Fernando. (Patreon)

“At this point in my life I had never seen or heard of anyone with pierced nipples even in the pages of National Geographic. That was soon to change. One weekend night I went to the Village to hang out at the NYMBC. Standing shirtless by the bar was a hunk of a man. Even in the subdued light there was no missing the glint of gold on his muscular chest. His nipples were pierced. I learned that his name was Fernando and that he was something of a local legend. Though I was never fortunate enough to enjoy the intimate pleasure of his company, he at least let me know that once again I was not alone.” -Jim Ward, Running the Gauntlet.  

Fernando was a well known personality in the Leather community - he appeared in the films STICKS AND STONES, CRUISING (starring Al Pacino), LEATHER NARCISSUS, THE WORLD BY NIGHT, and APARTMENT FOR RENT, was the winner of innumerable leather titles, and, for nodal relevance, was influential in Jim Ward’s personal history of piercing.

Among his accolades were the titles Mr. Leather, Mr. Eagle, Mr. Congeniality, Mr. Universal Leatherman, Mr. Valentine, and my personal favorite, Mr. Humpy Number. 

Born in Puerto Rico, Fernando was a resident of New York City since returning from service as a paratrooper in WWII. He saw Leather analogous to the American cowboy archetype- per a feature in Gay Scene magazine,  "his cycle was like the horse was to the plainsman- an extension of his masculinity."

On a personal level- he was, at one time, the President of the Empire City MC, a gay men's fraternal motorcycle club based in NYC. As the manager of a leather bar where the Empire men would have yearly runs, I once asked their historian if he had any information on Fernando, but due to discretion issues in the early years of the club, they shied away from print records, and I'd heard that at some point there was a rift between he and club, so that avenue was seemingly closed.