Leather History Meeting Relives the Wounds of AIDS (tags)
Though it was billed as a panel on the history of San Diego's Leather community, the San Diego League of Gentlemen meeting July 1 turned into something else: an emotionally intense discussion and reminiscence of the effect AIDS had on the Queer community in general and the Leather community in particular. Themselves touched by the crisis directly ? all the panelists either had AIDS, took care of people who did or were active in the community's response ? they talked about the pain of losing so many friends but also how the community grew and its surviving members became more emotionally committed to each other.
San Diego Leatherpeople, Police Meet to Discuss “Leather and the Law” (tags)
The San Diego Gay Leathermen Only (GLO) organization met October 1 with representatives of the San Diego Police Department — vice squad head Lt. Chris Ball and Lesbian/Gay community liaison Mark Dallezotte — and attorney Andy Zmurkiewicz, who successfully defended the "San Diego Six" in 2000. The issues discussed included the distinction between "public" and "private" places to have sex (the issue at the heart of the Six case) and whether leatherpeople run the risk of being arrested and charged with domestic violence for having consensual sadomasochistic sex.