I was recently having a chat with a few friends at my local coffee shop in the Castro District of San Francisco. A common thread of conversation is how much the Castro has changed from an almost entirely gay area to one that is certainly still mostly gay, but is clearly seeing an influx of […]

Periodically I’ll ask someone within the nontraditional (alternative) sexuality or relationship communities 5 specific questions. Here are one person’s answers. 1. If you could offer people in your community just one bit of advice based on your experience, what would it be? Use your imagination and think creatively. Invention will keep play sexy, edgy and […]

On Thursday, September 10, 2009, the Atlanta Eagle, a gay leather bar, was outrageously targeted by the Atlanta Police Department in a raid. You can read one account of it here and it’s been widely reported in other media. The gay and kinky communities can’t let this police harassment go unanswered. Rallies are being held […]

I’m pleased to be able to announce that the Leather Hall of Fame website is now live. As a member of the Board of Governors for this organization, I encourage you to: Visit the site. Let your friends know about the site. Link to the site from your website, blog or social media pages. Nominate people […]

I have been invited to sit on the Board of the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities (CARAS for short) and I have accepted. I consider this a great honor and am humbled by the invitation. For those unfamiliar with this great organization, CARAS is dedicated to the support and promotion of excellence in […]

This is an article I wrote originally published in Frontiers Newsmagazine in 2001 for their Valentine’s Day issue. Since the article was published many years ago, I’ve changed the names of the people interviewed should they no longer want to be identified. Every Valentine’s Day couples around the world celebrate their love for each other. […]

I will say upfront that I’m biased for this profile. Joe’s Barbershop, owned by my good friend Joe Gallagher, is where I get my hair cut (as few hairs as I have left). With that said, I think my impressions are similar to most of the customers who frequent this wonderful establishment. As a testament […]

BDSM and related kink have endured a bad rap for a long time. Some of this is due to those rare individuals who engage in improper or dangerous behavior and call it BDSM. But most of the bad reputation stems from ignorance. In an effort to eradicate this ignorance, both among the public at large […]

Check out the Speeches tab on this site for information on the Sacramento Valley Heat event I’ll be delivering the opening address for on Friday, August 28, 2009. The title of my brief speech is Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Playroom. I hope to see many of my Sacramento and Bay […]

Ask the Man Who Owns Him: The real lives of gay Masters and slave By david stein with David Schachter Published by Perfectbound Press There have been many books and articles written about master/slave relationships. The fascination with this form of dominance and submission is obvious and writers of varying capabilities have tackled its subject […]