I know I said I wasn't going to do it. But I decided to do it anyway. Tomorrow night is the Mr. Northeast Leather Sir/boy contest. I'm going to compete.

Wha' happened?

Well, I ran into one of the organizers. She was nervous about how things were shaping up. She's never taken on anything like this. She didn't beg, but she did say she would be grateful if I would put in an application.

I'm thinking of the 1970 Miss America Pageant. Second Wave Feminism was at it's apex then. There was a demonstration down in Atlantic City to protest the pageant. The pageant presented idealized images of femininity, turning women into commodities. It was wrong, and women were hurt by it as they were not taken seriously. As part of the protest, a few women burned their bras. That's where the term 'bra-burning feminist' comes from.

Why bring that up? Well... Did those women have a point? Absolutely. Yes they did. No argument there. But at the same time, it's just a beauty pageant. It doesn't mean anything. Having been involved in direct action activism, I can hear the discussion that went on. There will be lots of media there, we'll be able to get a point across, Atlantic City isn't too far from NYC...

So I have no arguments to counter those that have been presented to me by folks that I respect. All I can say in my defense is that it's just a contest. Whether I win or lose, enter or don't, it doesn't matter much. However, I'll be doing a favor for people of whom I think highly and who have put a lot of work into this. I wouldn't want to let them down.

Incidently, I raised the issue today with my therapist. She's supported me entering the contest from when I first raised the issue many months ago. "It'll be fun and you should have fun" is essentially her rationale. She asked the name and address of the bar where it will be held (The Slide, at 4th Street and the Bowery), and may very well show up.

I'm basically planning on winging it. The trickiest thing is going to be the Fantasy segment. Frankly, I'm stumped. I don't have any fantasies that I haven't realized in one way or another. And, the chances of rounding up a bottom in the next nineteen hours are slim to none. So, I'm going to read a little something I wrote. It's in a humorous vein. Be reassured: I'm not taking this too seriously.

At the Folsom Street East planning meeting tonight, when the issue came up and I mentioned sotto voce that I'd be competing, I think I saw Diabolique grit his teeth. It crossed my mind to just do it and not tell a living soul that I did it, regardless of the outcome, but that wouldn't work. Especially not with Diabolique, plugged in as he is.

It ought to make interesting reading. Stay tuned.

---