Nibble on This: Soaping up with the New York boys of Leather [Gotham After Dark]
Posted at 4:26 PM Jul 29, 2008
On Tuesdays, Charlie Vazquez writes Gotham After Dark, a peek into what goes on in Manhattan's queer nightlife, with club and event reports and profiles of fascinating New Yorkers.
The New York boys of Leather or NYboL (pronounced "nibble") convened at the 9th Avenue Saloon recently for their monthly fetish party—leather, boots and denim galore! Modeled after previous boy groups in Washington DC and Los Angeles, NYboL was founded in 2005 and operates as a social and fundraising entity of both full-time and supportive members. (Their next party will be held at the 9th Avenue Saloon on August 16th.)
I was able to chat up Dave Hughes, one of the five founding members, about what it is these guys do and how they do it. I was pleased to learn that NYboL defines boyhood broadly, and that male-identified dykes and female-to-male trans-folk make up some of the numbers in its ranks. Once launched, NYboL went on to raise and donate over $10,000 to charities such as the Ali Forney Center for queer homeless youth here in NYC and the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago. These dedicated guys even help to organize NYC's annual Leather Pride Night and Folsom Street East.
Emphasizing service as product, these naughty lads hold their largest event, their yearly Car Wash fundraiser, in front of the Eagle NYC—(this year's fête happens on Sunday, September 7th, 2PM, so mark your calendar now). Their motto is "We'll wash what moves you," including cars, bikes, and bodies. This year's Car Wash beneficiary will be Team Eagle—a group of cyclists who raise money for AIDS research via the New York LGBT Center-sponsored Braking the Cycle ride, which begins in Gettysburg PA and ends right here in New York City. So put on some sleazy shorts and help them lather up!
Charlie Vazquez is a Brooklyn-based writer, part-time fetish clown and the assistant to Diamanda Galás--but really, he's nice.
more: Gotham After Dark
I love the New York boys of Leather. I even became an Associate!
And, hey, whatever happened to Madeline? I miss her updates.
Posted by: Lolita Wolf at July 30, 2008 5:05 PM
The Powers That Be (my bosses) decided that Madeline's posts were a bit of overkill... so they got killed.
Posted by: Audacia Ray at July 30, 2008 5:31 PM
I was wondering about Madeline too, she was FUNNY!
Posted by: Charlie Vazquez at July 31, 2008 6:54 PM
