Tag Archives: leather culture Berlin

A Sister of Perpetual Indulgence at Folsom Europe.

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Schwester Francine of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at Folsom Europe Sept 20 2018 by Suzanne ForbesOn my way into the Folsom Europe street fair I made my donation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

The Sisters collect charitable donations at the gates. I was immediately struck by Schwester Francine’s profile. I asked if I could draw her and her husband, who was keeping her company as she worked the gate. And she agreed and we had a nice chat!

A beautiful SLUT at Folsom Europe Sept 8 2018 by Suzanne ForbesLots of folx had these t-shirts, which said things like “Spanker>” and “Spankee>” and lots more.

This very good-looking “Slut” was kind enough to let me draw him on my way to The Ballery. He was from Zurich, people come from all over for Folsom Europe. His companion’s shirt said “Daddy”. These were the tame shirts 🙂

Schwester Francine of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at Folsom Europe Sept 20 2018 by Suzanne ForbesI raced over to the stage when I heard it was time for the sash-holders’ photo shoot.

It is not a casual thing, not a beauty contest, to be a title-holder in the Leather Community. It requires learning community history, being of service, and being respected by your peers. Anyone who earns a sash has done the work to know what it means.

Next year I will do a sash-holder feature and sketch as many as I can!

Meanwhile, it is possible for me to make and share these drawings of Europe’s leather family because of the monthly financial support of my Patrons on Patreon.

You can help! And you can print, use and share my artwork because it’s licensed Creative Commons.

 

 

Leathermen and cigars in Schöneberg, at the Pussycat Bar.

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Berlin Cigar Men smokers by Suzanne Forbes Nov 4 2017My friend Miss Natasha Enquist invited me to join her at Berlin Cigar Men, a cigar lounge night at a wonderfully cosy bar called The Pussycat.

The Pussycat is a warm, snug lesbian bar that once a month welcomes a celebration of classic leatherman culture. This evening included head shaving, with a proper razor, and bootblacking.

I could smell the cigar smoke all the way down the block from the Ku’Damm.

Berlin Cigar Men bar scene by Suzanne Forbes Nov 4 2017I knocked on the door and Miss Natasha peered through the speakeasy peephole and let me in out of the cold.

Wow, what an amazing group of great-looking old-school (and young) leathermen and wow so much smoke! I love the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke. I smoked two packs of Marlboro Reds a day from age 13 to age 24, and people smoking freely is one of the things I love about Europe.

And yet even for me it was a lot of smoke! I actually got a tiny bit nauseous from it, like when Tom and Joe and Huck smoke corn-cob pipes on the island.

Bootblack at Berlin Cigar Men by Suzanne Forbes Nov 12 2017I had a fabulous time, and everyone was super friendly and nice.

The crowd was international and relaxed. It was like travelling back in time to the Chelsea of my childhood, the Chelsea and Christopher St of the ’70s and ’80s, and I felt very much at home.

I didn’t know much about bootblack fetish and culture until I worked at Wicked Grounds kink coffee shop in San Francisco in the Oughts. We had a young woman bootblack there who came in to do boot nights, and I saw the passion that people have for boot care and wear. So I was delighted to get a chance to draw Andrew the Bootshiner, above. Sadly, I missed the headshaving this time!

Check out the bottle of Tom of Finland Organic Vodka in the top pic- it has a Tom drawing on the bottle and a percentage of the profit from sales is donated to the wonderful Tom of Finland Foundation!

The Berlin Cigar Men event is produced by Olaf Hartmannsgruber. He is the same gentleman who puts on the MaleSpace main stage at Folsom Europe, which was wonderfully diverse and inclusive despite the name. I am looking forward to the next event!

Drawings from Folsom Europe here and here. It’s the monthly financial support of my Patrons on Patreon that makes it possible for me to document gay life in Berlin and publicly share it. You can help, for a dollar or less than a euro a month!