1. Man: Leblanc had sex dungeon at Wolcott Road home
2. Thank You, Sir
3. Sex and the Faithful City
4. Schenectady approves tougher noise rules
5. Theater News: The Sexual Renaissance
6. New Details Given In Dominatrix Case
7. Freaky friday? Depends on your tastes
8. Pride celebration draws crowds, gains citywide support
9. S.F. Pride parade embraces families while keeping identity
10. Trooper accused of advertising ex-wife to face court
1. Man: Leblanc had sex dungeon at Wolcott Road home
2. Thank You, Sir
3. Sex and the Faithful City
4. Schenectady approves tougher noise rules
5. Theater News: The Sexual Renaissance
6. New Details Given In Dominatrix Case
7. Freaky friday? Depends on your tastes
8. Pride celebration draws crowds, gains citywide support
9. S.F. Pride parade embraces families while keeping identity
10. Trooper accused of advertising ex-wife to face court
Man: Leblanc had sex dungeon at Wolcott Road home
by Thor Jourgensen and Henry J. Collins
The Daily Item (Lynn, Mass.)
July 1, 2006
Gary Leblanc wasn't some unskilled amateur when it came to bondage and sexual role-playing in his Wolcott Road basement dungeon, a man who said Friday he had four sexual encounters with Leblanc.
The North Shore man, who confined his identity to Jeff, 40, said he met Leblanc at Wolcott Road for sex on four occasions, each lasting a couple of days between January and April 8 of this year when he decided he needed a breather.
"The reason I stopped was because I wasn't sure I could go where Gary wanted to go."
They agreed they both had to be satisfied with the encounters for them to continue and agreed to "try it again one more time."
Jeff said the last time he spoke to Leblanc was just before British resident Adrian Exley traveled to Lynn to meet him.
Jeff explained that Leblanc and Exley met through worldrubbermen.com, a sexually oriented Web site for men who enjoy wearing rubber and Latex. Exley listed himself on the site as "100 percent passive."
Leblanc killed himself in a New Hampshire parking lot last Friday after police searched his 11 Wolcott home, including the basement and two cars.
They found Exley's body on Monday in a Rhode Island wilderness area and confirmed that Exley flew to Boston from London on April 20 after arranging a weeklong visit with Leblanc over the Internet.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.thedailyitemoflynn.com/news/view.bg?articleid=12483 To respond, write to: news@thedailyitemoflynn.com
Thank You, Sir
The city's S&M aficionados broke out the Sunday-morning leather for this year's street fair in Chelsea
by Tim Murphy
New York Magazine
June 30, 2006
Out in swingin' San Francisco, the long-running annual Folsom Street leather/S&M festival has taken on a state-fair quality, attracting not only fetishists but also hordes of good-natured voyeurs.
Its Gotham spawn, Folsom Street East, is still a smaller and more subdued affair. Marking its tenth year June 18, the event – on West 28th Street near tough-guy gay bar the Eagle – drew some 8,000 devotees of leather, rubber, whips, and masks as well as the merely curious.
Gay and straight, dominant and submissive, they braved 90-degree heat to watch the drag acts and boot-licking demonstrations, schmooze with State Senator Tom Duane, and raise more than $20,000 for charity.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/17443/ To respond, write to: intel@nymag.com
Sex and the Faithful City:
A new breed of New Yorkers look to strengthen the ties of monogamy through open sexual relationships
by Stephanie Sellars
New York Press
June 28, 2006
In a candlelit room, a gorgeous nude woman is leaning her arms on a white-sheeted bed, while a hot man penetrates her from behind. Next to them, another attractive couple is in the same position, and the woman's breasts are spilling out of the lacy top of her French Maid outfit. The two women kiss and fondle each other with a delight that comes from the awareness that they have only just met and find themselves in this mutually pleasurable situation. A few feet away, a couple of women are on their knees, playing with each other's tits while another hetero couple is heaving to the rhythms of missionary sex that is everything but traditional. Sounds like a fantasy, right? Or a porn film? It's neither. It's a real scene from something that can be experienced at least once a week in New York City, in the fascinating underground world of sex parties.
These aren't the standard parties that somehow, through a steady stream of libations, turn into spontaneous orgies. "Sex Parties" are like live porn, only better, because you are directly involved. Whether they are called Swingers Parties, Play Parties or Erotic Soiries, they are fantasies played out on a sensual stage where group sex, voyeurism and exhibitionism are not exactly planned but expected and encouraged in a space where people feel safe and free to explore their sexuality on a communal level.
Roughly 1.5 million people in the United States are swingers. Also know discreetly as "The Lifestyle", swinging is any form of recreational social sex, a practice that defies the norm of sexual monogamy in committed relationships. For many young urban swingers, "swinging" is a dated term that implies middle-aged hippie orgies and suburban key parties in the '70s. According to Terry Gould, author of The Lifestyle: A Look at the Erotic Rites of Swingers, swinging started with World War II fighter pilots who cared for each others' wives if the husbands were away or missing in action. By the time the Korean War ended, these communities had spread to the suburbs and the media dubbed the phenomenon "wife-swapping".
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.nypress.com/19/26/news&columns/feature.cfm To respond, write to: editorial@nypress.com
Schenectady approves tougher noise rules
by Marc Parry
Albany Times Union
June 28, 2006
SCHENECTADY– The City Council passed a beefed-up noise ordinance Monday night — a change that comes as city officials consider ways to crack down on a Northside inn that hosts swingers parties.
Union Street Bed & Breakfast owner Bob Alexson said the move had no bearing on his business.
One person, he said, made all eight noise complaints over a one-year period. Alexson said he doesn't even allow music.
"There's never been any noise here," Alexson said after the meeting, which he watched on television at the inn. "Everybody knows it. We all laugh about it."
In the discussion that led to the Council's 5-1 vote, Alexson's bed and breakfast only came up once. And even then the mention was indirect.
Councilman Joseph Allen explained he was voting "no" in part because the ordinance was precipitated by a situation on Union Street that he felt was not about noise.
Meanwhile, Alexson is fighting back on another front in his months-long face-off with the city.
His lawyer responded with a scathing letter to the city's claim that Alexson needs a permit to operate. City attorneys say he needs it because guests bring alcohol to his swingers parties.
But Alexson's lawyer, Stephen Coffey, demanded to know whether other bed and breakfasts, Union College facilities, clubs and meeting halls have the permit the city says Alexson needs.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=495082&category=SCHENECTADY&BCCode=&newsdate=6/28/2006 To respond, write to: the author at mparry@timesunion.com or the editors at tuletters@timesunion.com
Theater News: The Sexual Renaissance
by Brendan Kiley
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
June 28, 2006
It seems like you can go to any neighborhood on any night and find women with tassels on their tits. The burlesque boom is everywhere, from fancy venues (like the Triple Door) to clubs (like the Heavens) to theaters (like the Rendezvous) to restaurants (like the Pink Door). While regional and fringe theaters fret about shrinking audiences and failing finances, the tassel-twirling phenomenon seems to prove that the only thing left to reinvigorate live theater is the universal reinvigorator: sex.
So it makes sense that Tim Murray, board member of the Wet Spot ("a sex-positive community center") and first-time theater producer (of Barely Legal, "a sex-positive play") is helping to build a new ("sex-positive") theater in a not-even-remotely-central location and is confident it will succeed. Barely Legal, which just closed at Spitfire, turned a profit with minimal advertising or press attention. Now Murray is working on renovations for a 40-seat theater adjacent to the Wet Spot – an unobtrusive pale-blue cinderblock building on 15th Avenue West, just up the road from the Utilikilt factory and across the street from a hand-painted sign advertising ladybugs. ("5" each or $5 per 100. They are amazingly beneficial, fun and educational for children, AND they are good luck!")
One afternoon, walking through the vacant building, with its couches, tables, and giant painting of a phallus, Murray insisted that the Wet Spot is not a sex club, although it does host swinger, bondage, and other "play" parties. "People also come to socialize – on Wednesday they play cards." The Wet Spot is expanding into the building next door, which will house, among other things, a theater for artists who "want to write edgier things." Like what? "Nudity, BDSM – you could write a hardcore rape scene, where at the end she takes the rapist's mask off and says 'Honey, that was so great!'" Would he consider producing full-penetration sex on stage? "Maybe," he said. "I'd like to see sex be just another part of the show. A friend of mine says it's like the queers – they started as the villain, then became the butt of the joke, then the hero, now they're just part of the story."
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=40012 To respond, write to: the author at brendan@thestranger.com or the editors at editor@thestranger.com
New Details Given In Dominatrix Case
by Larry Smith
The Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
June 28, 2006
ENFIELD — As police searched the Montano Road home of admitted dominatrix Michelle Silva on Nov. 16, a customer dropped by for a $250 bondage session he'd arranged earlier that day, according to a recently released arrest warrant affidavit.
The Branford man told police he had been looking for a place in Connecticut to participate in bondage activities and found out about Silva's place on the Internet, the affidavit said.
Police say Silva produced bondage and domination videos at her home and sold memberships to customers who watched them on her website.
The 44-year-old has been charged with two counts of promoting prostitution, one count of prostitution, permitting prostitution and violation of zoning regulations. She made her first appearance in Superior Court in Enfield Tuesday, but did not enter a plea. Her case was continued until July 12.
Police began investigating in January 2005 after they received an anonymous letter that Silva suspects was written by a competitor. Police have said that neighbors complained about people frequently visiting the house at night, but Silva denied that, saying none of her neighbors has complained to her.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-silva0628.artjun28,0,2290374.story?coll=hc-headlines-local To respond, write to: the author ay lsmith@courant.com or the editors at letters@courant.com
Freaky friday? Depends on your tastes
by Francesca Camillo
San Antonio Current
June 27, 2006
"We've got another Louie … Vanilla", purred a disciple who'd poured herself into a patent-leather corset and thigh-high boots for a Friday-night romp. Eyes were set on the bare-chested contestant tethered eagerly with leather wrist cuffs to a rectangular wooden "crossmember play-station", ready for his spanking. In bondage parlance, "vanilla" refers to someone who isn't "in the lifestyle", per se.
"Fetish Fridays", held at Bond's 007 Rock Bar, is a new venue for BDSM (Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, and/or Masochism) enthusiasts throughout the city, cultivating a community within which to meet other like-minded folks – and maybe get in a flogging or two.
Organized in part by the Lady Norma of Fyrechylde boutique – specializing in custom corsets – the upstairs "play" room of Bond's is a safe locus to satiate deep-seated appetites for domination and submission. The main tenet of BDSM is the barter of power; it infiltrates lifestyles, becoming a daily reality. Exploring the ceiling of one's sexual desires can be intense, and those with an affinity for BDSM wholeheartedly welcome the surge, accenting the experience with tools, toys, and ample leather.
A burly gentleman in gladiator-esque garb, low-lights, profuse black vinyl, and fishnet stockings greeted my companion and me as we entered the densely erotic nest. Beelining to the bar for something familiar, we took our beloved "black magic" brew to a corner table, ready to be gracious spectators for the evening.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16854702&BRD=2318&PAG=461&dept_id=484045&rfi=6 To respond, go to: http://www.zwire.com/site/?brd=2318&pag=795&newsid=16854702&action=submit
Pride celebration draws crowds, gains citywide support:
Several OU students feel lack of student organizations involvement during Pride by Maria Prato-Gaines
The Oklahoma Daily
June 27, 2006
If gays and lesbians find symbolism in a rainbow, it's probably because of the diverse makeup of their community, a fact that bled through the crowds at last weekend's Pride event.
Gays, straights, families, singles and a number of OU students made the trek to downtown Oklahoma City to show their pride in the local gay community.
Pride held smaller events during the week, including a silent auction and dinner at The Copa, a dance club and showbar in Oklahoma City.
The event raised $2,000 in proceeds benefitting OKC Pride Inc., said Nick Post, owner of The Copa.
On Friday, many who attended the Phoenix Rising were in their best leather attire to acknowledge all of Oklahoma's leather, bondage, dominatrix, sadomasochist and fetish organizations.
Despite a smaller-than-usual crowd, attendees were still quite festive about the event, said Scott Sullivan, one of the vendors and owner of the Bearhide Creation Company, which sells anything from homemade fetish items to trinkets.
Sullivan said he did not see a huge showing of the younger, college-aged crowd.
"I would say the majority of people were male and the average age was 36 to 38", he said. "It had a lot of traffic from other bar areas".
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.oudaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/06/27/44a1f00e2af21 To respond, write to: dailynews@ou.edu
S.F. Pride parade embraces families while keeping identity
by Tom Lochner
Contra Costa Times (California)
June 26, 2006
San Francisco's Pride parade, once the showcase of a subculture little known and often feared by mainstream society, is continuing to morph into something more akin to Main Street U.S.A. — at least in parts.
Entire sections of Sunday's 36th annual parade, including vintage cars, marching bands in parade uniforms, Chinese lion dancers, dogs and floats sponsored by big corporations gave no immediate indication that the event celebrates sexual orientation, with the exception of ubiquitous rainbow flags.
Large numbers of children and toddlers, their moms, dads and extended families pushing strollers, staked a claim that S.F. Pride, whatever its genesis, today is also about family values. Churches, synagogues, schools and preschools also fielded contingents in the parade. Random interviews among the crowd turned up straight people as well as gays.
Gay and lesbian parenting is "no longer the taboo it once was," said a vacationing Kenneth Woods of Glasgow, Scotland, holding his son, Nicholas, 6, as they watched the parade head up Market Street from Beale Street to the Civic Center. Woods' wife, Julie, was also there with their older son, Kristopher, 8.
"We're here to show them what gay pride is all about," Kenneth Woods said.
More risqui fare could still be found aplenty, at the back of the parade and to side streets off the Civic Center. There were floats with scantily clad people of both sexes, flexing, strutting, dancing suggestively, gesturing lewdly and yelling bawdily. On the bed of a pickup, a man with his hands chained got his bare bottom whipped with a leather strap. And "Leather Alley" — actually a block of Hyde Street — offered "live S&M demos."
But at the front of the parade, even the samba dancers were amply clad.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/14903883.htm To respond, write to: the author at tlochner@cctimes.com or the editors at letters@cctimes.com
Trooper accused of advertising ex-wife to face court
by Manuel Gamiz Jr.
The Morning Call (Pennsylvania)
June 23, 2006
A 34-year-old woman testified Thursday she received an e-mail Feb. 27 from a man she didn't know, who told her that he had seen photos of her nude and a solicitation for violent sex on a fetish and bondage Web site.
The e-mailer wrote he thought it might be a ''dirty prank,'' but if it wasn't, he would like to meet her.
The woman, the ex-wife of state Trooper Luke J. Heller, said it was the only solicitation she received after the photos and her personal information were posted on the Web site without her consent.
State police detectives had the profile and photos removed from the Web site almost immediately. On March 30 they charged Heller, a 14-year veteran of the state police, with two felonies – unlawful use of a computer and criminal use of a communication facility – and other charges.
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To read this entire article, go to: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/bethlehem/all-5heller-r4jun23,0,6950575.story?coll=all-newslocalbethlehem-hed To respond, write to: letters@mcall.com
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