by Spike
Wow, what an exciting summer it has been so far! Things have really been progressing very well for TNT!MEN. Our membership is rapidly approaching 130, and we had the largest gay naked event ever in Toronto on the day before Pride Day, with over 170 men crowding into the Barn for a party that ran from 1 to 8:30 pm!
We hadn't meant for it to last so long (we had a mix-up in our advertising), but we're sure glad it did. Over 50 men arrived by 2 pm, and the numbers kept climbing throughout the day. We really owe a big thank-you to our wonderful volunteers and board members who missed most of the party because they were working at the front door. Thanks, guys! We couldn't have done it without you!
It's been a while since we've had a newsletter. This one is about a month late. Sorry about that; we were awfully busy there for a while, and decided to put it off for a bit. We did distribute calendars such as those enclosed at Pride Day and in the bars. Keep your eyes open for future editions in all of our usual haunts.
You will remember that we held elections at the Barn on May 31st. As we said in the last newsletter, the maximum number of board members we can have according to our constitution is eight. (The minimum number is five.) Because only six men stood for election, we acclaimed them all. Fortunately for us, the six men who stood for election are great guys, very responsible and committed to a successful future!
Retiring from the board are Andy V, Dwayne F, Mario B, and Richard D. They all worked very hard on our interim board, and we appreciate their continuing support!
Returning to the board are Bert B, Gary P, Peter S, and Walter C, and they are joined by David C (Mr. Shave), and by Richard W. These six men have divided up the responsibilities between themselves, and will all be serving until at least June of 1998.
The new board worked hard getting us ready for Pride Day. Peter S made the two beautiful banners by hand (although everyone thought they were professionally printed by computer!), and prepared our two petitions, one to make Hanlan's Point officially naked, and the other to amend the Criminal Code to remove nudity as a crime. All the sheets were filled on both!
Richard W painted the six rainbow-coloured placards that we carried as we marched. Walter and David C worked at the booth for most of the day, while Gary and Bert ran the party the day before. The new board really came together on this, and in my opinion are a really great group of men.
Helping the board out was Peter G, who coordinated and decorated our lovely Pride Day booth. He also made the pink triangle loin-cloths we wore for most of the day, and arranged for the drinks and watermelon and Polaroids and so on that we had for sale. With Walter's help I made the business cards and calendars. Many other members came together to help us out, especially Marvin G and Bernard M, and the quality of our booth and the great success of our outreach attests to their success. Thanks guys!
By now most of you know that nine of the eleven men who walked in the TNT!MEN contingent were naked throughout most of the parade. I'm sure there are a variety of responses, and I invite letters from everyone who has an opinion on the subject. The next newsletter is in production, so send in your letters soon!
As you write, there are two things you should know. Firstly, as I understand it, the board decided that it was up to the individual to decide whether or not he would march naked. Our constitution assumes and welcomes a diversity of opinions among our members, and I believe the board did not want to force the issue in any way.
Secondly, the board had it on good legal authority that wearing only our shoes in the parade would be perfectly legal, and as such would not violate the spirit or the letter of the agreement we made with the Pride Day committee.
Because Pride Day was such a huge success for us, and because it is so important for us to discuss the meaning and ramifications of it as a group, I'm devoting the rest of this mini-newsletter to two letters about it. In our next full newsletter (due August 30th, to be distributed at the Barn), we want you to have your say, and we'll have photos and plenty of other stories. I look forward to hearing from you.