Queerness in uniform

>>How to dress for Black & Blue success

by MATTHEW HAYS

Of all the parties at the Black & Blue Festival--Montreal's internationally renowned circuit event--the Military Ball often sells out before any other. As the gay community has grown in strength and visibility, reports Bad Boy Club Montreal president Robert V ézina, so has the uniform fetish community. And that, he says, is reflected in sheer numbers at the Ball, held annually at Metropolis.

Sylvain, who asked that his last name not be used for this article, is a strapping 25-year-old Qu éb écois who loves uniforms. And, though he attends the Black & Blue Military Ball each year, he says the event isn't really what he'd consider a true uniform fetish party. "I think it's far more about people coming to the Black & Blue as a circuit party," he says. "The DJs at the Military Ball are often the best and it's on a Saturday night. Only a fraction of the people there are actually really into the uniforms."

Sylvain enjoys an intense identification with the uniform image and fetish. He loves dressing up, in full regalia, as a cop. He shops for many of his outfits on the Internet, where he says there are a wide range of authentic outfits and matching accessories for sale. He's always had an affection for leather; he still recalls, at age five, donning his father's leather gloves while sitting down to watch cartoons early on Saturday mornings.

It's about power

For many onlookers, the uniform thing may seem like an odd anachronism from another period, a gay clich é smacking of the notorious '70s group the Village People. But exclusive leather/uniform fetish bars exist in virtually every large city in North America and Europe, with enthusiasts taking the entire sexually driven dress-up game very seriously. (Montreal will finally be getting its own, Resurrection, which opens this weekend.) There has been extensive scholarly work done on the phenomenon, most notably by author and self-proclaimed "military chaser" Stephen Zeeland, whose books on the subject (including last year's Military Trade) have received glowing reviews for their illumination of the uniform fetish.

For Sylvain, himself a graduate student in queer studies, the uniform fetish is straightforward and simple to explain. "It's about power. It's a sexual fetish that allows for the exchange of power. And with uniforms, this can be explored without rough sex."

Sylvain enjoys the fetish with his boyfriend, who is also into the cop thing. It does colour their love and sex life virtually all of the time. "Yes, there is role playing in bed. We enjoy a very wide range of fetishes. It's a lot of fun." Sylvain says, however, that he's not into the military thing at all, just the cop thing. He doesn't fully understand why, but he says he almost finds the military garb a turnoff. "I think it might have something to do with the fact that I grew up in a small Quebec town, wherethere were no military images for me to see. I did see cops, however."

Couriers and firemen

And Sylvain is aware of the stinging irony: while the gay community is often thought of as iconoclastic and nonconformist, the uniform thing seems out of (goose) step, with enthusiasts embracing codes of dress that are strict and, well, uniform. Sylvain points out that fantasy is often worlds apart from reality. "How many people do you actually see doing it? In fact, I think we're breaking the stereotype of the muscular Ecstasy boy.

"It's actually something that's often frowned upon, even within the gay community. If you went down to the Village in uniform, there would be some admirers, but there would also be some negative comments."

Sylvain reports that as the uniform movement grows, so do the variety of options available. "Some guys really get into UPS outfits, or Purolator courier. In Montreal, especially, there seems to be a fetish for firemen. The Americans really like the RCMP--all that red in the uniform. And there are some who wear the Swastika--but it's part of the image, they don't agree with the philosophy."

Sylvain says his interest in uniforms helped cement his relationship with his current beau, whom he met some two and a half years ago at Stud Bar. "I don't know if I could be in a relationship with someone who couldn't relate to my fetish. It's a very important part of my sexuality." :



All the Black & Blue parties (including the Leather Ball, the three Military Balls, and the main event) appear in live-music listings. For more info call 875-7026 or see www.bbcm.org