18 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE JANUARY 10, 1997

EVENINGS OUT

Leather, fetish and fantasy clubs join together

by Dawn Leach

Columbus-Members of gay leather and fetish communities don't always get a warm welcome in the larger gay community, according to Jeff Knoll, president of the Vulcans levileather club.

Knoll said a lack of understanding of leather and fetish sometimes leads to discrimination.

"It's much like the feeling that many people have toward drag queens. They don't like people who dress in drag, so they won't have anything to do with it," said Knoll. "There have been cases where people dressed in leather have been asked to leave bars because they're intimidating. There are bars that will not serve somebody dressed in drag.”

This is one reason that six leather and fetish clubs in Columbus have joined together to form an umbrella group, CUFF, Clubs United in Fetish and Fantasy. The groups represented run the gambit of fetishes from levi and leather, to sadomasochism, bondage and discipline, to gender play.

"There's room for all of us within the gay community," said Knoll. "If we learn more about ourselves, and about the others, we can be more tolerant and more aware of others' feelings."

Knoll said that it is part of CUFF's mission to combat negative stereotypes of fetishists.

"We tend to get a bad rap, and there's no need for it," said Knoll. "But if we just sit there and accept our bad rap, no one's going to learn that we're real people."

Knoll said that CUFF also acts to help mediate differences in the gay community.

"There are times when a group may have trouble with a bar, and if CUFF can step in and iron out that problem, it works out better for everybody, for the bar, for the clubs, and for the community," said Knoll. “Of course another part of the reason is to promote friendship and fraternity between the member clubs

If you want the

job done right... ...Ya gotta hire a dyke For all your general carpentry needs:

•Doors •Windows ⚫Cabinets

Shelves Home Repair And more, Just give me a call. 216/486-3282

Aleyda Rodriguez

Also, Concrete Work

and between the members."

Centurions, Vulcans, Boytoy Productions, Dragons, Trident and the Columbus chapter of the National Leather Association are all members of CUFF. A representative of each club attends CUFF meetings once a month.

Jan Hall, Columbus NLA co-chair, said that the groundwork for forming CUFF was laid when groups which have traditionally consisted mostly of gay men opened up to women, followed by pansexual groups open to all sexual orientations.

Knoll explained that SM can be blind to gender lines.

"An SM scene [encounter] does not have to be sexual," said Knoll. "That's something that is very interesting about SM. It breaks down a lot of barriers. You can have a scene with a person that you wouldn't go to bed with, and have a very satisfying time."

Knoll, who represents the Vulcans club at CUFF meetings, said that the meetings are an opportunity for the various clubs to coordinate their schedules to avoid conflicts and keep members informed about what other clubs are doing.

Columbus NLA secretary Athena Lyons explained that another reason for the association is that many fetishists experience isolation.

"I see it as an encouraging way to band this community together under one flag," she said.

Philip Miller, co-author of Screw the Roses, Send Me the Thorns, an introduction to SM for novices and curious non-practitioners, spoke highly of the Columbus leather community. "It seems to me a kind of golden age for SM in Columbus," said Miller in a September interview.

Miller said that in traveling with co-author Molly Devon to promote the book, they have found the Columbus community to be unique.

"We find a pansexual attitude here of not just tolerance, but interaction," said Miller. "It's wonderful. There's a good deal of things that are separated around the country, that's kind of difficult, but in Columbus I've found it to be a tremendously good situation, very heartening."

Miller's recent unexpected death stunned and saddened SM communities around the country.

Devon said that leather and fetish communities are beginning to demonstrate political awareness as well. A recent example is in the case of the Houghtons of New York State, who lost custody of their children last year when a stolen videotape of the couple engaged in consensual sadomasochism was given to police. Leather and fetish communities around the country have rallied around the Houghtons to provide support and raise funds to help with legal fees. CUFF held a fundraiser for the Houghtons on June 29.

"The leather community in general has done a lot of things not only to support someone in the Houghton's situation, but to actually work against domestic violence, and be a resource for other various issues," said Devon. Lyons, who coordinated the Houghton fund-

Martha H. Murphy, Ph.D.

Counseling Psychologist

Lesbian and Gay Issues

Personal Growth and Expression

Hypnosis and Imagery

Sexual Abuse

Depression and Anxiety Individual and Couples

Insurance Accepted (216)734-7841

8748 Brecksville Rd. Suite Brecksville, Ohio 44141

21843 Norton Rd. Bedford Hts., Ohio 44146

Philip Miller and Molly Devon with Athena Lyons.

raiser, said that CUFF has also been working to persuade the Columbus public library to reverse its ban on The Beauty Trilogy, an SMthemed series by Anne Rice, author of Interview With the Vampire.

"We're fighting very hard to get that back on the shelves," said Lyons. "These are the kinds of outlets that we band together. And we happen to have a great time."

Knoll said that the most important thing

DOREEN CUDNIK

that CUFF does is provide visibility to groups of people who are largely invisible.

"Just as gays are no longer in the closet," said Knoll, "people involved in SM shouldn't have to be in the closet, but the only way we can come out is through community education."

Anyone interested in learning more about CUFF can find out by contacting any of its member organizations, or by calling Jeff Knoll at 614-444-5070.

Band can't go straight after their sexy pop single

Seasick Imperial Teen Slash Records

Reviewed by Bob Boone

Being lured into Imperial Teen's Seasick by the sexy, pop-like single "You're One" has proven to be a rewarding experience.

The album eases listeners in with a lethargically energetic song "Imperial Teen," and then snaps them awake with the grittier "Water Boy," with teasing lyrics that exemplify the album's need for close attention: "Refuse to eat the fruit, those vitamins won't do; I just bite it off, I'm getting fat for you."

By the time Roddy Bottums (on leave from Faith No More) and his bandmate Will Schwartz are huskily imploring, “Kiss me like a man, boy" in the band's hit "You're One," Imperial Teen has entrenched itself in one of 1996's best albums. Self-described as "a pretty little baby rose that's growing like a bramble from our collected neurosis," the band is rife with playful energy and teenage angst, but from a wiser, reflective perspective.

Lynn Perko, formerly of Sister Double Happiness, provides drums and backing vocals for the band's self-composed songs and

the foursome is completed by Jone, who adds her backing vocals and guitar.

While the CD is the perfect instigator for dancing around the living room in your socks and pajamas, any opportunity to venture out and catch an Imperial Teen concert should not be missed. When Bottums sings, “We

immperial leen

played a show and no one came; we played and played it just the same," you'll realize that even in the unlikely event no one showed up to an Imperial Teen concert, the band really is having too good a time not to play and play.

Ever Wonder What the Future Holds for You?

It Could Be As Simple As Picking Up Your Phone!

1-900-484-8888, Ext. 1375

Live Person-to-Person Chat.

Will you finally find that one true love?

What financial rewards await you?

3.99 per min

• Will fortune... Or misfortune... befall you this year?

Must be 18 years or over to call.

Diatronix

SDCalifornia

Cust. Serv. Line 619/569-4444