Exclusive: Pigs, patriots double-team DC

Photo: MAL

Next weekend, thousands of tourists will stream into our nation’s capitol for President Barack Obama’s swearing-in… And some hot leather play!

Through a kinky coincidence of scheduling, the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will whip Washington into shape on January 16, 17, and 18—concurrent with a gazillion pre-inaugural shindigs.

ABC News reports:

Hosted by the city's Centaur Motorcycle Club, "a group of men with an enthusiastic interest in motorcycles, leather and other men," the event is expected to draw between 2,000 and 3,000 attendees, according to spokesman Larry Barat.

"We get a pretty broad range of people coming," explains Barat. "Some are into leather, some are into denim, some are into rubber. Some skinheads, some bikers—recently we've gotten young guys wearing sports gear and fantasy gear."

A spokeswoman for Obama said the president-elect would probably not attend any of the Leather Weekend events. "Let's just say it's likely the president-elect will be occupied with many other activities."

We spoke with Larry Barat about the unique challenges facing this year’s leather gathering, and we also have a gallery of the men you can expect to meet there, after the jump!

Event photos: Josh Pushkin

Larry, tell us about the history of the Centaur and MAL. Why did you become involved?

The Centaur Motorcycle Club, now in its 38th year, was one of the first leather/motorcycle clubs in the US. Although it maintains many of the values of a traditional leather/motorcycle club, the club has grown in membership and now produces two of the largest and most successful leather events in the country—MAL and Olympia. Olympia is a more traditional club run, held every other Labor Day Weekend at a camp in southeast Pennsylvania.

MAL is the world's largest leather/motorcycle club-run event, and we have the event's history online. MAL is unique in that it's the only large leather event in North America that is run by a leather/motorcycle club and almost entirely by volunteers, mostly members of the club. Our club brothers donate thousands of hours each year to produce this event. There are no paid staff and no one in the club benefits financially from MAL. The club barely gets a month off after each MAL to catch our breath before planning for next year's event begins.

I joined the CMC in 2002 because I liked the guys in the club and I wanted to get more involved in the Mid-Atlantic Leather community after moving to DC in 2000. I also thought MAL was the best leather event in the country and wanted to get more involved in its production.

What's your fondest MAL memory?

I would have to say it was from before I joined CMC, even before I lived in DC. I came to MAL for the first time in 1998. I was living in Atlanta and just getting back into leather after taking a few years off. I had become disillusioned with the leather community in the early '90s. Despite being in the scene for more than a decade, I still felt like an outsider. Being pretty inexperienced in BDSM, I was hungry to learn, but no one seemed to be interested in showing me the ropes—pun intended. I kind of felt like there was some big secret that the leather community was keeping from me.

A friend talked me into going to MAL. I remember being terrified walking into the lobby at the Washington Plaza that first time. What I didn't expect was that everyone would so friendly, and not just because they wanted to get into my leather pants. It was the first time I felt like I was part of the community. I hadn't experienced that before, anywhere. And some of those friendly encounters turned into hot kinky scenes. I even learned a few new tricks. It made for one of the best weekends of my life.

Black leather and the swearing-in of America's first black president... Overwhelmed, much?

The major challenge this year is with hotel space. Because this is such a significant inauguration, room rates have shot through the roof, and everything is pretty much sold out. We are fortunate, though, to have rooms blocked at the Washington Plaza, the Doubletree, and the Crowne Plaza. In fact, there are  rooms still available.

This year, because we're competing with some pre-inaugural events, it's also costing us a little bit more to put on the weekend. Nonetheless, MAL will go off as it always has and our participants should not notice the difference (other than all the people in the streets with Obama buttons). We certainly invite any kinky guys who are coming in early for the inauguration to join us. Individual tickets can be purchased for both the Mr. MAL Contest and the Reaction Dance, which are both held on Sunday, January 18.

2009 marks MAL's 25th year. Where do you see MAL at 30 or 40?

I believe that MAL will continue to be an event where serious leathermen come to meet, socialize, and play. MAL will likely evolve as the community evolves. The club has put a lot of effort into making everyone feel welcome, particularly young guys who are new to the scene and may not fit the traditional leatherman mold. As a result, if you walk into the lobby of the Washington Plaza during MAL you'll see guys in sports and military uniforms, rubber, denim, and biker and skinhead gear hanging out with guys who look like they just stepped out of a Tom of Finland poster. Everyone gets along. I believe it’s this diversity that will enable MAL to thrive well into the future.

What would you say to folks who are still undecided about attending this year?

I'd tell them that there are still hotel rooms available at relatively reasonable rates. Check out our site for information on hotels, registration, events, and lots more.

Comments

[Derek da Silva]

Be there or be square!