INIQUITY NEWS #14

Thursday, 22 July 1999

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      Wow. FOURTEEN issues......I can hardly believe it. If nothing else, it signifies that there is THAT MUCH going on in Fetish Land. :-) My FIRST AND FOREMOST announcement is that INIQUITY Finally Has A Domain!!!!! Our now 100,000-times-easier-to-remember URL is: https://clubiniquity.com That said, with moving to a new domain comes some refurbishing of the house. Those same purple pages you've come to know and love will remain, but a MAJOR Update will soon hit the screen, along with many photos from INIQUITY II. As we bring the new site up to speed, gears are turning which should insure faster postings of Roommate Ads, faster postings of Events, and overall improvements with the mechanics of the site. We'll definitely keep you posted as the new gears are moved into place. :-) Some great parties have recently passed (with reviews this issue -- anyone make it to ARTBIZARRE'99 in Koln?), and some great new parties are looming on the horizon. If ya haven't seen The Matrix yet, ya better do so -- probably leaving the theatres soon and I still rank it as thee best movie of 1999 so far. ;-) As for other spotting of Fetish Fashion in the film industry, I am sad to say that Wild, Wild West had only ONE Single silver and black leather corset worn by one of the bad guy's henchgirls. Lots of pseudo-period lingerie however. Very funny, campy movie btw, but if you've never seen the original TV show you might miss a lot of the reference-based jokes. On The Flip Side, TV's "La Femme Nikita" is certainly shaping up with now-numbering-in-the-early-dozens of spottings of various leather, PVC and -- yes, even -- Latex attire on various good and bad guys and gals in the anti-terrorism industry. Somebody in wardrobe has figured out how to dress lethally well. ;-) So what's going on here? Spys and villains and bad-ass Cyber people are the ones we see in Fetish Attire. Is the media attaching to Fetish clothing as "Sexy And Dangerous?" Hey, lets get a petition going telling the major media moguls we all want to see a Fetish version of Yertle The Turtle, or Dr. Seuss! I mean what's with the "Dangerous" epithet? Do they know something about us we don't know? Do you feel Dangerous when you dress in Fetish? Is it a Sexy kind of Dangerous? Does it add to the thrill on some level? Are you too sexy for your shirt? Lets make this a survey -- let me know your thoughts..... ;-) Much to report, so On With The Show.......

 

Table O' Contents:

 To find out more about what INIQUITY is all about, visit the website: Info Hotline: 415-289-2167

    Remember, It is YOUR Contributions of Articles, Stories, Reviews, and Announcements that MAKE INIQUITY HAPPEN! (*And between you and me, I think we're on to a good thing*) ;-)

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Los Angeles Fetish Ball -- Four Wild Floors

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    Once a year the city of Los Angeles switches on it's homing beacon to Pervs from around the United States when it becomes the host city to the infamous L.A. Fetish Ball, now having completed it's ninth edition. To be honest, an event of this magnitude would, one would think, come with outstanding organization and clockwork timing. With all due respect to the sheer phenomenon of the event, this attendee couldn't help but notice something of a chaotic air to the entire evening. For starters, they did not enforce the dress code as written on the flyer. Numerous people attended in street clothes -- numerous meaning as much as 25%. That was my biggest disappointment, and if that was the biggest then I guess a lot of good went along. Nonetheless, those street clothes clad folks definitely lent an uncomfortable air -- at least one female friend reported being groped, and other reports of rudeness were traced back to these clueless-clad. They Fetish Ball blew it on that count. Hopefully next year they'll tighten up on the door. The Flea Market area was definitely more sparse this year -- last year there were more exhibitors and the crowd overflowed nicely into that room. This year the same floor was, er, how shall we say this? Easy To Walk Around In. To be honest, it felt like the whole affair had about 1000 less people than last year -- could it be the $40 price tag? That said, it was actually kind of nice to merely be amongst 2000 or so people with 75% in Fetishy attire and in a venue where you could move about pretty freely instead of feeling like sardines. Now if only those 1000 who didn't come could have been the ones in street clothes....... I guess the thing that make the whole L.A. Fetish Ball weekend is the parties that surround the Fetish Ball, making it more of a Party Weekend than a single night's event. In truth, the Main Event is almost as much a Meeting Place to sort out where the coolest after parties are going to be. But don't let me make you think there isn't a lot of cool stuff at the Big Show as well....... The uppermost floor hosted Torture Garden's very own Alan TJ spinning on the decks. I never made it up there (explained in a moment), but many people said it was their favorite floor -- one big dance hall. Below that was a combination second, smaller dance floor AND a performance space. This second hall was given over to Master Aryn of Sin-a-Matic fame and his crew, as well as Vampire Technology. Between these two groups, the stage had an almost continuous stream of mini-shows, from fashion and furniture to some excellent S&M and stylized Discipline. Unfortunately, due to last minute changes, the inimitable Aryn was prevented from turning the whole floor into a dungeon/play-space. MANY players showed up with their toy bags and were VERY bummed out to find that there was no where to do a scene of their own. Only those on stage were allowed to do BDSM scenes. I have no doubt the energy of the entire night could have been improved if Master Aryn had had his way. On the floor below that was the Flea Marketlet. Down on the first floor in the main theatre, there were fashion shows and more, culminating in a performance by the Genitorturers......er, maybe I should say dragging one sleeping leg behind to the top of the hill to a performance of the Genitorturers. OK, here's what happened -- around midnight, many of us got all antsy about getting down to the first floor to see the Genitort. We scrambled and scrapped to get down there, only to be kept sitting in the audience for ONE AND A HALF hours while something somewhere was being worked out and the curtains remained closed. In a city where clubs close at 2 a.m., including the legendary Fetish Ball, that kind of delay is inexcusable. By the time they finally went on, there was about 20 minutes left to the event. To add insult to injury, either the person on sound was deaf, or the sound check was the item they had forgotten. I had never seen the Genitorturers, but I was not impressed by what I heard. It wasn't the bands fault though that they sounded like an airplane engine on a noisy day -- having mixed sound for bands personally, I simply wanted to shoot the man on the sound board. Then again, if we want to be generous, perhaps this sound issue was what the delay was all about and they figured crappy sound is better than no sound. The evening ended shortly thereafter and many of us went off to find activity until the sun came up. The next day, when we would see friends here and there around town, everyone pretty much agreed that the Fetish Ball 1999 was fun, but it was the gatherings before and after that made it special.

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Rubber Ball 1999 in London -- First Taste

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    Want to get a jump on info for the 1999 RUBBER BALL in London? Check out the "Latest Info" site at http://www.skintwo.co.uk/rubberball The date is November 1st, and once again there will be several days of events leading up to Europe's biggest and best Fetish Extravaganza. This includes a Torture Garden only a few nights before! Who says they don't now how to party their brains out over there? ;-)

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SLICK as Ever, BOUND to be Fun, PRIMAL COLORS

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BOUND: The Next BOUND is Saturday, August 14th

THEME: Berlin, circa 1930

More info: write to Bound@sirius.com

    It looks like BOUND is chugging smoothly along. After two very well reported events -- the Austin Powers night and the Science Fiction night, San Francisco's Premier Monthly Fetish Club is showing no signs of slowing down. They still have their unique method of registering which gives them 100% "private party" status -- read: Anything Goes once you are inside. The crowd tends to be very stylish, the DJ's excellent, and there are always several solid pieces of S&M furniture to play upon. Add to this that BOUND's generous hostess always provides snacks of several varieties to much upon, and you just cannot loose. With its perennial "exclusive" vibe, Bound is never too crowded, never too sparse, and is always a fun night. :-)

 

PRIMAL COLORS

    If nothing else, you have to take your hats off to the people at Skinscapes who pulled this potentially huge event out of no where. For the first time ever, they managed an audience of about 2000 attendees over the 11 hour day of the event last Saturday. Although obviously laden with a few bugs to work out for next year, there was enough to keep most people interested for long enough to feel they got their money's worth. Several tattoo shops were performing their art upon attendees right there for you to watch. Some seriously excellent live bands played later in the night, although some of the opening bands were a little "iffy." Not sure if it was the acoustics of Herbst Pavilion, or bad mixing or simply the volume, but when the live bands started, at least one wave cleared out. I thought it would have been the opposite -- a fresh wave showing up for the live music, but at least the first band was way too loud and drove people out as far as I could see. That said, there were people in attendance from all walks of life -- from the VERY mainstream looking to the VERY alternative looking. One booth who had a steady stream of customers had some kind of new colored hair extension which got melted into your hair or something such that it would stay for up to 2 months! Other booths sold more piercing jewelry than you could shake a needle at, and the cafeteria was open to satisfy the munchies. I guess the only thing missing was that next 1000 people, aye? Looking back, it struck me odd that SOOO many people had not heard about it until I told them. Hopefully next year those few bugs will be worked out and the advertising a little smoother. Then I think Primal Colors will REALLY Take Off. :-)

 

SLICK as ever.....

    Many of you were there as SLICK moved its location last Sunday to 550 Barneveld -- yes, the same venue that IQ2 was at. It was a risky night, being an ordinary Sunday night. The dungeon area took up the rear downstairs room and was decorated with red lights a-plenty. There was an oddly reminiscent feel to the old days of Bondage a Go Go back at the Trocadero, as voyeurs stood behind a rope and watched the "pros" do their thing on several play stations. Upstairs the usual second DJ played tunes in the otherwise cleared out balcony space, while down in the dungeon, Alaric once again did his strange and unique "Mood Creation" soundscapes. The main dance floor was alive all night with a mix of Goth/Industrial/80's tunes, and Stormy Leather once again displayed their wares in a fashion show for the eager audience. We arrived at about 10:30 pm and the place was packed! The proprietor says it was merely 600 or 700 people, but it sure looked like more! A huge number of people stepped out in fetish style, especially happy with the nights "Genderfuck" theme. From the most sincere to the most skittish, every Tranny or wanna-be seemed to make the attempt to switch their gender in some way, shape or form. This is not to say that everyone participated in the theme -- quite the opposite, there was still a large contingent of people in more traditional fetish attire designed for their native gender. Cannot say that it was a purely Fetish crowd however, as there were quite a few very Gothic Goths and a good dose of Industrial Blackards. Overall the crowd was pretty spectacular as always nonetheless. Being the regular Sunday that it was, a large portion of the crowd had cleared out by 1 a.m. The music seemed relatively well chosen although there were moments when it seemed as though the style of music got undefined enough such that everyone's tastes were catered to....and no one's as well. If nothing else it made for a good excuse to go to the bar and talk with friends. All in all I would call SLICK's new hideout a successful adventure. Now it remains to be seen how this new home will work on the Friday after Thanksgiving, SLICK's next night, when hopefully we will get to party a little -- or a lot -- later. :-)

 

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"Preaching To The Perverted" -- San Francisco DATES!!!

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This personal message comes to you from STUART URBAN,

director of PREACHING TO THE PERVERTED ...

The world's first full length theatrical feature film set in the current fetish/SM scene and made with the participation of London's fetish, gay and lesbian scene. Learn all about it at http://www.preachingtotheperv.com The movie will be playing at special midnight sessions in a trial run at the Roxie, 3117 16th St, San Francisco, (415) 863-1087 on August 6, 7th, 13th and 14th ONLY. If there is enough box office support from the niche audiences in the SM/fetish/gay and lesbian communities the film will open more widely. So run, don't walk, to this unique movie.

 

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Castlebar Needs Help!

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    Castlebar, one of the finest BDSM play and party spaces in San Francisco, is in danger of closing. The owner is planning a weekend-long play party event on August 6th, 7th, and 8th. In her own words: "I'm looking for volunteers ho would be interested in donating time in the form of a demonstration or a performance. If you would like to participate or help in any other way, please call Zoe at 415-642-3822. The event is to benefit Castlebar. The funds raised at the event will pay for back-rent and stave off the pending eviction. It is called the Beating Blow-Out Bash on August 6th, 7th, and 8th. The proceeds from this event will help to pay off back rent and protect Castlebar from eviction. Your invitation to this event is located at http://www.castlebar.com/event.htm.This page will be updated often, as details become available."

 

In the mean time:

"I!!!Bisexual Party!!!

LOCATION: Castlebar, San Francisco, CA.

DATE: Saturday, July 24, 1999.

RSVP: Full names to damion@best.com OR 415-970-9700. HOURS: Doors open 9:00pm - 12:00m, party runs until 2:00am-ish. ADMISSION: $15.00 per person; Refreshments and safer-sex supplies provided. Some work-exchange is available. (Dungeon monitors, ASL-fluent signers, and clean up.)"

 

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Misc. London Info (events)

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Edinburgh:

**TRANS-MISSION Fetish Nights, Saturday every 2 months**

July 31, Sept 25

    TRANS-MISSION, BDSM mixed fetish nights. Every 2 months, Saturdays late, 11-3am, Entry £6.00 (£5.00 Mission members or with flyer.) Studio 24 Calton Road, Edinburgh. Strict Dress Code - no fetish dress no entry - 2 floors with private dungeons. Guest Masters and Mistresses. Mission DJ's. Alternative & Pansexual. Info line, 07901 600242, URL: http://members.xoom.com/dust_net There is ample free private parking nearby and the Venue, Studio 24 on Calton Road, is in a quiet and trouble free area. A small Map is on the events page of the website and a larger one is on the Links page. There is £1.00 off the entry to Mission members or with a flyer. You can get these at the Mission and from our other clubs. Stand & Model your fetish wear or get into some real S&M #The Edinburgh party newsletter has now moved over to ONELIST, please subscribe again to us by sending an email: dust_net-subscribe@onelist.com

London:

London Fetish Fair Ltd.

Venue: Smithy's, Leeke Street, King's Cross. London

Stalls enquiries may call 0956 256 858

Next Event Sunday, 1st August, (then 5th September, 3rd October) 1999

(first Sunday of each month)

@ Smithy's, Leeke Street, King's Cross , London U. K.

    Last month's fetish fair was another bundle of fun. With over 35 stalls including brilliant new silver fetish jewelry and commissions from 'RLJ' and outstanding dungeon equipment including an iron maiden from 'Hellish Metal', body casting from 'Outcasts' and the same brilliant stock of erotica, fetish wear, lingerie, bondage tape. body jewelry, high heels, manacles, SM play equipment, seamed stockings, books and magazines, canes, cats, AB wear, high fetish fashions, PVC, rubber, corsetry, household effects and SM curiosa. We think that last month's 500 visitors would agree that the LFF is 'London's alternative cool.' Look out next month for the return the TEXAS SADDLE (and don't for get your cowboy hat!). Entry to the fair is £2 from 11.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. inclusive. No under 18's, no cameras, no pets. We are 3 minutes from Kings X Station. From there: turn left onto Kings X Rd passing Kings Cross Thameslink; follow natural bend to right of road, Leeke street is 3rd on right after Thameslink (Scooter Hire is on the corner). Smithy's is halfway down this street on the left. Please do not park in Wicklow St, and be very careful wherever you park. Beware! Tickets are issued for being even 3 inches on the pavement!

 

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There is Hope in VanillaLand......

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    Once a year a large cross section of the Vanilla sex-positive community comes together at a very unique event called "Lifestyles." Lifestyles is a couples-only adventure for 5 days in a casino hotel where enough people from a HUGE cross section of America, come to meet and talk and chat and....er, and, well, have sex. Formerly known as a 'swingers' convention, the event has even come to redefine itself under the new descriptive "Lifestyles," as in "we're into the Lifestyle." It ain't cheap to get there, and it ain't cheap to attend with a 5-day price tag of over $500 per couple. My partner and I went to investigate because we heard there was a Fetish-positive element to the whole thing, something we thought unusual to hear. Flying into Reno, it only took us 5 minutes to get to the hotel, which was perpetually 72 degrees no matter how hot it was outside. Our first impression of the people who greeted us and took our money for the convention reminded us of many of the well-spoken S&M societies we have all come to know and love. Unpretentious and smiling, these volunteers welcomed us and showed us the list of events. In fact, those words -- unpretentious and smiling -- kind of describe almost 99% of the people we met. Gone were the images of dirty old men and sleazy bar flies, only to be replaced by a wide variety of people, young and old, clean cut and sleek or business like and professional, some thin, some fat, etc, etc, etc, and all there to simply have FUN. The first time I heard someone say that, "I'm here to have fun," I cynically thought to myself, "yeah, right. You're here to get laid, period." By the time I left, I ate my words. Every single person we talked to at the end of the convention had one description -- "it Was Fun," and they meant it sincerely, myself included. Now you are probably wondering what goes on at a convention like this. Well, they have workshops that we were unimpressed by, kind of like "Tantra for Absolute Beginners" and the like, and they had plenty of parties. Of course in a certain sense the whole hotel was one big party, although for the costume ball the hotel security was there to hand you a towel if you were too scantily clad for the walk from the party to the elevators, as not everyone in the hotel was there for the convention (only most people). They also had a fairly large Marketplace in one of the convention halls, and this was my first clue of just how much Fetish WAS working it's way into this Vanilla Haven. From motorized sex-beds, to liquid-latex, to $400 masturbation toys for women (they're made of Pyrex), to leather collars, to lingerie......the Marketplace definitely had something for everyone. Assessing it all I would have to say that about 10% of the booths were very specifically Fetish-related, and this stood as something of a tally of how much Fetish influence I continued to see throughout my time there. Mind you however, that even as something of a representative of Fetishland, I gauged my own play to keep the scenes very much in the "sexy" realm and stayed far away from anything seriously hardcore. Upon later inquiry with friends who had seen my scenes, they confirmed that I had set the limit of the scene's intensity at the right place -- anything more intense would probably have freaked people out. Nonetheless, the response to the light, sexy Fetish play was incredibly positive. Several newcomers stepped up to test these new toys. Not once did I hear or receive any kind of rebuke, condemnation, or flippancy regarding my Fetish clothes or the toys I brought. Of course plenty of people were just as Not Interested as those who were, but unlike the possible taboo zone I thought I would be crossing, these people simply went off to find other amusement more to their liking. There were "special parties" known amongst the light Fetish contingent at the convention. These were the parties for the more serious BDSM players, and some of them included actual dungeon set ups in the hotel rooms! At least one of these parties was known as the "Extreme Hardcore S&M" party, and it did in fact have some VERY serious players. The door was carefully monitored at this party however, as the people in charge did not want to have their element diluted. Other BDSM parties were equally attended, and most had a less-strict door. My final take on the whole situation is that there is hope in VanillaLand. I must admit that this does not necessarily make for serious national demographics, but to me it did show a whole fringe of Vanilla, sex-positive culture who is simply waking up to another dimension of human sexuality. I applaud these adventurous ones, and regardless of how you feel about Vanilla, you gotta admit they did come up with the Kama Sutra. ;-) 

 

 

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YES, there's more!!
Click here to go to Part II of Iniquity Newsletter #14

 

For any and all comments, stories, reviews, or just dropping digitally by to say hello, please use my Contact Form.
Please direct issues regarding glitches or problems with the actual website to Chance Wheeler.

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