Doug O'Keeffe is the 2004 Cell Block Shel-Don Chicago Leatherman, and the 2007 International Mr. Saliva. Doug is an educator, lecturer, and a published author. Doug is the Director and Host of the Leather Archives & Museum's new program "Inside Leather History, A Fireside Chat" which showcases Leather Community leaders. The Chat chronicles each participant's Leather history, and enables a live audience an opportunity to ask questions.
A chat with Lorie Cannon of Vital Bridges in Chicago
Lori Cannon, a spitfire of a woman with flame-red hair, remembers the moment more than 20 years ago when she and friends took up arms against the AIDS epidemic with a simple weapon: Food.
On Christmas Eve 1988, a year after the AIDS Memorial Quilt debuted at the 1987 gay March on Washington and launched a generation of AIDS activists, Cannon and friends loaded hot meals into cars and drove to five different Chicago neighborhoods to deliver food to 35 AIDS patients too sick or poor to feed themselves properly.
"We knew that these clients would be celebrating their last Christmas," Cannon recalls. "And it was, for all of them."
Twenty-one years later, the food delivery service once known as Open Hand has transformed into a food pantry called Vital Bridges, with five grocery centers throughout metro Chicago serving some 1,600 people monthly.
A chat with David Kloss and Judy Tallwing McCarthy
David Kloss the first IML, and Judy Tallwing McCarthy, the first IMsL were the subjects of the last "Inside Leather History, A Fireside Chat" series.
David and Judy are community icons and leaders. In the Chat they will discussed their personal histories, their community involvement, the history they've both created and seen, and what they're doing today.
Did you miss it? Listen to an audio clip of the interview
A chat with Sandy “Mama” Reinhardt
The first to call her "Mama" was a popular drag persona "Ernestine". Robert Sastini and Mama were in the Phoenix, (San Francisco's Castro District), over 18 years ago and Ernestine commented something to the affect of "you must be my "Mama". There in that bar, a family tradition would be born that neither knew would flourish into the "Mama's Family" that now exists.
As time went on, there appeared, without a real plan, gold shiny pins on the first 10 members, who were active in the community either by titles they held or their volunteerism. Ernestine had two: Mama’s Slave, Mama's Smooth Operator. Robert Anaya was 2nd with Mama's Baby followed by Timur Muhrlin with three, followed by his partner Lawrence Mortensen, Wayne Franks and then the unholy trio of Don Ho, Robert Larabee and Omar Mosley, with Michael Morrero and Ray Tilton rounding out the 'first ten".
Whenever we would all be together attending an event, we would see someone working hard for their charity, or do something that "stood out” and say "they should be Mama's ???? It was always fun to see what names we would come up with for Mama's "next victim". Depending on how many cocktails we all had that night and who the person was; you never knew for sure which one would make Mama's final cut. Mama's parting words on those kinds of "pin naming" sessions would be "email me in the morning". Sure enough, next time we were all together and Mama saw that person, another pinning would take place. The pinning ceremony became quite an honor and usually the person didn't know they were about to be pinned. So the true looks of surprise honor and tears were a guarantee every time.
Some traditions that took place in the early years were such things as traveling pins. Mama's Drama Queen and Mama's Bitter One were given to unsuspecting members of the family for obvious reasons. It was always fun to see who got these pins. They were required to wear for one month. Even Mama herself once had the drama pin. The other tradition that only pertained to people with "multiple" Mama's pins could upon agreement with Mama pass one on to a deserving person as a way of being pinned into the family. Most went on to earn Mama’s pin of their own.
Did you miss it? Listen to an audio clip of the interview
A chat with Chuck Renslow
This program, the second in the series, seeks to capture the memories and experiences of our community leaders, while giving us the opportunity to ask them our questions. While these chats are provided at no cost as a community service, donations to The Leather Archives and Museum are always appreciated!
Ask just about any leatherman or leatherwoman you meet who Chuck Renslow is, and you will get an answer right away. Here are some of the answers: He was the founder in 1950 and photographer of Kris Studios, one of the earliest and most durable of the physique houses (and the one where leather always had a place). He was also a noted photographer of the Ballet. His dance photography is now in the Newberry Library dance collection in the “Chuck Renslow Dance Photographs” collection. He opened the first leather bar, the Gold Coast in Chicago, in 1958. He was the publisher of Triumph, Mars and Rawhide Male magazines. He was a founder of Second City Motorcycle Club, the first club not on the West coast, in 1965. He was the founder of many bars and sex clubs since the 1960s, including MansCountry, which has survived for more than 30 years. He was among the earliest member, often among the founders, of many gay liberation organizations and movements. He was the founder of Prairie State Democratic Club in 1980. He is the owner of the Chicago Eagle. He is the founder of Chicago’s famous White Party, which almost no one notices is his birthday party. Other answers have to do with his friends and lovers: He was the lover of Dom “Etienne” Orejudos for more than 40 years and, by encouraging him and publishing his work, he is partially responsible for the art of Etienne. He was involved with Cliff Raven, Chuck Arnett and Sam “Phil Andros” Steward and encouraged them in their famous work, too.
Chuck Renslow was inducted into the City of Chicago’s Lesbian and Gay Hall of Fame in 1991 and has received just about every honor and awards the gay and leather communities can give him. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and a U.S. Representative to I.L.G.A. International Lesbian and Gay Association. He is the founder, in 1979, of International Mr. Leather, which grew out of his Mr. Gold Coast contest and the experience he had managing A.A.U. physique competitions. When Dom “Etienne” died, Chuck combined his Hugh collection of Etienne's art with his own personal archives from his business and his life. These were the foundation of the Leather Archives & Museum. which Chuck co-created with Tony DeBlase in 1991. Chuck is the president of the Leather Archives and Museum and has been since its conception.
Did you miss it? Listen to an audio clip of the interview
A previous chat with Mr. Marcus
Celebrating his 38th year as the leather columnist in San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter, (Mr.) Marcus Hernandez has been covering the worldwide leather scene since October 1971. He has contributed articles and photos to Drummer Magazine, The Leather Journal, the annual International Mr. Leather Program, the annual International Mr. Drummer Program, and many other publications.
He has been honored as the Outstanding Columnist in the public voting for San Francisco's Cable Car Awards so many times, he was taken out of contention and placed in the Hall of Fame in that category.
Marcus has received numerous other awards including two Pantheon of Leather awards, the National Emerald Award and tributes from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the Secretary of State of California and San Francisco’s Inter-Club Fund Motorcycle Awards the latest being Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2007, he was voted Man of the Year in San Francisco’s Inter-Club Fund’s Annual Motorcycle Awards. He was recently awarded accolades by a San Diego City Councilwoman.
Marcus has been judging International Mr. Leather since 1980 and is now the Judge Emeritus for life on that panel. He has judged leather contests from coast to coast, in Canada and in Europe and is also the Judge Emeritus for the American Brotherhood Weekend titles and International LeatherSIR/boy contests. He was the Judges' Coordinator for International Mr. Drummer for some seven years and has served on the board of directors of the Mr. San Francisco Leather Contest for some 20 years ago.
The recent mayor of San Francisco (Willie L. Brown, Jr.) honored Marcus by proclaiming the entire month of November 2000 as Mr. Marcus Month in honor of his 31st year milestone as the leather columnist in San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter.
Watch a clip form Mr. Marcus's interview
Directions to the LA&M
The Leather Archives & Museum is located at 6418 N.
Greenview Ave. Just 2 doors north of the corner of Devon Ave. & Greenview Ave.
We are nextdoor to the Citgo gas station @ Devon and Greenview. The closest
major intersection is Clark St. & Devon Ave. Greenview is 2 blocks east of
Clark St.
Via Public Transportation
CTA Bus #s 36-Broadway, 151-Sheridan and 155-Devon stop at
the corner of Devon and Greenview.
CTA Red Line – Loyola street stop. About a 10 minute walk
to the LA&M, or board the #155-Devon bus westbound at the Loyola stop. Walking
: Out of the El station, walk south (under the L tracks) on Sheridan Road. At
the second stoplight, Devon Ave., turn right. Walk about 6 blocks to Greenview
Ave. Turn right at the corner of Devon and Greenview.
Via Car
From the loop or boystown : Get onto Lake Shore Drive
northbound. Take Lake Shore Drive until it ends at Sheridan Rd. Turn right
onto Sheridan, so you'll be heading north. Sheridan will curve to the left.
Stay in the left lane, as Sheridan Road becomes Devon Ave. Continue west for 6
blocks to Greenview Ave. Parking is available on the street.
From the north or west : Take I-294 or I-94 to Touhy Ave.
Take Touhy Ave. east to Western Avenue. Go right on Western to Devon Ave. Go
left on Devon Ave. to Greenview Ave. Turn left on Greenview Ave. Parking is
available on the street.
Mapquest results for the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago, IL.
Doug O'Keeffe is the 2004 Cell Block Shel-Don Chicago Leatherman, and the 2007 International Mr. Saliva. Doug is an educator, lecturer, and a published author. Doug is the Director and Host of the Leather Archives & Museum's new program "Inside Leather History, A Fireside Chat" which showcases Leather Community leaders. The Chat chronicles each participant's Leather history, and enables a live audience an opportunity to ask questions.
Lori Cannon, a spitfire of a woman with flame-red hair, remembers the moment more than 20 years ago when she and friends took up arms against the AIDS epidemic with a simple weapon: Food.
David Kloss the first IML, and Judy Tallwing McCarthy, the first IMsL were the subjects of the last "Inside Leather History, A Fireside Chat" series.
David and Judy are community icons and leaders. In the Chat they will discussed their personal histories, their community involvement, the history they've both created and seen, and what they're doing today.
Celebrating his 38th year as the leather columnist in San Francisco's Bay Area Reporter, (Mr.) Marcus Hernandez has been covering the worldwide leather scene since October 1971. He has contributed articles and photos to Drummer Magazine, The Leather Journal, the annual International Mr. Leather Program, the annual International Mr. Drummer Program, and many other publications.
