And for much lampooned anti-gay activist, Peter LaBarbera, it's how he has chosen to cover subcultural events - such as leather conventions - making sure to take graphic pictures and give loving detail of the alleged activities of the gay men there, while ignoring the heterosexuals attending and acting scandalously at the same events.
He hadn't been doing this for a time, but I'm glad to say that today, "Porno" Pete LaBarbera is earning his monicker.
That is with a few changes of course. He is no longer attending these events. For what reason, I am not sure. Maybe folks recognize him, maybe he has worn out all of his chaps, maybe his butt has become to big to fit into said chaps from the largesse which comes with getting paid as a "traditional family activist."
Whatever the case may be, LaBarbera doled out attending this year's subcultural event - the International Mr. Leather contest - to another writer by the name of Lynn Thomas.
And Thomas is more than adequate in regaling us with how "gross" and "disgusting" the events was, which she/he does in a long diatribe which can only be described with using as much sadomachism as the alleged attendees of Mr. Leather.
If Thomas is so grossed out about it, why does he/she tell us what's going on in long, unnecessary detail worthy of Tolstoy's War and Peace (I highlighted the interesting parts):
I saw a small Asian man who was in handcuffs–the same man I saw in San Francisco at Folsom, only this time he was wearing a little mesh skirt that you could see through. He was completely naked underneath, and you could see his penis.
Another man I encountered had a long dark dong hanging down that I was trying not to look at, and what he had to offer is a foreskin that would increase a man’s penis size. For some reason he thought I would appreciate it, and gave me some information about the product; it was disgusting in its detailed description.
. . . There was a contraption for tying someone down to a bed, and the explanation card said the d-rings could be hidden when not in use, apparently a selling point for the device. There was a video of a man tied up in a harness, face down, breathing heavily, his buttocks bright red, with a man sitting or standing while masturbating next to the table. The standing, masturbating man whipped the man who was tied down with what looked like a riding crop. Eventually the masturbating man ejaculated all over the tied up man’s back, and then threw himself on top of him. If I’m not mistaken, he literally bit the tied up man, and then the camera fades.
Unfortunately, there are not pictures of what Thomas allegedly saw. I think this is because LaBarbera has gotten criticism from the left and the right for treading the line between informing and exhibitionism.
Really though, it's like I've said before. Not all gay men are into this sort of thing and I'm sure that there were some heterosexuals there whom Thomas omitted.
The point is it's unfair to judge an entire community simply because a segment enjoys strange habits.
But this obsession from LaBarbera - and Thomas - to focus on the subculture in loving detail says more about them than the lgbt community.
In other words, go ahead and join in. You know you want to.
