SAN DIEGO, OHIO
For James Rawson, 47, stepping into a leather bar was the culmination of years of hard work, self-acceptance, and commitment to fully embrace the “gay leather lifestyle.”
“Getting to the bar was the easy part,” Rawson says. “The real dilemma came when the bartender asked me what I wanted to drink.”
Rawson, who describes himself as a switch with a heavy masochistic side, said he hadn’t considered either what he wanted or what kind of signal it might send. “Scotch seemed too aggressive and just having a beer would have been too casual. A fruity drink might make me look too effeminate and who knows what signals a martini would send. I thought about just ordering a club soda, but worried that people might think I had a problem with alcohol, which I don’t.”
In the end Rawson opted for a Tom Collins.
“Truthfully, I didn’t even know what a Tom Collins was, but it sounded good and the bartender just nodded and made the drink,” Rawson reports.
“I ended up just sipping it a bit. Turns out it is a sweet, sugary drink made with gin. I hate gin. Then this super sexy guy comes up and buys me another one, so I kept drinking them. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Photo credit: A.Currell CC: NC
