Speech by Guy Baldwin presented at International Mr. Leather in May, 2003

Sit tight because this will be quick, and in 7 minutes, we’ll all find out which guys behind me will go on to the next level of competition, but first, I have a some information, then some news, and last, a proposal.

For the few of you here who may not know, the Leather Archives and Museum was originally devised 11 years ago to stop the bleeding. Many of us had been repeatedly wounded by the discovery that all evidence of a friend’s leather life and sexuality had been tossed suddenly and silently into some trash can by his horrified and ashamed relatives, neighbors or landlord…..because our buddy had died---from whatever the cause.

We lost important erotic art, we lost club records, examples of home-made BDSM gear, we lost love letters, Christmas cards, photo albums, we lost some of the romantic literature of leather, and we lost many details of our early roots…our history. Fortunately, we didn’t lose all of it.

And we haven’t lost it all, because in 1992, Chuck Renslow first imagined, and then inspired others with the passion to create a Leather Archives and Museum, that would rescue and protect the details of our world ….. be OUR memory bank….be our story-teller….be our very own Smithsonian.

And make an honest-to-god, no-kidding, real live, kick-ass museum and historical archive….licensed, professional, non-profit, an IRS approved tax deduction, even……the whole deal……And it would validate, teach, amuse, and maybe even inspire those who visit it, now and forever.

In 1992, The Museum’s collection began as just boxes in a basement, and then expanded into a tiny store-front location as our people everywhere heard about it, and began sending in all kinds of stuff that had meant something important to them. At last, the bleeding began to slow down.

Then, 4 years ago tonight, right here on IML night, Joseph Bean, then the Museum’s director, told you that the right building had been found for the Museum’s permanent home, but there wasn’t yet enough money to make the down payment.

He asked for your help. By the end of the contest that night, this audience had produced 55 thousand bucks for the down payment, and 24 hours later, that had grown to 65 thousand-the loan happened soon after.

Now for the news.

About this time next year, the bank will be expecting the Board of Directors to hand over the very last loan payment on our building…..the big, final balloon payment. This means we have just over a year to gather up the money for that last, big payment.

And so, tonight begins the final push to pay our debt off, and make the building fully ours, free and clear…..and most importantly…..safe….for now….and for all time. To do this, we’ll need just over 2 hundred thousand dollars.

Since its early beginings, our leather world has always been good at finding money when it really mattered despite economic conditions that were sometimes much worse than the ones we find around us right now.

Over the decades, many hundreds of thousands of leather dollars have been gathered to help pay the costs of HIV support organizations, STD prevention programs, Breast cancer, Lupus, animal shelters, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, 2 marches on Washington in ’87 and ‘93, many titleholder travel funds, and bunches of other causes too.

Finally….the idea part I mentioned earlier,…….I propose that we do something entirely selfish one more time----something that’s just for us, just as we did 4 years ago because its our turn again, and we need your help.

I propose that for the next 12 months, we make OUR OWN Leather Archives and Museum-THE most important, single, focus of our fund-raising efforts, and that we do this everywhere…for a full year……to pay that mortage off, and be done with it.

In real terms, what am I talking about here? Just what does 200 grand look like?

It means that if every last one of our community service organizations, clubs, and leather businesses kicked in $520. BUCKS spread out over the course of the next 12 months, it would be a done deal.

Many clubs could do that just by adding ONE-SINGLE---dollar……onto the admissions you already charge……Tell people the buck is for the LAM just for this year---they’ll understand that.

If every man standing on this stage right now, me too……will commit to raise $1,500 dollars ….that would take care of close to 1/2 of what we need.

And now, I’m asking all 25 years worth of the IML brotherhood to pitch in for this too. We need you guys to help us pay this off……talk to the powers that be in your local clubs and organizations……talk to your bar owners…….explain that this matters…..ONLY when this debt is paid off, will our cultural memory be truly safe for those who will come after us.

What does 200 grand look like? If everyone in this building, right now kicked in $59 bucks each-----which is about the cost of dinner for two with drinks, desert and tip---we could pay it off COMPLETELY next week and save a year’s interest. When you get back home, please support your local titleholder’s efforts to help gather this final payment----buy the damned raffle tickets even if you don’t give a damn about the prize……..attend that beer bust even if you don’t drink or usually go out to bars ……please become a supporting member of the museum and get our newsletter, and we’ll put your name room, or a brick or a plaque or something.

Or……you can just hand us your business card tonight, and we’ll be in touch to work out the details…..or hell……just write out a check……GIVE us a bar of gold,…..or lay a fist full of uncut diamonds on us…..anything you like……just so long as you give us a hand……we’ll be oh-so-grateful for your gift….and so will our kinky posterity.

Eventually, life experience teaches us that a person’s value isn’t related to how talented, famous, rich, smart, handsome or sexy he is…..his value is established by the choices he makes in his life, especially to help others.

Working together this year, we can protect the legacy we are continuing to assemble in our Museum…a truly amazing Box of Treasures---and yes, it has room for your stuff in it too someday--- …..please make a value choice….a choice that you will take pride in forever and help us out in the way that feels best for yourself.