Philadelphia Leather Pride Night

November 9th, 2013  6pm to midnight

Voyeur Nightclub 1221 Saint James Street

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid180211731001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAGuN0bcE~,rS1wzGXkRNnKZBuQ4FRjFM7e28yVdmek&bclid=0&bctid=2147278536001

Our featured artist from Philadelphia Leather Pride 2012, Sir Nagrom Morgan Monceaux’s latest exhibit is on display at the National Airport DC during Black History Month. Please watch the video from the above link. Everyday members of our community do great things.

4^th Annual Philadelphia Leather Pride Features Wealth of Entertaining & Educational Events

By Bruce-Michael Gelbert for The Leather Journal

The fourth annual Philadelphia Leather Pride Night (PLPN) and Weekend, from November 9 to 11, 2012, featured an embarrassment of riches, including an auction, as its centerpiece, at Voyeur Nightclub, on the 10^th, raising more than $10,000 for the beneficiaries; entertainment; a panel discussion; and other pertinent presentations.  Mid Atlantic Leatherwoman 2009 Cowboi Jen, Passion, Tina, boy chris of the Keystone Boys of Leather, and all others who assisted once again pulled off a benefit, worthy indeed of the Pantheon of Leather Small Event of the Year award for 2012, presented by Leather Journal Publisher and Editor Dave Rhodes, who also gave the Pantheon Small Club of the Year award to the Keystone Boys.

To celebrate the Leather Journal’s 25 years of publication, a ‘roasting’ of Dave took place, at the William Way LGBT Community Center on November 9, coordinated by Sydney and featuring impertinent commentary by Leather Leadership Conference’s (LLC) CC, who reported on Dave’s chocolate fetish; the Carter/Johnson Leather Library’s Vi Johnson, who thanked Dave for 25 years of the Leather Journal, 26 years of friendship, and 27 years of community building; the Leather Archives and Museum’s (LA&M) Rick Storer, who let us know that the notorious Mr. Saliva contest had nothing to do with fundraising or activism, but with the licking of armpits; this writer, on contributing articles and photos to the Leather Journal recently, as well as some experience with it in the 1990s; Mr. Sanctuary Leather Mitch, who spoke of Dave’s knowledge of buffets and of sports, and called the Leather Journal “Dave’s excuse to take pictures of hot guys;” and Cowboi Jen, who declared of Dave, a major supporter of PLPN, “You’ve been a figure in my life—our friendship fits.”  Dave called the Mr. International Saliva contest a “play on the foibles of leather contests” and pointed out that, one year, a plant won.  He also spoke of his feud with Mr. Marcus—how it started, how it adversely affected the community, and how it ended, and announced the re-launching of the website theleatherjournal.com.

LA&M gave its President’s Award to Jen and Master Taino, of Masters & slaves Together (MAsT) and Master Taino’s Training Academy, Inc. (MTTA), presented donations from his organizations to LA&M and to Carter/Johnson during the weekend.

Hosting Pride Night were Mid Atlantic Bootblack 2005 and Ms. New Jersey Leather 2007 boy robi and Leatherman of Color 2011 Rod McCoy, of ONYX.  Conducting the auction, with flair, was barker extraordinaire Jo Arnone, who has presided over leather benefit auctions for almost 30 years, and notable auction items were: a gift package from the Bike Stop, Philadelphia’s venerable leather bar, including a camera, an iPad, and a private party for 20, which went for $800; a magical Apache pottery medicine bear, donated by International Ms. Leather 1987—the first—Judy Tallwing McCarthy; Philadelphia Bondage Club paraphernalia, including iron cuffs and collar, restraints, a bondage belt and cuffs, and a branding iron, shown to the audience by leather titleholders who were present; the right, by author Laura Antoniou, to name and describe a character who will be included in her next work, for which burlesque entertainer Desire De La Hoz paid $1,200; a platter of Zebrianna’s homemade brownies; Philadelphia Opera Company tickets; “Jake on a cross,” Larry Woods’ etching on metal, presented by Jake and netting $1,000, followed by a weekend of Jake’s services, as a top or a bottom, which went for $425; and a leather teddy bear with the PLPN logo, the Liberty Bell in leather pride flag colors, which brought in $155.  Beneficiaries were LA&M, the Carter/Johnson Leather Library, the Way Center, LLC, and By Grace of George, founded by Jo to help feed the pets of the homebound and terminally ill, who are otherwise unable to care for them.  On November 9, the Philadelphians Motorcycle Club offered a Kinky Karnival, at the Bike Stop, featuring flogging and hot wax play, for the benefit of the Mazzoni Center Food Bank.

Entertainment at PLPN was provided by this baritone, singing “I Am What I Am,” from “La Cage aux Folles,” to open the proceedings; by drag kings Rasta Boi Punany, Dino Fontaine (Tom Lehrer’s “The Masochism Tango”), and Gringo Starr (“Creep”); and by Asbury Park’s Lady Marisa (“Commander” and “Last Dance”).  Don served as DJ.  Earlier, at iCandy, Jo spoke  of co-founding the Lesbian Sex Mafia, rebelling against “women oppressing other women’s sexuality,” in 1981; being branded, by the publication Off Our Backs, “the right hand of the patriarchy and the left hand of Satan;” and of the Leather Community raising funds to keep New York’s LGBT Pride March going when the presenters went bankrupt. At the Way Center, Dave, Judy, Mary Elizabeth Boyd, Mistress Mir, the writer, and Sir Nagrom Morgan Monceaux, whose awesome artwork was on display in an exhibit billed as “A Black Leatherman’s Journal,” participated in a panel entitled “Back in the Day—Up Close & Personal,” moderated by Vi and looking at our years of experience in the Leather Community.

Featured at PLPN were parades of current leather titleholders and of the colors of participating clubs.  Near the end of the evening, the Bucks Motorcycle Club’s JR (John) Ramos, the first Mr. NJ Leather, who is scheduled to be a host of PLPN 2013, was introduced.

Dinner tickets available at the information station located inside the Carter/Johnson Leather Library at the William Way Center or at the door of the event on the 2nd floor of I-Candy.

Just confirmed… Molly Devon will be at this Friday nights Leather Blender.. for those young’ins she is the Author of Screw the Roses.. Send Me the Thorns. She will do a book reading/signing and will have books for sale!!!
The event is also the 25th Anniversary Party for The Leather Journal. The editor Dave Rhodes will be on location as well as many special guests to help celebrate.
So come out and meet our authors… our artists…. and celebrate our leather pride history and heritage!!!

Suggested donation for the night $10.00, 6pm to 9pm at the William Way Center inside the Carter/Johnson Leather Library. We have complimentary beer/wine non-alcoholic beverages, light faire. Sponsors are the owners of the Bike Stop Robert and Carmella, Midtown II Restaurant and Innovative Catering Concepts. Participating groups helping make this happen are the Liberty Bears and the Submissive Scene.

All of our venue’s are within a short walk. There are ample parking lots surrounding the area. The Philadelphia Orchestra will be at the Kimmel Center over the weekend but otherwise the theaters are preparing for upcoming events (like War Horse) and parking should be much easier this year.

This is a map of the region showing where all of our venue’s are located as well as a suggested 24 hour diner – the Midtown II Restaurant – that has supported us over the years. There is a ton of food available in the region. Like the dinner at i-Candy that takes place on Saturday Nov 10th from 4:30 to 7pm, i-Candy also has a Sunday Brunch thats not to miss!  One of the favorites is a 5-Guys located a half block away from The Bike Stop. From Ruth Chris’s to I-Hop to Fogo de Chao and everything imaginable in-between all within 2 blocks of our venues. Please do not forget our LGBT Restaurants located in the gayborhood. Its all right here!!!

Oh… food…. if you get hungry during Philadelphia Leather Pride Night we will once again be serving pizza during the break   –   sponsored once again by The Violet Wand Store.

So please come to town and come hungry and please remember to thank those that support us!

Make it a weekend in Philadelphia.

$20 advance price tickets are now available at two of our weekend sponsors retail stores… as well as local meetings and munches.

Sexploratorium, www.passionaltoys.com,  is located at 620 S 5th Street Philadelphia PA.

Le Chateau Exotique, www.fetishwear.com, is located at 27 W Mechanic Street New Hope PA

Both stores are weekend sponsors of the Philadelphia Leather Pride event… stop by…get your tickets.. and support those that support our community!!

More opportunities….

NDDs, another weekend sponsor, will have main event tickets as well as dinner tickets at their 2nd Thursday munch taking place in Wilmington Delaware.

One of our Education sponsors – South Jersey Power Exchange Discussion Group and Novice Hour taking place on 11-07-12… will also have advance tickets available.

Cowboi Jen, Tina-The Devils Feather, Loving Kitten and Lady Elaina all have tickets. If you see any of us please do not hesitate to ask if we have advance tickets on us.

$20 advance tickets will also be available up to 1 hour before the main event  inside the Carter/Johnson  Leather Library which will be located inside the ballroom at the William Way Center at 1315 Spruce Street Philadelphia… just over one block from our main venue Voyeur.

Sexploratorium and Le Chateau Exotique will only accept cash for tickets.

We will be able to take cash and credit cards for tickets sold at the above events as well as at the door of Voyeur during the main event on Saturday Nov 10th from 6pm to midnight.