Outlooks Magazine
10 October 2005
By Shaun Proulx
It’s Leather Time
EYE ON TORONTO
Here’s something that men who love men across this great
country of ours can enjoy: Eighteen Men. That’s the name of the
new calendar launched recently at the Black Eagle by Mr.
Leatherman Toronto 2005, Sean Cribbin. Not your typical
Chippendale prototype, it’s an eighteen-month tribute to real
men in all their different colours, shapes and sizes. Cribbin’s
organization of choice during his reign was the mentoring
program SOY—Supporting Our Youth Toronto—and that’s
where funds raised will go. You can order your copy by surfing
to eighteenmen.com.
You know the movie sucks when not even Madonna, sitting
next to you in support, can help control the snickers going on in
the dark during the screening. In town last month for the Toronto International Film
Festival, Guy Richie’s wife stole the show when she appeared with him on the red carpet
at the premiere of his film, Revolver. But the ABBA sampler’s star power ended there;
the Revolver audience didn’t care who was in the house and were not kind. Wonder if
the power couple made it to the fest-fete celebrating a/k/a Tommy Chong, where 200 pot
brownies baked by the Toronto Hemp Company were served?
Gentlemen, polish your leather. This month sees the annual preliminary competitions
taking place at local businesses like Zelda’s, The Black Eagle and Woody’s; guys will
compete to represent at the Mr. Leatherman Toronto 2006 Competition next month.
The competition weekend, which includes social shin-dings galore, an educational seminar
series, a leather market, the MLT 2006 competition itself and a big blow out called the
Victory Ball, is one of our community’s social events of the fall season.
So, too, is Northbound Leather’s annual fetish party, October 22 at The Docks. It’s
time again for another pervy party, this time called Climax, but regular attendees
shouldn’t expect the usual forty-five minute fashion show. Instead, watch for storytelling
and vignettes Northbound Leather-style. Producer George Giaouris and Co. are planning
to push the envelope as far as possible “without getting arrested”, and this is a man who
doesn’t joke around. Medical play, mummification, an insane asylum scene, shaving scene
and fire-play are all fetishes to be staged. Takes the edge of off a simple piss scene, doesn’t
it?
Of course, this month also brings that gay High Holiday, Halloween. I know of a pair
of lads who have been at work since the end of August on their Good/Evil costume.
Church Street will once again be closed to traffic that night and it’s expected the community
will descend en masse to find out who’s wearing what. I’ll never forget last year
when there seemed like a dozen pairs of Siegfried and Roy’s-with a white stuffed tiger in
mid-chomp attached to each Roy’s neck.
And finally, please indulge this plug directly targeting Outlooks’ Toronto readers: With
Thanksgiving celebrations coming up and pie likely on the menu, consider supporting Pie
In The Sky, the annual Toronto People With AIDS Foundation fundraiser. Top chefs from
around Toronto donate gourmet apple and pumpkin pies, with sale proceeds going to
support PWA’s Food For Life Program. Ten meals for people homebound with HIV/AIDS
are provided via every $35 pie sold. Visit
torontopieinthesky.com to place an
order.
Shaun Proulx is a Toronto writer who contributes to
The Globe And Mail, is Publisher and Editor of
GayGuideToronto.com and is a feature contributor
and columnist (Cocktail Confessions) with Xtra.
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