A Day at IML

[Pompino]

Like the previous 26, this year's IML paid homage to the dual gods who reign supreme in the gay pantheon: Kings Suck and Fuck. All who worship the carnal lubricities of the phallic cult were gathered at the shrine for the annual celebration. Now where there is a cult there is obsession; and where there is obsession there is madness. I arrived at the Hyatt Regency Hotel about noon on Friday. The hotel and its' annex had been booked solid for weeks in advance so I was surprised to notice that the lobby was not particularly full, though there were guys lounging about. For them, the cocktail hour had already started. I took a seat on the far right side to get a good perspective. One guy was cruising around the lobby fountain. Bare chested and in jeans, he had his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his pants and let his fingers fall down over his fly. He was clearly fondling himself--the universal broadcast that he was looking and ready. He went on for some time, carefully trying to attract the attention of various men. Considering this guy's good looks, I was amazed that he did not get a response. Dejected, he left. On the couch opposite to where I was sitting, two guys were planning their weekend. "I have got to get fucked, I mean really fucked this weekend," the one said to the other. Wandering about, I ran into a trio of African-American men. One was as sleek as a panther while the other two were not of such exaulted appearance. One of the lesser lights remarked to the better looking one, "Everybody is looking at your ass." "Yeah, I know," was the retort. I took the escalator to the mezzanine and then had to take another escalator back down to the hotel's exhibition hall where the Gay Mart is held every year. Still making my way to the Mart, I began to understand why the lobby was so empty. Everybody in the hotel--from ephebe to sexageneraian--was going shopping and they were all dressed or undressed in every style of leather chic. I saw enough fantastic garb for 1000 Halloweens. I had to remind myself that this was IML so it was de facto a costume event. I wore jeans, a military-style shirt and boots. This was a all wrong and I was plunged into a bad wardrobe day. Unless you had purchased a pass for all the events at IML, you had to pay an admission fee of $2.00. This money went to the Leather Archives Museum, whatever that is. In addition to the fee, you had to fill out two forms. The first verified your age and was a disclaimer that you accepted the sexual content of the Mart. The second was a marketing form that asked about your age, income, education and what you intended to spend at the Mart. Upon completing the forms, you were issued your black identity band and could now enter the Mart. The Mart itself has to be every gay man's dream of paradise. Everything needed to provoke, stimulate and enhance sex is for sale. There are even escorts. In such an environment, reality and fantasy merge quickly. Anyway, the exhibition space is gigantic. Racks and tables were overflowing with wares. The vendors are not grouped together by type so there is no order to the merchandise. Shopping here is full of surprises. You can never be sure what you will find just 20 feet ahead. I found it impossible to spend more than an hour in the Mart at any one time, and I spaced out my visits to take a break from all the noise and confusion. I needed one hour just for my preliminary view. Clothing and leather gear are by far the largest categories at the Mart. But there is a big problem here. With so much to chose from, after a while nothing seems special or unique. A repetitive and eventual numbing similarity of designs makes all clothing look identical. Are not all cock rings round? Do I want the military pants with the blue stripe or the gray one? Chaps are chaps whatever the color. What is the ratio of metal to leather that I require on my harness? Will chain mail bruise my skin? Are the leather pants cropped high to better push my groin up and out so it looks like I have a big, bulging dick? Will these jeans show off my ass and will the shirt show off my pecs? Should my jock be cloth or leather, and what color/colors should it be? And further, should it be a single strap up the center of my ass or a double strap to highlight my bubble butt? These are mortal issues. Guys were stripped down nearly naked (no private changing rooms) trying on clothes to achieve just the right look to snare Mr. Right. Remember when porno stars had rubber duplicates of their cocks made so guys could buy them and then go home and fuck themselves? These don't seem to be real popular now. The anal insert of the moment is black and abstract in design. The tip is small and shaped like a triangle with rounded edges. As one goes down the shoft, the triangles get bigger. They were displayed standing straight up and they looked like Christmas trees in need of decoration. Anatomical toys were available, but these newer models seemed to offer a special challenge. Until this IML, I had never seen green rope, not to mention rope in all the colors of the spectrum. As explained to me, the rope colors are suppose to match the hanky colors. The same seller had some nifty chains and locks. The nylon cord tempted me in a nasty way and I thought it wiser to move on. I did to another shop just 10 feet away. A finely built blond who was very smooth and very cute ran this booth. He wore boots and a a black leather jock with a big red stripe right up the middle. Two Germans walked up. One was in a parachute jump suit with the zipper pulled down to expose his pubic hair. His buddy was a sailor in white pants and a yellow and blue boatswains shirt. I knew the sailor was in costume because I had seen the exact outfit worn by the chorus in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "H.M.S.Pinafore" In less than two minutes, all three were stroking and kissing. I have been in sales all my life and I never saw a business transaction like that. Whips, paddles, canes and restraints were abundant. My favorite was the seller who would occasionally snap one. Despite the Mart's high noise level, the strident crackle of his whip rose above the din and fractured the air. Those close to the booth would shudder at the sound. And then there were candles, all in pastel colors and and smelling just terrible. I do not know why this seller was allowed in the Mart. For smokers, there was a booth that sold "genuine" Havana cigars. It is my understanding that the United States does not trade with Cuba. So what is genuine? And if by chance they were genuine, wouldn't they be outlawed? It goes without saying that there were lubricants and inhalants. There were also condoms and this was curious. Safe sex is a personal decision. The Mart sells condoms and that in itself seems to at acknowledge, however minimally, the practice of safe sex while not actually advocating it. But then there was also a lot of bareback porno for sale which seems to send a different message. And then there were the ticket sales for the Pig Party which really sent another message. Very difficult choices. First you have to decide what to wear to attract someone with whom to have sex and then you have to decide raw or protected. I needed a break.

[Guest zipperzone]

Just a polite hint for future posts.

 

It would make them much easier to read if you were to break them into paragraphs. I went cross-eyed trying to get through this one!

[+ newatthis]

Great post! Paragraphs would help, but it held my attention (and had me chuckling several times) even without them. Thanks.

[JT Brooklyn]

Definitely..Paragraphs....Very Interesting Post..:+

[Txpaytoplay]

Very Entertaining :-) :-)

Have to agree about the paragraphs though...was kind hard on the eyes:o

[Luv2play]

Great post! Although I do not get much, if any, thrill in wearing leather, I am always attracted to the image of leather clad guys (must be my early exposure to Tom of Finland). I once attended one of those leather events which are part of the lead-up to the finals (quarterly-finals, I believe) in St. Petersburg, Fla. Unfortunately, it happened on the coldest night of the winter (27 degrees!!) and the venue was poorly equipped for sub-freezing conditions). All that bare flesh with goosebumps <ugh>.

 

Anyway, I was wondering, do these events ever get onto tape that is commercially available? I have seen some porno flicks that featured the Folsom St goings-on in San Francisco but never anything about IML. It would be appreciated if anyone had any info to provide.

[augustman]

Thanks for message. Presentation aside, I enjoyed the post a great deal and now I know I will go down next year. I just did not know what to expect. How much fun just to go just for the people watch. I do need to get out more and this post proved it.

[+ deej]

>Anyway, I was wondering, do these events ever get onto tape that

>is commercially available?

 

I know I've seen ads for such videos in the past. But a quick glance at http://www.imrl.com doesn't turn anything up.

 

I suspect videos of public events like this will become more and more scarce with the 2257 changes coming into effect. Proof of age requirements are getting so strict I don't see any way the producers could comply.