The government wants to kill adult social-networking sites and invade your privacy.

For a number of years we’ve enjoyed the luxury of “online catalog ordering” of men for friendship, sex or both. The convenience of online dating and instant sex sites have had a devastating impact on bars, bath houses or any other place we could stand face to face with our next ex-husband or trick.

For decades leather men knew we could go to any major city in the U.S. and find an Eagle Bar or Club Bath. Unfortunately, our complacency in supporting the institutions we relied on for our social lives are now shutting their doors ... for good. Luckily, America’s Finest City still has an Eagle but where is Wolf’s/Rebar. At one time the corner of Upas and 30th had all of the elements described in a Larry Townsend novel – a bar, a backroom and a leather store next door. Any self-proclaimed leather man not familiar with Larry Townsend or his books should be tied up, blindfolded and flogged ... immediately!

For the rest of us the corner of Upas and 30th is a dark and stimulating memory desecrated by worms, and fish chugalugging Coors and sipping mojitos as if leather men never played behind those walls. We gave them our space without a fight. We rolled over and let them shove their metro-sexuality right up our asses without breakfast, a handshake or an “I’ll drop you an e-mail sometime.”

We were just gone!

There’s an even bigger threat to our social lives crashing down while you sit in front of a screen wanking on cam with some hot leather daddy 6,000 miles away. Any person familiar with adult entertainment should know Section 2257 of the Child Pornography Act. Without going into too much detail the Child Pornography Act was written to protect children from the evils of the adult entertainment industry. Don’t get me wrong. I believe in protecting kids from the horrors caused by the sick and twisted minds of sick and twisted adults. I also believe in protecting adults from the horrors caused by the sick and twisted minds of sick and twisted kids. Remember Traci Lords, the 14-year-old bang machine who single handedly cleared the shelves of every jack joint in the U.S.? Maybe not, since most of us were only watching the “big banger” and not some 14-year-old runaway who 20 years later believes she’s a legitimate “actress.” Obviously, we also need protection from the sick and twisted kids who grow up to be sick and twisted adults.

Now there’s regulation to expand 2257 to include the internet and adult networking sites. Those running the site would have to maintain personal records (including photo IDs) of anyone posting a sexually explicit photo. That means BIGLEATHERDADDYHUNGTHICKTOP would have to submit his valid driver’s license if he wanted to prove he’s a hung, thick top. The “top” part may be hard to prove but we can see if he’s hung and/or thick. Failure to comply will result in a five-year prison term for the site operator. So no more Recon, WorldLeatherman, Bear411,Men-4Sex-Now, Sex4-Hot-Men, Adam4Adam, Gaydar, Manhunt, BigMuscle, BigMusclebears, BigMuscleLeather, BigMuscleCollege or NormalGay.com. No more wanking on cam with BIGLEATHERDADDYHUNGTHICKTOP.

We may have to go back to hooking up face to face in the bars and baths. Oh, wait – we’re letting those die out also.

You have until Sept. 10 to get your hands out of your pants and remember we are leather men! We came from the dark backrooms and we can’t let the worms, fish, cockroaches, A-gays, government or anyone else force us back there. Log on to www.thetaskforce.org/activist_center/say_no_to_section_2257

Replies, comments or event notices are sometimes welcome at inthepitsd@aol.com. This is sigma and I hope to be seeing you later “In The Pit.”