Photos from the Front: Folsom Fair and the Bareback War

I blogged last weekend about the Folsom Fair and the TIM invasion of the event. It seems to me that the central aim was to highlight the pointlessness of the ban on TIM and other bareback companies from taking part and the determination of TIM (if perhaps less so other bareback commercial players) that they are going nowhere. Finally, their presence demonstrated the continued demand by fair attendees for bareback. Of course, people may have entered venues (particularly the Mack Folsom Prison 'booth') out of curiosity rather than a desire to buy TIM products, meet TIM performers or watch Jesse fuck Cory.

Any continued ban on TIM and bareback companies would be a clear assertion by organisers that rather than reflecting the desires of the men who want such an event, organisers would be acting with a paternal "we know best" attitude.

This spirit has arisen at various gay pride events in the past and usually causes only harm. When the organisers and a management of community events become increasingly removed from the people the event was for, it can only end in disaster (however well-intended the oragnisers were).

Treasure Island Media have now (finally!) posted pictures and a video of the event. Many of the pictures are NSFW and the video includes scenes of fucking so again, caution is advised. They can be viewed here. I thought there would be some 'overflow' of the TIM event into the sex club part of Mack Folsom rather than the small 'sex shop' bit that you see here (red walls pics).

The TIM stars -notably Damon Dogg (who we saw in his video diaries, regards SOMA as something of a stomping ground) and the recently low-profile Jesse O'Toole are the companies sleaze stalwarts and they are joined by the more recent recruit Corry Koons along with others.

I'm curious to know from anyone there how these events impacted upon the Mack Folsom Prison sex club space and the practicing of bareback sex there/the appearance of TIM stars in that bit too.

Given the legal history that led to the existence of this venue (and the total absence of bathhouses in San Francisco), I suspect the owners were walking something of a legal, social and commercial tight-rope and it will be interesting to see if Fair organisers seek to take some form of punitive actions against the condomless coalition that infiltrated the Folsom Fair this year.

As for the success of these events, if they worked from the perspective of TIM and Paul Morris, IML attendees in Chicago next year can surely expect a similar fight-back?

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