by Rick Cullen

A BEAUTIFUL BIND:
An Evening with Jim Greene

In there stepped a stately Raven of the
saintly days of yore,
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute
stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above
my door -

Edgar Allen Poe

Jim Greene is the current president of the L.I. Ravens M.C., which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, having been organized in 1992 by a small band of brothers led by Al Lawrence. The highlight of this anniversary year for the Ravens will be their annual Run Weekend to be held March 22 through March 24, 2002. On Saturday, March 23, 2002 beginning at 7 PM the Ravens will host their annual Leather Banquet, traditionally open to and attended by the general GLBT Community, followed by the Raven's largest charitable fundraiser of the year at the Long Island Eagle bar in Bay Shore. Recently, Jim was able to take time out from his busy schedule to perch in my living room and chat with me concerning the L.I. Ravens and the unique role they play in the GLBT Community.

RC: Jim, my first request is that you briefly outline the history of the Ravens as many in the GLBT Community in general know so little about them. Can you do that for me - briefly?

JG: Sure, Rick. The Ravens were formed ten years ago in 1992. Al Lawrence and the original group met around a kitchen table and decided to start a club. I'm not sure what happened to get them into it. Al was the President of the Club for the first six years and built the foundation of the organization, which necessitated a goal oriented leadership style. When John Deitz subsequently president, there were some deficits in the club. While John was goal oriented, he felt the trip from point A to point B was as important as the goal. Consequently, John emphasized building up the relationships and feeling of family among the members as well as the structures, by-laws, and systems of the organization so we wouldn't forget our history, so that we would have continuity, and to make the Club more economical, that is, so we didn't have to reinvent the wheel every year. I employ a useful metaphor in this respect. Al built the foundation; John built the walls; and now we are ready to do something new - we're ready to do the Martha Stewart bit! Consequently, my presidency, the third in the Club's history which commenced this past January, will be a little bit of both. We can do things we couldn't do years ago now that we have a certain maturity.

Basically, the Ravens were always known as a gay men's leather club, which is provided for in our Charter; it is a gay fraternity, really. It was founded for men who wanted to share the fraternal experience.

Al Lawrence with his partner Peter

RC: What is the nature of that "fraternal" experience?

JG: A lot of us were not in fraternities in college so we were looking for the brotherhood experience. That would be a group of men who get together who have similar interests to accomplish certain goals, not the least of which is fundraising. Fundraising has always been a key component of the Ravens. That's the way the organization was set up by the original members and promoted by Al Lawrence. It is a big part of our identity and is something we are extremely proud of. We also play together. It is a volunteer organization so we try to do fun things too.

In reality, most people come to us because they have some interest in leather, the leather lifestyle, motorcycle riding or, as with myself, because they are attracted to "real" men who dress and act like men and solve their problems like men. Some are attracted because they are interested in exotic sexual practices of whatever flavor. We have everything in the club from across the spectrum. Some have leather lifestyles that are limited to wearing a leather vest and hanging out with what they perceive as "real" men. At the other end of the spectrum there are those who are into S&M sexual activities. One of the good things about our members and the club is that we tend not to judge each other. What some do in their private and not-so-private lives is their business. In essence if you look at what a college fraternity is, that is the Ravens. We try to foster the notion that the brotherhood is and tries to function as an extended family.

The fraternity experience is an interesting experience because you can't choose how your brothers act and you have to learn to accept and live with your brothers in a harmonious way, just like in a family. We have our good and bad times and we take it all and live with each other. This is different from how most other gay groups I've been involved with operate. In my personal experience, if someone in these other groups is particularly difficult, they are ejected; there is no attempt at a harmonious compromise, which is how we live as Ravens.

RC: Do women have any role in the Ravens M.C.?

JG: We have women as Honorary Associates. Honorary Associate status is usually granted to people who have done something for the Club. At this year's anniversary we will be granting this honor to a woman, J.P. Jacobs, who has worked a number of nights at the Eagle voluntarily as a bootblack and contributed all the money she made to our Charity Fund. The women in the Raven's Bagpipe Band have been granted Honorary Associate status. Peter, the Eagle's bartender, will also be granted this honor for services he has performed for the Ravens, including bar-backing for the group at our monthly bar nights, mixing exotic drinks for those in attendance. Bishop Michael, who has favored the Bagpipe Band and was piped into his cathedral by the Band, a Raven's first, will also be granted Honorary Associate status this year. Bishop Michael has also performed our Anniversary Invocation over the years and has been a tireless worker in the AIDS community as a member of the Diocese and National AIDS Commissions.

This year at our anniversary the Life Member status will be granted. It is an honor granted to those who have been members of the Ravens for at least ten years. There will be two such honorees, Al Lawrence and Richard Kelly, the only two founding members remaining.

RC: Jim, can you tell us a little about the "fun" activities the Ravens engage in?

JG: Absolutely! At the top of the list would be our annual Leather Weekend Run. The Ravens belong to the Atlantic Motorcycle Coordinating Counsel (AMCC), as do most other motorcycle clubs in the region extending from Montreal to Key West, Florida. By the way, Al Lawrence is the current President of the AMCC. Anyway, each one of these clubs has a Run, that is, a big party, once a year usually at their anniversary. This is our big party. Our Run Weekend is sanctioned by the AMCC and no other member club within a certain designated area can hold an event to compete with our celebration. During this weekend representatives of other motorcycle clubs from all over the country, and particularly the AMCC, are in attendance.

Of course, the Ravens have traditionally done something a little different from other motorcycle clubs. Our Run Weekend Leather Banquet is always promoted as a GLBT Community affair. Thus not only do we have several hundred leather-men in attendance, but also several hundred members of the GLBT Community, including many of the Community's leaders and straight supporters. We try to make the banquet an inclusive affair and it is here that we give away our charity funds to many GLBT organizations.

Of course there are weekend activities specifically directed toward the leather clubs during the weekend, including cocktail parties throughout sponsored by attending clubs, a Brunch for club members on the Sunday morning following the Banquet, and the exchange of club colors.

RC: Can you give us a sneak preview of what we can expect at this year's Leather Banquet?

JG: Oh, yes! I will select and make the Raven of the Year Award, granted to a Raven's member who has excelled in the last year or contributed more of his time and enthusiasm to the Club. The Associate and Life Memberships I have already spoken about will also be awarded. There is also going to be entertainment. Demitasse, a member of the Imperial Court of New York City and a Raven's lover, a mover and shaker in the Court, is also a performer. Last year Demitasse did a bit of entertainment with porn star Donny Russo and a few other assorted hunks. Everyone enjoyed it so much, Demitasse has agreed to perform again! And of course, we have a new DJ this year. And I am told that this year's pledges want to do a special presentation which should be funny and entertaining. There will be more, but we want to keep some things a surprise!

RC: So Jim, why don't you give us the necessary details of this year's Leather Banquet.

JG: The Leather Banquet will be held on March 23, 2002 at the Airport Holiday Inn on Veterans Memorial Highway in Ronkonkoma. It will start at 7:00 p.m. and end at midnight. It will include a five course sit-down dinner with an open bar for the entire time. As I said, there will also be music and entertainment, all for $75.00 a head - so to speak! Of course I want to be sure to mention that after the Leather Banquet the Ravens will host their largest charitable fundraiser of the year at the Eagle Bar in Bay Shore.

RC: What, in your opinion, have been some of the Raven's greatest achievements in the last ten years?

JG: Many! Most importantly, the creation of the first gay and lesbian bagpipe band in the United States - notwithstanding that Al believes it to be the first in the world! The Raven's Bagpipe Band was the first gay band to march in the Bay Shore Memorial Day Parade as well as many St. Patrick's Day Parades. We were also the first U.S. group to be invited to perform in Montreal to celebrate the passage of gay civil rights legislation in Canada. We have also marched in all the local Pride Parades, including the Long Island, Queens, Brooklyn and N.Y.C. parades. We have also provided requested services for many local gay organizations, including the L.I. Pride Chorus, LIGALY, the LIAAC AIDS Walk, PWAC, and others.

The next thing that comes to mind is the Raven's construction of a fundraising structure which produces money for our Charity Fund. As we step forward into my two year presidency, we will try to soup up that machine. Most of our prior fundraising resulted from Bar Nights, which are fun, and as a result we've been able to give away from $28,000.00 to $29,000.00 to deserving GLBT organizations over the years. But if we think creatively about fundraising there are faster ways of making more money. I would like to see us have a fundraiser like Dock of the Bay or the Hampton's Airport AIDS fundraisers, which are spectacular and well attended by the GLBT Community. I must add that we have been more successful of late in our fundraising efforts as a result of the actions of our former President, John Deitz

RC: Jim, where do you see the Ravens going during your presidency?

JG: I think we can be a little bit more aggressive in our outreach to find other men to join us. Our pledges always tell us there are misunderstandings in the GLBT Community about what we are about. They think we are all into S&M and hanging people from the ceiling, which is not the case! So we need to do P.R. and outreach work in the Community as a whole. When we throw an event at the Eagle, it is full of L.I. people who are never otherwise there. So where do they go? Into NYC and wherever! If more of these men became involved with the Ravens they wouldn't have to go to the city - or wherever!

RC: What is the general procedure if someone wanted to join the Ravens?

JG: If you want to join the Ravens you can speak to any Raven brother. There are usually applications at the Eagle by our bulletin board. There are full and associate memberships. You fill out an application and are subsequently interviewed by a Committee of three to four people who ask you questions in order to find out about you, see who and what you are. If you still wish to proceed, there is a six month pledge period. You meet on a regular basis with the Pledgemaster who has a regular curriculum, including a history of the leather movement, the sexual expressions prominent in our community, a Raven's history component, and a component for welding the pledges together as a group. After the initial six month period the brothers decide whether they want you to join; alternatively, you must decide if you want to join. If everyone is in agreement, you are inducted as a full member and go to work.

I want to emphasize that the Ravens do not have a hazing period like a fraternity. We've always respected the integrity of the individuals that come to us and do nothing during the Pledge Program that would interfere with or compromise that integrity. We don't ask pledges to run naked through the streets of Bay Shore! Our initiation program is not a rite of passage in that sense. It is a rite of passage in the sense that we cannot take in as a member anyone who is in the closet since one of our primary purposes is to be visible in the general community. So you have to be out of the closet and comfortable with your own sexuality, as well as acceptant of the sexuality of others. It is an unwritten law that closeted people are not admitted. The rite of passage is we wear leather in public which in reality says: this is who I am and this is how I choose to dress, and - obviously - I am gay!

RC: Finally, if you had one message that you could convey to the L.I. GLBT Community on behalf of the Ravens, what would that be?

JG: The leather community is the most accepting crowd of people I have ever run into. What I mean is the diversity of people involved in the leather club scene is huge! I think there are misconceptions on the part of "outsiders" regarding who we are and what we're about. However, I feel that the general gay Community could and maybe should pay more attention and find out what we're doing. Sometimes we in the GLBT Community are our own worst enemies. As leather-men we try hard to remember it was drag queens who fought at Stonewall and started the entire Gay Rights movement! We have to learn to live together ourselves and to understand each other. We have to learn to be more acceptant of each other and not have intergroup spats and fights. This group against other groups. All stereotypes are fallacies, especially for us. As we've gotten to know the Imperial Court better we expanded our own horizons by getting involved. It is better to get involved than to just put entire groups out of our minds based on perceived stereotypes, like the straight community does to the GLBT community, defining us by who we go to bed with when there is a lot more involved. All of us are more than that and we shouldn't diminish each other like that!

RC: I couldn't agree more! Thank you for your time, Jim.

JG: Thanks, Rick. It was a pleasure.

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Photos by Louis Trapani and Jed Ryan