New Horizons For Fifty - A Different View of Things

by Eric Crow I am a member of the 15 Association, a men's Leather fraternity founded in 1980; the oldest on the West Coast. Founded in San Francisco, “The 15” gets its name because of how many men may be on the Fraternal Committee at one time and vote. The 15 currently has 140 members in 19 states and 3 countries, and they hold monthly men’s play parties in San Francisco. The two signature events for the 15 are Bootcamp, an extended play party each June, and the (39th) Anniversary Weekend in February. This weekend event consists of a formal Leather banquet and silent auction on Friday, which also functions as the club’s annual meeting, as well as play parties on Saturday and Sunday. My question for them, once it was over, was simple: name your favorite part of the weekend. Here’s what some of them said: Brian Ballone  (Mr. GNI Leather 2018, on the left) :  Merely being there. I truly feel accepted around 99% of the guys. They are the family I chose and...

by Eric Crow Note: In addition to being a snark-free zone, New Horizons is also a "judgment free zone." We don't know the lives other people lead and they don't know the lives we lead. All we are called to do as readers is listen, learn and understand. For this installment of "On Your Block," I sat down for an intimate conversation with LALC Chairman, Gus Norris. We got right down to business:  NH: Let's talk about kinky Gus. When did you first discover your kinky side? Gus : When I was 11, I discovered a stash of toys and catalogues hidden inside a kids suitcase. My parents didn’t try very hard to hide their things, and I basically thought it was mine to open. Also, I got educated by looking through the Adam & Eve catalogue. I found myself most drawn to the Leather Daddy image.  NH : What was it about that image? Gus : I can't put my finger on it, it just resonated with me. These kinds of images speak f...