Gendin of POZ magazine dies
Stephen Gendin, 34, who was at the center of AIDS activism for 15 years and whose provocative writing in POZ magazine as a gay man struggling with HIV sparked community controversies, died July 19, at New York's Roosevelt Hospital, with his partner, Kyle "Hush" MacDowell at his side.
Gendin's death was caused by cardiac arrest while undergoing chemotherapy for AIDS-related lymphoma. In addition to being a columnist and contributing editor at POZ, he cofounded Community Prescription Service.
POZ is a magazine that chronicles the lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Its website POZ.com has daily HIV/AIDS news, treatment information, forums, blogs, and personals.
Leather flag creator DeBlase dies
Tony DeBlase, one of the innovators and leaders of the leather community and creator of the Leather Pride Flag, died peacefully in Portland, Ore., July 21, after an extended illness, largely involving liver failure.
He is survived by his lover of more than 24 years, Dr. Andrew Charles, his mother, and many others.
Dr. DeBlase—a mammalogist, specializing in the biology of bats—was engaged in museum administration and development for much of his professional life. His career in museums included at least ten years at Chicago's Field Museum and substantial work in the development of the Connor Prairie Museum in Indiana before he became involved in the founding and development of Chicago-based The Leather Archives & Museum, where he served as Vice President of the Board of Directors from 1992 until 2000.
Also known as Fledermaus, he was an early member of Chicago Hellfire Club. As the founding publisher of DungeonMaster magazine, DeBlase practically invented the field of SM technique publishing, preceded only by Larry Townsend's Leatherman's Handbook.
In 1986, DeBlase and his partner moved from Chicago to San Francisco and purchased the Drummer family of magazines from Alternate Publishing. The previously ailing titles, Drummer included, thrived under DeBlase's direction, reaching their peak in power by the time they were sold in 1992.
As a project of the Leather Archives & Museum, DeBlase created the Leather History Time Line. Four editions of the time line have been published so far, the first in 1993 and the most recent in 1999.
The most widely celebrated of DeBlase's achievements in the world of leather is and probably always will be the Leather Pride Flag which he presented to the world as a "proposed design idea" on May 28, 1989, at International Mr. Leather. As the creator of the flag, he was often asked to explain the colors and design, but consistently refused to do so, insisting that each person could do that for himself.
Cards and condolences may be sent to Tony's surviving partner in care of The Leather Archives & Museum, and they will be forwarded or hand-delivered to Dr. Charles as quickly as possible. Memorial donations to the Leather Archives will be accepted to help offset the cost of retrieving and processing Tony's massive collection of leather and SM files and memorabilia and installing it properly at the LA&M.