San Francisco Sentinel
October 4, 1990
Street Talk
Did I Say Something Wrong?
By Doris Fish
Gosh, I’m not so sure I like all this attention. Still, I stuck my neck out, so I have only myself to blame!
While I take some delight in causing a little stir, I’m a real coward about attracting negative criticism so this will be my last words on leather. As a personal revelation I was most surprised by my own reaction to the letters of last week. I thought I was made of sterner stuff, but a few anti-Doris words and all my insecurities and self-doubts assailed me and dear critics, you were not as harsh as you could have been.
Marc Sallee’s letter was pretty good. I am somewhat “conceited” but, Marc, if you saw the raw material upon which I have created “Doris” you might grant me a little conceit. From an ordinary skinny old Queen who seldom gets noticed, I transform myself into an extraordinary, voluptuous, man-eating masterpiece who can stop traffic at Times Square. And like the good Dr. Frankenstein I am very proud of my glamour monster. Yes, and I’m “judgmental”, too. It’s hard not to be judgmental when you’re right about everything!
Jack Davis was very moderate with his “spanking” of me. He was quite correct to suggest I didn’t do my “homework”. A vegetarian animal rights advocate into leather (illegible) would certainly be able to provide an interesting motivation, but please, Jack, where would one find such a creature? I’ve never seen any leather men at the various vegetarian restaurants around town nor at any of the animal rights gatherings I’ve attended. As to why I was at last year’s Folsom Street Fair, it was at the request of the AIDS Emergency Fund to assist with their “Hug-A-Hunk” booth, which has since become the “Care-A-Thon” booth. I hate to admit it, but they raised more this year without my help.
(Thank you, Donald Currie, for “Bravo Doris”, an oasis of praise in a sea of vilification.)
Now on to Joe Hollinger’s column. Joe defends the wearing of leather by stating, “Since the beginning of humankind people have been wearing animal skins…The leather community of today is merely a continuation of that ancient practice.” War, murder, torture and many other atrocities have also been practiced “since the beginning of humankind.” As a so-called civilized society, we in our saner moments enact laws to try and eliminate these practices, though it often seems fruitless. Slavery only ended in this country a little over a hundred years ago, women’s rights are still being fought over, and gay rights are our constant demand. Soon our so-called right to enslave and subjugate animals will be questioned.
To answer your very valid queries about my own fashion faux pas, yes, my cosmetics are “cruelty free” according to the salesperson at California Theatrical Supply. I use Kryolan brand products which claim to exclude animals from every stage of production. As to whether I am a walking environmental hazard I must admit I’ve probably done my fair share, but most of my clothes are recycled, tricked-up thrift store rags. And while I’m loathe to say it, I haven’t bought anything new in years (and that includes underwear and pantyhose). I have purchased a few pumps lately, but they all claim to be 100 percent man made, and for incognito occasions I have many pairs of canvas sneakers. And yes, I’m often in really ugly outfits in unquestionably bad taste.
But Joe, you could have said something like this: “How dare you criticize something you know nothing about. Not only is it in questionable taste to condemn the private consensual sex habits of others it is also bigoted. Keep your prejudices and ignorance to yourself.” And no one questioned the condition of my own butt — it’s definitely not fit for public scrutiny!
Why are we so casual about leather as a garment? Could we become as casual about wearing the skin of other people? What about dogs? You could be jailed for slaughtering a dog and skinning it. In some cultures, it’s quite acceptable to eat dogs while in others the cow is sacred and not eaten.
One day everyone will regard the eating of flesh and the wearing of animal skins as unwholesome, barbaric behavior, but in the meantime, I’m just speaking up for our voiceless brothers and sisters.
