Mixed Reaction to Manhattan
S&M Street Festival

Shoppers browsed among the whips, chains and T-shirts with slogans like "Real tears excite me" at the city's first S&M street festival yesterday, even as some neighborhood residents lashed out at the fair's adult content.

"People from the mainstream community can come here and get an education on alternative means of expression," said Robert Valin, chairman of the group Leather Invasion, which sponsored the event. He was dressed for the occasion in a latex tank top and pants. "They find out we are less threatening than they think we are."

Read More...