Welcome to BLUF's blog. Here you'll find selection articles that we hope will be of interest to the wider community, not just BLUF members.
Exodus, 25 November 2024
BLUF Minneapolis on Telegram, 04 June 2024
Norden Plus, 05 May 2024
The promise of a new year, 21 December 2023
Twin Cities Leather Weekend 2023, 01 November 2023
The Eagle Minneapolis new branding and new life, 06 July 2023
Working on a dream, 13 April 2023
Time to talk, 05 March 2023
BLUF statement regarding Touché, 17 November 2022
What's new in BLUF v4.5, 25 August 2022
BLUF joined Twitter fifteen years ago, on 26th November 2009. Since then, we've made over 40,000 posts, numerous replies and direct messages, and we also operated an automated feed with information about BLUF events. All of that is over; much of it is deleted. All those tweets will be … 25 Nov 2024
Around the world, nations and borders change. Sometimes it happens dramatically, and cataclysmically, as in the former Yugoslavia, and sometimes it's more measured, the result of years of campaigning. When it does happen, though, it means change, and a certain amount of upheaval. There will be those who don't like … 22 Aug 2022
Following feedback from a couple of people, a small change has been made to the description of the BLUF dresscode, though the code itself remains the same. For many years, we have listed things that are explicitly not included the dresscode, and for a number of years, part of that … 06 Aug 2021
At the end of 2020, the United Kingdom - where BLUF Ltd is based - will no longer benefit from the transitional arrangements following its exit from the European Union. This blog is an attempt to explain what we believe will happen with regard to the various BLUF merchandise that … 15 Dec 2020
BLUF turns 23 this week. We’re doing so in a year that has been unlike any other, for a number of reasons. The pandemic is one, obviously, but besides that and the US election, one of the things that 2020 will surely be remembered for is protests about racial justice … 16 Nov 2020
Since 2013, the BLUF Card has been our reward for members who donate to the club. In return for donating, members can either download a card to print at home, or display it on-screen in our app. A range of vendors, to whom we are extremely grateful, offer discounts to … 26 Sep 2020
In this backstage blog, I'm going to explain more about our current process for photo approvals. Photos, and whether or not they're accepted, is probably that thing that people query most once they're a BLUF member, and I'll admit that it is something that, from time to time, causes problems … 20 Apr 2020
••Update: 15th April 2020** In light of the drastic action being taken in many countries around the world fight the corona virus pandemic, especially in Europe, I have decided that all our official events between now and the end of May will be cancelled. BLUF events are organised by volunteers … 15 Mar 2020
This blog post is based on information circulated today (10th March) to BLUF event organisers, all of whom work on a voluntary basis Obviously, different governments around the world are responding in their own ways to the new coronavirus. I thought I'd best update everyone with what I think is … 10 Mar 2020
We're delighted to parter with the charity Saving Lives UK, to help promote postal HIV testing in the UK. Saving Lives, through their website Take A Test UK, makes home testing kits available, including straightforward HIV testing and full STI checkups. The tests use a simple dried blood spot, which … 28 Feb 2020
We've been making plans. BLUF will turn 25 this decade, and I'm sure all members would love to see it carry on for as long as possible. And that means that it needs to generate enough money to cover its costs in the long term. I hope that 2020 will … 19 Jan 2020
"What makes a man?" asked the late Charles Aznavour in his 1972 song. If you're not familiar with his work, you might perhaps think he's "just a French crooner," but to sing about a gay transvestite back then was certainly challenging taboos, and at a time when the … 02 Nov 2018
We are delighted to announce that an agreement has been reached regarding the “BLUF Berlin” brand. Stig Berntsen (LthrMannBln 1261), our former member of many years standing, has transferred his brand to BLUF Ltd as a peacemaking gesture and to protect the scene. This means that BLUF Ltd will … 29 Aug 2018
Last week, we reported that the holder of the BLUF Berlin trademark had applied for an injunction to prevent one of our volunteers in Berlin from organising events using the BLUF name. Rather than immediately grant the injunction, the court gave each side a week to respond to the submissions … 02 Aug 2018
In April, we issued a statement regarding a dispute about the use of the name BLUF Berlin. We are now in a position to give an update. On 22nd June Olaf Hartmannsgruber, our volunteer organiser in Berlin, received a legal letter requesting that he cease organising events in Berlin using … 27 Jul 2018
BLUF events around the world have been organised by volunteers ever since the club was founded in 1997. In Berlin many different members have organised events over the years - since at least 2003 - including social meet-ups, dinners, and gatherings during large events such as Folsom Europe and BLF's … 04 Apr 2018
Privacy and the use of data is very much in the news at the moment, following stories about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, so I thought I'd take a moment to explain a little more about our privacy policy, and the principles that guide what we do at BLUF. You can … 25 Mar 2018
The BLUF Calendar is one of the most important parts of the website, helping members and non-members alike to find events near them, and helping other groups to publicise the events that they organise. Keeping it up to date is a big job - as well as events to add … 27 Feb 2018
One of the inevitable aspects of running a club, or a site like BLUF, is that sooner or later one or more of your members will pass away. Over the years I've been running the club, we've had this happen numerous times, and we now have a fairly structured way … 17 Mar 2017
Since it was created in 1997, BLUF has existed in a relatively informal way, organised first by Leon and now by myself. Over recent years, the club has grown in size and scope, with a better website and apps, more active local groups, and more events around the world. We … 26 Jan 2016
For this year's World AIDS Day, BLUF is adding some features to our website that will help members learn about PrEP - Pre Exposure Prophylaxis. It's a drug regime that, taken by HIV negative people, can help to ensure that they stay that way. It's one of the biggest recent … 23 Nov 2015
A few years ago, the BLUF calendar was something that was only available to members, and was principally a listing of BLUF events and very few other things. Over recent years it's grown, and now contains over 400 events, of which BLUF organises, supports or sponsors around around two thirds … 22 Jun 2015
Unlike many other sites, BLUF doesn't have a button on profiles that you can use to block other members from sending you messages. It's something that, from time to time, people ask about, and so in this Backstage blog, I thought I'd set out why we don't have one, and … 15 May 2015
As part of our commitment to keeping BLUF secure, we have today made some important changes to the way passwords are handled on the BLUF web site. We're posting this publicly for two reasons - first, so that people who have forgotten their password can understand the new system and … 23 Feb 2015
Like it or not, Facebook is the site that many, many people turn to for a lot of their online socialising. It's captured the market to a huge degree - you even see adverts where, instead of a web site, companies urge you to find them on Facebook. And, as … 21 Nov 2014
BLUF membership to some is something to be coveted, and to aspire to. To others, it's a self selecting clique, or a bunch of guys who think they're better than everyone else. Or something that's virtually impossible to join. So, in this BLUF Backstage blog, I'm going to explain a … 12 Nov 2014
This is the first in a series of BLUF Backstage articles that explains how we deal with various aspects of running the club. Today, I'm explaining how we handle inactive profiles; in theory, of course, we could just leave them all there. But, we don't need to impress advertisers with … 06 Oct 2014
Der 16. Juni 2009 war für mich ein wichtiges Datum. Es war der Tag, an dem Leon, der Gründer von BLUF, mich gebeten hatte, BLUF zu übernehmen, damit er nach zwölf Jahren zurücktreten konnte. Ich hoffe, es ist nicht zu unbescheiden zu sagen, dass ich ziemlich stolz auf das bin … 10 Jul 2014
June 16th 2009 was a fairly significant date for me. It was the day on which Leon, BLUF's founder, asked me to take over running the club so that he could step back after twelve years. I hope it's not too immodest to say that I'm quite proud of what's … 16 Jun 2014
Bijou World, a vendor of vintage gay porn, wrote an interesting blog about the recent IML, in which they lamented the lack of people in full leather, compared to the number in, say, harnesses. It's an interesting read, and while I can't say whether or not it's indicative of the … 04 Jun 2014
With the UK's internet censorship scheme rolling out, enforcing a 'nanny knows best' view of what we should be allowed to see online, and at the same time blocking access to important sites, like LGBT health information, or support for abuse survivors, I've collected together some of the writing that … 20 Dec 2013
You'll find BLUF members and volunteers active on social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook. Many members use the word BLUF and sometimes their BLUF membership number as part of their profile names online. So, it's not always obvious whether something you read online is a statement from someone who's … 23 Oct 2013
The BLUF site now includes a new option, "BLUF Card", for members who are logged in to their accounts. This allows you to download a BLUF membership card, in PDF format. We've done this so that, for the first time, BLUF members have a way to prove that they are … 01 Aug 2013
In the UK, a fairly important trial has just concluded; discussed on twitter using the #PornTrial hashtag, it centred around a man named Simon Walsh, who was prosecuted for ‘Extreme Pornography,’ after a search of his email account found images that the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) believed … 08 Aug 2012
Pride is upon as and, for the first time, BLUF is registered as a group to march in the parade in London. Amongst all the outpourings of emotion and anger that have been caused by the poor organisation and near collapse of the event, there are also some familiar themes … 06 Jul 2012
I wrote in December about our 12x12 Pledge, to encourage people to go out and visit their leather bars more, and I'm pleased that that's been taken up by many people, including some venues who've been using the logo we created on their publicity. We've now also made a small … 27 Feb 2012
One of the most important things that BLUF does every year is to organise meetings around the world; these are arranged by volunteers, and take place in the UK, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, the United States, and many other countries. At many of these, attendance is excellent – at … 26 Dec 2011
Often, when I’m out and about in bars, the subject of leather comes up. When it does, I don’t leap in and say “I’m the BLUF webmaster.” Instead, it’s interesting to listen to what people say, especially if matters do turn to BLUF. And when they do, very often … 09 Nov 2011
