Slumber Party Weekend

Last weekend, Eric (from M.A.L.E. blog) came into town. The last time he was here, he met RuPaul and hung out with some of the girls from the Drag Race.

Well, this time we ate BBQ, chit chatted for hours and actually, had a slumber party.

Eric, Austin, Ryan and I traveled over to San Bernardino to celebrate another friend's birthday. At first, folks were a little timid, only talking their little group of friends. Twenty minutes later, it was time to shake things up. So I used my old Residence Life icebreakers to... well, break the ice.

After a few introductions, a few drinks and a mini version of Hot Seat( great game to play with strangers), the party was officially on.

Just like teenagers, we stayed up and piled in a bed talking about dreams, old crushes and of course... Sex. It was good to meet new people and just chill.
The next day, we all went to a cute little diner for brunch. We continued our tawdry discussions and enjoyed a huge, CHEAP and hearty breakfast. It was funny to think as grown ass men, we just had a night like 15 year-old girls. But it was so worth it. Besides, I was so glad to see Eric have a great time on his second trip to Cali-Cal.

Now on his third trip, we may have to take over Vegas.

Gay + Geek + Costume Fetish = Skin Tight U.S.A.

An interesting group called, Skin Tight U.S.A., held their regular event at the Stonewall Inn this weekend.

Oh, I didn't tell you who or what is Skin Tight U.S.A. Well, they are huge fans of superheroes and their tights.

This is Skin Tight U.S.A., the occasional costume-fetish party held at the Stonewall Inn in the West Village, which draws a regular group of men (and their admirers) who enjoy a special kind of dress-up. Some wear heroic outfits; some, wrestling gear. The crowd can range from 25 people on an average night to 250 on a spectacular one. The common thread is that the muscle-cuddling garb often leaves little to the imagination.

“I was always attracted to the superhero physique,” said Matthew Levine, 31, who helped found the party in 2005 with Andrew Owen, 44, and who was one of the few participants willing to be named. The two become friends as, respectively, the graphic designer and Webmaster for Hard Comixxx, a predecessor of Skin Tight, once held at the Eagle bar in Chelsea. Mr. Levine is a big fan of the X-Men (who have a handful of gay characters) and the Transformers (all of whom seem straight) and has been reading comics since he was 8. “As I got older,” he said, “I realized, ‘Oh, this is why I admire the Grecian ideal of manhood and musculature.’ ”

“Growing up in the ’80s, I guess I didn’t even think gay super-heroes or supporting characters were a possibility,” Dan Avery, 37, an editor of Next, a guide to gay night life in New York City, wrote in an e-mail message. “I do remember feeling like I had two secrets I had to keep: being gay and being a comic-book fan. I’m not sure which I was more afraid of people discovering.” These days, Mr. Avery is a member of a group of gay men who meet regularly to discuss the latest comics.

This sounds amazing, naughty, but fun to see. I wonder if there will a similar event at Comic Con this year?

source

They Don't Dance No More

So last night my students hosted a welcome back dance for USC. Normally it's a regular party but this year we added foam to the festivities. Well after a few hours of watching these kids dance, I realized that they really don't dance.

In fact, they just grind and freak all over each other. And they do it badly, especially the boys. They have so much to learn, no wonder why women have such a hard time. Also I thought about the days when I use to go college parties and dance my butt off. We would always try to be cute, make sure our routines and dance steps were tight. Partying was about dancing, but also looking good doing it.

What I saw last night was a gumbo of slouchy, tired dancing. And music...the music was not commanding or inspiring, but the Humpty Dance was not the most thought provoking song in my day either. I guess, there's something new with each generation.

Agatha Christie presents: The Curse of Peter Pan

On the nets today, people are talking about the article in OUT magazine. They are highlighting Disco Daddies, or as I call it, The Curse of Peter Pan. They talk about having it all: kids, two car garage, family life, and the circuit party VIP status. Some are cheering this on, while others are horrified. After reading some of the article, I found myself just shaking my head and asking: When do we officially grow up and take responsibility?

Out magazine has decided to explore a new breed of gay dad in their June/July issue—dubbed "disco dads," the men who have families but still want to go out, hit the circuit parties and hook up on the internet.

The website, The Sword, provides an interesting view to the article.
But shouldn't everyone, including gays, have to sacrifice and grow up a bit when they become parents? These new dads "want to have it all," says Jeffrey Parson, gay dad and psychology professor. "They have... adult responsibilities but they also keep their connections to the community, sometimes in the party scene." We guess that means we'll be seeing more dads "having it all" while waiting for STD screenings at the clinic, baby bouncing on knee.

As I continued reading about this new sub group, I was hit with this statement about a couple looking on Manhunt for some play, and if his daughter wanted to use the computer he would scoot her out and change the screen.

Manhunt? Great, just what our kids need to see. Daddy screwing at the guy that work at their favorite ice cream shop. Or hearing both daddies and some hook up go at it, when the child just had a nightmare. I thought when you wanted to start a family, it meant you wanted to settle down. Maybe times have changed, but I still think someone has to be the grown up.

Also I think this behavior stains our "we're stable parents" argument. When we still want to be "hot" are we really ready to be role models? I don't know. I don't want to judge, but we should let our old young and dumb phases go. Since when did keeping their connections to the community means partying like its 1999? And when did our community become a big ole gay party?

This notion of "having it all" should mean more than threesomes, leather, and shameless mess. It should mean having someone to love you, having a person to grow old with, sharing that love with your children, and growing as a person.