lgbtq event spotlight
continued from page 12 “Part of my contract with winning is that I have to provide bootblack services
once a month, and that can be either publicly or privately. So, I’ve been trying make sure I get out and be accessible to people,” Williams elaborated on his duties. “And I have to do two educational presentations. There’s event
requirements, but also knowing that you kind of hit a celebrity status in a way and the fact that all eyes were going to be on me for the next year was a little bit intimidating.” Williams’ determination falls in line with Dickerson’s favorite aspect of being a member of the leather community in that he enjoys “watching people grow,” he explained. “We do so many coming outs. You come out as gay, you come out as this, you
come out as that,” Dickerson said. “Coming out in leather is equally as difficult and it’s always good to see people grow into that. I came out in leather in 1980 in Washington, D.C. I was told point blank that this was not what black people do. And it was a pretty difficult experience. But when you know that’s who you are – what else are you going to do?” “If it’s who you are, you really don’t have a choice,” he said. “The most important
thing for me is being able to look in the mirror and being OK with whatever you see. Sometimes it’s like one of those funhouse mirrors and it’s all wobbly. And then sometimes it’s so crystal clear that you can’t stand to look at it. But all of that is you and you have to be OK with all of that.” Williams echoed that sentiment about what he enjoys about being a part of the
community. “Something I really like about leather people – and part of the reason why I
appreciate the community and stay in the community – is I feel like leather folk are into bettering themselves and other people,” Williams said. “They’re constantly trying to hold themselves accountable for their actions, communicating honestly, working through their problems. They’re trying to be the best version of themselves. So that’s what I try to model it after. It’s something I really admire in people.” As for the other end of the spectrum, as to how they appear to the outside
world, Dickerson explained what he feels is one of the biggest misconceptions about the leather community. “It’s that we lack passion and compassion. People seem to think that the
things that we do, which are edgy, are done without passion or compassion for who we are playing with,” he said. “And that we beat each other up. It’s far more complicated than that and far more erotic than that and far more powerful than that, for both parties. It’s very different from what people think.” For Williams, who identifies as trans, there is much to look forward to with the
2020 edition of San Diego Leather Pride. “One of my partners is actually competing for the title of San Diego Bootblack
and I’ve been actively mentoring them for the last six months and I’m excited to see them compete,” he said proudly. “And it’s really cool that people of trans experience is something that is starting to become more and more prevalent in the community, so to see that reflected in our own community is really exciting!” As for what revelers can get excited about for Leather Pride, Dickerson gave us
some of the highlights that will flesh out for five days in March. “It kicks off Wednesday at Tiger’s Pictionary at #1 Fifth Avenue, which is always
a fun night,” he said. “Friday night is opening ceremonies, a meet-and-greet with the contestants. You get to meet the judges, and we present the contestants to the community. We do something in San Diego that’s really a little bit different in
that our contestants’ interviews – which is frankly the highest scoring portion of the contest – are open to the public on Saturday morning. And then the contest is always a lot of fun on Saturday night.
A complete list of San Diego Leather Pride events can be found at
facebook.com/SanDiegoLeatherPride
LOS ANGELES LEATHER PRIDE GEARING UP FOR
The week ofSaturday, March 21 through Sunday, March 29 will see members of the Los Angeles leather community gearing up to celebrate with a slew of events, all designed to share in the camaraderie of Leather Pride. The week starts off with theKick-Off Celebration at Eagle 562 in
Long Beach. The historic Globe Theater in DTLA will be ground zero for the culmination of crowning the winner of the annualMr. LA Leather Contest on Saturday, which will see the champion of this accolade vie for the title of Mr. Leather International in Chicago in May. More than 10,000 revelers will converge on Silverlake for the yearlyOff Sunset Festival, plus there are a number of other social events scheduled for Leather Pride. There will be a VIP cocktail reception, a uniform reception, a cigar social, theAftermath after-hours party, theLA Leather Dance and Play Party, theLeather Dog Pound, and the closing party and victory celebration.
A complete list of L.A. Leather Pride events can be found
atlosangelesleatherpride.com
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ragemonthly.com | March 2020
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