

"Those who are trapped, starving, sick and homeless cannot afford the luxury of time," he said. "Gay or straight, young or old, black or white, they need help now. The gay community has, from all reports, vacated, and it will be some time before they can inform us of their needs. We should do whatever we can to help all those who need our help."

Mr. Egdes is coordinating a national relief effort for the leather community that is aimed at assisting all hurricane victims. A second national relief effort, sponsored by International LeatherSIR and Leatherboy, is specifically aimed to assist leatherfolk who have been harmed by the hurricane.

"It is heartwarming to witness the overwhelming response and compassion demonstrated by our community in this time of need," Mr. Egdes said. "It makes me so proud to be gay."

Mr. Egdes suggested that the donations should not be turned into a "public relations opportunity. We should help because, at this time of suffering and need, it is the right thing to do."

He added, "At the same time, there is no harm in our community taking credit for doing something that is beneficial to the greater population. I suggest, therefore, that when donations are made to an organization outside of the gay community, they are made through an organization that can pass along the donations in large sums to the respective relief organizations in the name of the gay community."

MISSING LEATHERFOLK

Leather clubs and related groups continue to issue news on missing members. As of late September 5, the Cavaliers Motorcycle Club had not yet heard from four members, the Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe were seeking twelve members, and the New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers Social Club says that it has eighteen missing members. All members of the Crescent City Outlaws are safe. The Knights d'Orleans and MAsT New Orleans have not yet issued official reports.

A number of leatherfolk who were previously unaccounted for have made contact with the clubs, including Mr. Louisiana Leather 1997, Melvin Knight.

Several gay, pansexual, and heterosexual groups in Mississippi and Alabama have reported that their members are safe, though some members sustained property damage.

Alabama groups reporting their status to True Tales were CAPE (Central Alabama Power Exchange) in Montgomery, DARE in Sylacauga, FDMS, SAFE (Southeast Alabama Fetish Enthusiasts) in Dothan, and the Steel City Centurions in Birmingham.

Mississippi groups were Jackson Munch in Jackson and SMART (Southern Mississippi Associates in Roses and Thorns) in Moss Point.

TEXAS LEATHERFOLK HELP OUT

In the meantime, offers of assistance to the hurricane victims continued to pour in from the leather and BDSM communities.

Travis Wilson, former chairman of the pansexual group Houston People Exchanging Power, has paired up with Leo il Maestro, president of the Austin pansexual group GWNN (Group With No Name), to run a project providing housing for leatherfolk refugees in Texas.

Mr. Wilson was the keynote speaker at the 2004 Leather Leadership Conference, which was held in New Orleans. He says that his own part of the project now has "over forty families ready to offer homes, etc., for temporary help to these leather people in need."

Leo il Maestro wrote to various e-mail lists, "As your friends, family, slaves, Masters, etc., contact you, please let them know that we now have a huge number of folks from GWNN in Austin, as well as dozens in Houston and San Antonio, who have offered us their homes, apartments, empty dungeons for those needing shelter. We have volunteers who can get to the shelters in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio and retrieve folks."

NEW ORLEANS LEATHER AUTHOR LOCATED

The leather literary community has also felt the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Jamie Joy Gatto, founder of the erotic e-zine Mind Caviar and a former columnist for The Eulenspiegel Society's pansexual magazine Prometheus, was caught in the New Orleans floods.

Her publisher, Sage Vivant of Custom Erotica Source, wrote in a letter published on September 4 at author Thomas Roche's blog that Ms. Gatto "has found shelter with friends in Houston, Texas. Although she escaped (walking for five hours through waist deep water), she was unable to bring any of her personal belongings with her, including clothing."

Sage Vivant has joined with author M. Christian to start a fund for Ms. Gatto. M. Christian is editor of the leather anthologies Rough Stuff and Roughed Up.

A REASON TO WEAR LEATHER

Leather artisans are becoming involved in relief efforts as well. Recent discussions on the e-mail list of NOBLE (New Orleans Bondage and Leather Enthusiasts) have centered upon a project to sell create and sell leather wrist-bands to raise money for the victims.

One member of NOBLE wrote on the group's e-mail list:

"I am wearing a piece of black leather for an arm band. I found it in the market in Luanda two days ago.

"I am going to wear it. 

"Until we are all located.

"Until we are all home."

RELATED LINKS

IML 2005: Michael Egdes.

International LeatherSIR and Leatherboy.

Texas coalition providing housing for leatherfolk and BDSM folk who are evacuees: Contact Leo il Maestro (GWNN) or Travis Wilson (Houston PEP). More information.

GWWN.

Houston PEP.

Houston BDSM. With writings by Travis Wilson.

News on Jamie Joy Gatto.

Jamie Joy Gatto.

Mind Caviar.

Custom Erotica Source.

NOBLE and its e-mail list.

SouthernDecadence.com and AmbushMag.com have announced that there will be an Unofficial Southern Decadence in Exile 2005 celebration in Lafayette, Louisiana, at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7. Details on the gathering are available at both Websites.

The official leather-friendly GLBT celebration in New Orleans was cancelled after Hurricane Katrina caused flooding in the city.

Meanwhile, some revellers aren't willing to wait for the unofficial gathering. An Associated Press news article by Robert Tanner included the following passage:

"Amid the tragedy, about two dozen people gathered in the French Quarter for the Decadence Parade, an annual Labor Day gay celebration. Matt Menold, 23, a street musician wearing a sombrero and a guitar slung over his back, said: 'It's New Orleans, man. We're going to celebrate.'"

The extent of the destruction in New Orleans is still being assessed by leatherfolk. The New Orleans Bears and Bear Trappers Social Club issued on Sunday a long list of its members who have checked in as safe; within a few hours, five more members had been located. Fifteen members still remain unaccounted for, though. Among the missing members are Wally Sherwood, columnist for New Orleans's leather-friendly Ambush Mag and Man of the Year 2005 in The Leather Journal's Pantheon of Leather.

Other leather-related groups in New Orleans have also released news on their members. All have announced that the majority or all of their members are safe, but some members remain unaccounted for. The Cavaliers Motorcycle Club is missing four members. The Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe is missing seventeen members, including Mr. Louisiana Leather 1997, Melvin Knight. NOBLE (New Orleans Bondage and Leather Enthusiasts) are missing an unspecified number of members. The Phoenix leather/levi bar is missing three staff members.

The Crescent City Outlaws reported earlier that all of its members are safe. No reports have been issued by other New Orleans leather groups.

Meanwhile, businesses are worrying about the extent of their damage. Although the staff of the Phoenix received eyewitness reports that their building is relatively intact, other businesspeople have less information to work with.

In 2004, KTM Enterprises, a Louisiana business that manufactures sex toys, contributed to an auction sponsored by the pansexual Northeast Fetish Group. The auction helped to raise money for the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. Now Ken Gerdes, president of the company, is uncertain whether his place of business has survived.

"We are located 50 miles north of the area that the storm made landfall and roughly 25 miles south of New Orleans," he says. "The media is so focused on the looting in downtown New Orleans, we don't have any information."

Mr. Gerdes is currently unable to do any business because of the storm. He says that KTM Enterprises is the sole source of income for himself and five employees.

He adds, "I am sure FEMA will not lend much assistance to the local fucking machine manufacturer."

Another individual with connections to the leather community has had better luck attracting attention. BDSM novelist Anne Rice has written an open letter that has been published at a number of news sites.

In her letter, Ms. Rice offered an extended paean to her native town of New Orleans before blasting the United States government for not providing quick assistance to the city.

Ms. Rice announced, "To my country I want to say this: During this crisis you failed us. You looked down on us; you dismissed our victims; you dismissed us. You want our Jazz Fest, you want our Mardi Gras, you want our cooking and our music. Then when you saw us in real trouble, when you saw a tiny minority preying on the weak among us, you called us 'Sin City,' and turned your backs."

Anne Rice's popular fantasy novels include the "Beauty" series, which has passages about heterosexual and gay BDSM. Excerpts from the series appeared in the gay leather magazine Drummer in 1984 and 1985, published under Ms. Rice's pen name, A. N. Roquelaure.

Her fiction also appeared in the Flesh and the Word erotic fiction anthologies edited by John Preston, best known for his gay leather novel Mr. Benson. Ms. Rice was a friend of Preston's and appeared in a fictional form in his 1986 novel Entertainment for a Master.

Anne Rice lived in New Orleans until tourist congestion surrounding her house forced her to move to the suburbs in 2004. According to an Associated Press article by Colleen Long, the Garden District where her former home is located was "battered by high winds which knocked down trees." No information was given in the article as to whether the Greek Revival home was damaged.

New Orleans will be restored, Ms. Rice predicted.

"I know that New Orleans will win its fight in the end," she said. She added, "[Its people] will rebuild as they have after storms of the past; and they will stay in New Orleans because it is where they have always lived, where their mothers and their fathers lived, where their churches were built by their ancestors, where their family graves carry names that go back 200 years. They will stay in New Orleans where they can enjoy a sweetness of family life that other communities lost long ago."

RELATED ARTICLES

Southern Decadence.

Ambush Mag.

New Orleans Gathers Its Dead. Associated Press article by Robert Tanner.

KTM Enterprises.

What Do People Really Know About New Orleans? An open letter by Anne Rice.

Katrina Damages New Orleans Landmarks. Associated Press article by Colleen Long.

The majority of members of the New Orleans Bondage and Leather Enthusiasts (NOBLE), a pansexual BDSM group in Greater New Orleans, are safe, states Edge, the NOBLE Council Secretary for 2004-5.

"As far as I am aware, the majority of our active members have checked in on our various lists and let us know that they are okay and have left cell numbers and some sort of contact information for everyone," Edge says.

Edge adds, "I have just now, today, been able to access my email for the first time in one week and the outpouring of emotion and help from the greater Southeast and beyond communities has been very touching. . . . With every day and with every email, phone call, and text message that gets through to one of us, our sense of community grows stronger."

RELATED LINK

NOBLE.

DB (David Buck), manager of the Phoenix in New Orleans, reports that the leather/levi bar has survived and will reopen when the city does.

"While there is significant roof damage and some parts of the bar have of course had serious water damage, the building is believed to be intact enough to be repaired," he posted on the bar's Website.

DB based his assessment on eyewitness reports and aerial photos, according to an e-mail sent to friends of the bar.

RELATED LINK

The Phoenix.

New Orleans has been severely flooded following levee breaks, and its population is being evacuated. As reported in the GLBT media, the annual leather-friendly Southern Decadence gay festival in New Orleans, originally scheduled for Labor Day weekend, has been cancelled.

Alan Bowers, Mr. Louisiana Leather 2005, reported at the Leather Titleholders list that the Mr. Louisiana Leather contest, scheduled as part of Southern Decadence, has also been cancelled.

Mr. Bowers was among the leatherfolk who fled New Orleans after it was hit by the hurricane.

The Lords of Leather Mardi Gras Krewe in Louisiana has set up a special page at its Website to track members. According to the page, as of 1 p.m. on September 2, 35 of the krewe members were reported to be safe. No information was yet available on 19 of the members.

"At this time no krewe members are known to have suffered severe physical harm," the krewe's Website stated. "Many have lost all their personal property due to the storm itself or subsequent flooding. As we all know these physical items can be replaced. It is our club spirit and brotherhood that will help us survive this disaster."

The Crescent City Outlaws in New Orleans reported at their Website that all of the club's members safely evacuated the area.

No definitive word has been received yet on the physical state of the Phoenix, a leather/levi bar in New Orleans. DB (David Buck), the Webmaster of the Phoenix's Website, posted a message urging the bar's staff members to contact him with news of whether they were safe.

"As you have figured by now, we are all out of a livelihood for at least some months, and maybe forever," he told the staff. "It is just too soon to say."

No information is yet available on other area leather and BDSM organizations, such as the Knights d'Orleans.

The Cavaliers MC, a gay and lesbian motorcycle club in New Orleans, has posted on its Website a list of its members who are safe. The club is still trying to reach some of its members.

Messages posted at the club's e-mail list over the last few days reflected the emerging danger.

"If she hits as prognosed (as of 1pm CDT Saturday), there will be the mother of all surge waves coming up the Mississippi, so I suggest y'all get the hell outa Dodge!" wrote one member on August 27.

Soon reports were arriving from members.

"Evacuated and no idea of what we have left at home. Luckily, the dogs and motorcycles are safe as are we."

"We need luck to make it through the dang traffic!"

"We are safely in a hotel in Houston, with my 78-year-old dad, his dog, our dogs, and our cat."

"We are worrying about looters."

At one point, a member was reported missing by his family but was eventually located. "He floated to the highway from his house and hitchhiked to Lafayette in the back of a pick-up truck," stated a club member.

One couple said that they had decided to move out of the area following the disaster. Another member replied, "I can understand your decision and wish you the best of luck. I, on the other hand, can not wait to get back and rebuild our wonderful city. Each of us has to make some really hard decisions and I am sure you are not the only ones making the choice not to return."

Around the country, leatherfolk stepped forward to assist the Louisiana survivors with offers of housing and donations. Several leather groups immediately made plans to hold relief benefit gatherings.

Some members of the Krewe de Kinque, San Francisco's Mardi Gras club, had planned to fly to New Orleans for Southern Decadence. Instead, the krewe will hold a "Western Decadence" gathering in San Francisco to raise relief funds.

In a press release from the krewe, member Stephen Rowell, who is a native of New Orleans, said, "My family and most all of my relatives have no home to go back to. No homes, no jobs, and hardly any hope. We need to do something."

The International LeatherSIR and Leatherboy Contest is also raising funds. In a press release, the organization stated that its funds would be directed toward assisting leatherfolk. "The Red Cross and other government based programs do a fine job, but none of them focus on the needs of the Leather Community, needs that remain unrecognized by many communities at large," said the organization.

International Mr. Leather 2005, Michael Egdes, has chosen a different approach in a national leather fundraiser he is coordinating through the Sunshine Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In a joint announcement with James Sands and Todd Smith, he stated, "Although many members of our own community have been severely affected by Katrina, we believe that our efforts should be directed towards helping everyone who has been affected. The hurricane did not discriminate; neither should we."

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) issued an action alert condemning an evangelical Christian group, Repent America, that called the hurricane an "act of God" against New Orleans for its sponsoring of Southern Decadence and other parties.

NCSF, which works to protect the rights of groups in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, noted that French Connection's N'awlins in November, a swing lifestyle convention, may be affected by the storm. The organization urged its members to make donations to the Red Cross Relief Fund.