By Mufasa Ali
Thank you to the LLC Board for trusting me with this auspicious occasion to share, to my husband in his absence, boi Optimus and the Mufasa’s Pride Family, to the National Council of ONYX and all my ONYX family, to my Leather Preservation History Weekend Board members, to all my Leather Community and to His Eminence T’Chala always in my soul ….Wakanda Forever!
By CandiAnne
(Columbus, OH) — National Leather Association - International (NLA-I), a leading organization for activists in the pansexual SM/Leather/Fetish community, announced today the finalists for its annual writing awards. Named after activists and writers Geoff Mains, John Preston, Pauline Reage, Cynthia Slater, and the groundbreaking organization Samois, they are awarded annually to recognize excellence in writing and publishing about Leather, SM, bondage and fetishes.
The finalists for the Cynthia Slater Non-fiction Article Award are:
Super Tight: A Fetish For Restraint by Claire Rudy Foster which appeared April 20, 2017 on TheRumpus.net
A Defense of Erotic by Jeff Mann which appeared as the introduction to his book Consent which was released April 28 , 2017 by Lethe Press
The finalists for the Geoff Mains Non-fiction Book Award are:
The Big Workbook For Submissives by Rebecca Blanton (Auntie Vice Productions)
Better Bondage For Every Body by Evie Vane (Wanton Press)
Gay Pioneers: How Drummer Magazine Shaped Gay Popular Culture 1965-1999 by Jack Fritscher (Palm Drive Publishing)
The finalists for the Pauline Reage Novel Award are:
The Master Will Appear by L.A. Witt (self published)
Insatiable by Jeff Mann (Lethe Press)
The finalists for the Samois Anthology Award are:
Unspeakably Erotic: Lesbian Kink by D.L. King (Cleis Press)
The finalists for the John Preston Short Story Award are:
Winter Fantasia Captive Club by Jeff Mann which appeared on Great Jones Street reading app
The Artist by Daniel Erickson (self-published)
Sand Trap by L.M. Somerton (Pride Publishing)
Falling Action by Kiki DeLovely from the anthology His Aura: A Collection of Transmasculine Erotica ed. Shaun J. Phree (Phreedom Publishing)
Pygmalion by J. Belle from the anthology Unspeakably Erotic: Lesbian Kink ed. D.L. King (Cleis Press)
The Brute and The Brat by Sinclair Sexsmith (Maverick Press)
The winners will be announced at the National Leather Association – International’s Annual General Meeting, which will be held October 21 in Reno, NV in conjunctions with NLA - Northern Nevada’s event, Revelry. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information.
For more information about the awards, please contact the Award Committee Chair, CandiAnne Shafer, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Photo by Denis Largeron Photographie
The National LGBTQ Task Force presented its 10th Leather Leadership Award to Durk Dehner at the opening plenary of the organization's 30th Annual Creating Change Conference in Washington, DC on January 25. Durk co-founded the Tom of Finland Foundation in 1984 and was also first runner-up of the first IML competition in 1979. The award was presented by IML 1996 Joe Gallagher and Annina Aalto, Cultural Counselor at the Embassy of Finland. In accepting the award, Durk told the audience of over 2,000, mainly young people, "Be willing to try on different clothes of life. We are explorers and always remember that!" Many of Tom of Finland's drawings were projected on the ballroom's large screens, including the famous 2014 Finnish stamp in his honor..
Greetings!
My name is Gary Wasdin, and I am the new Executive Director of the Leather Archives & Museum. I am humbled to have been chosen to lead this organization and to continue the work that so many have contributed to over the past 26-plus years. While I am only in my third week, your passion and commitment to the LA&M and its work is evident. Thank you for your support.
Concluding a multi-month search process, an experienced library director and administrator will lead the next chapter of the Leather Archives and Museum. Gary Wasdin received unanimous support of all nine board members present at the Sunday afternoon meeting. He will assume his new position on January 2.
The Leather Hall of Fame honors and preserves the legacy of the extraordinary people and organizations that have significantly shaped the history of the Leather/BDSM communities worldwide since 1950. We are pleased to announce the 2018 inductees: International Mr. Leather (IML), Black Leather in Color, The Society of Janus (SoJ).
The main event of Palm Springs Leather Pride is the Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2018 contest which was won by Jax Kelly who was tops among four men on Saturday night, October 29 at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Runner-up was Tony Dewain. International Mr. Leather 1992 Lenny Broberg and Mr. Oil Can Harry's Leather 2013 Jeremy Ronceros shared emcee duties. The ASL and English Interpreter was Michael Klynn.
2018 Iowa Leather titleholders. Photo by Everett Allen Photography
By Rob Anderson
Meet your 2018 Iowa Leather titleholders: Ms Iowa Leather Joy Carty of West Des Moines, IA; Mr. Iowa Leather Bull Baugh of The Amanas, IA; Mr. Iowa Bear Jim Perkey of Des Moines, IA; and Iowa Puppy Pup Paddles of Boone, IA.
Held October 13-15, Iowa Leather Weekend (ILW) continues to break attendance records, over 600 people attended Saturday’s contest,with a total weekend event attendance of 1,700. Multiple state, regional, national, and international titleholders attended Iowa Leather Weekend. International Ms. Bootblack 2017 - Elisa Vegas; International Ms. Leather - Girl Complex;International Mr. Bootblack 2017 - Ryan Garner-Carpenter; and International Mr. Leather 2017 Ralph Bruneau traveled across the country to check out Iowa Leather Weekend.
The Leather Journal was founded in May, 1987. The Leather community was hungry for news magazine that covered clubs, organizations and events. TLJ has successfully met that need for 34 years. We have adapted to change more than once and when the Internet came about we were there by adding www.TheLeatherJournal.com
