Dates coming soon....

Thoughts From the Bootblack Bench

                  Even as I write this with the patch sitting on the table nearby (its vest is still in the mail), a full two weeks after the contest, it still feels kind of surreal to be the newest Northeast Person of Leather. I’m honored to have been given the opportunity to once again take up a mantle for the region I adore so deeply, and to follow in the bootsteps of the phenomenal individuals that held this position before me. We’ve hit the ground running, so let’s dive in, shall we?

Where Have I Been?

• Northeast Person of Leather
• Violet’s Bake Sale
• Levi & Leather: Mx. Maryland Valentine Edition
• Potomac Happy Hour at The District Eagle

                   Northeast Person of Leather

Earning this title was a team effort, and there are so many people I need to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to.

Forever first, my spouse Justin. When I told him I wanted to take up a visible platform again, I thought for sure he'd think I lost it. He might think that still, but what comes out in his words and actions is nothing but unconditional love and support. This guy is my home base, my protector, my partner. I wouldn't be able to do the things I do the way I do them without you.

Next, the boy of all boys, Matt. My scene partner, my handler, my sounding board, my Swiss Army Service Boy. Through the countless obstacles I've faced, you constantly reminded me of who I am and why I'm here. You've been as present for my challenges as you have my victories, and your relentless support drowned out any fear or doubt I may have had. It was your organized calm and anticipatory service that allowed me to put all my focus into bringing my best self to the stage. You honor me with every step you take, and I'm so proud to be your Thaddy. 

My club siblings in COMMAND MC. Whether it was cheering me on or distracting me from the chaos, each one of you have had my back through everything. I'm so proud to wear this patch and to be doing the work with you crazy sluts. 

To my auction basket sponsors: Smut Slam Baltimore/ Rebecca Rose Vassy, Wolfstryker Leather/ Todd Wolfstryker and Mason Stryker, Boneafide/ Kaos Drew ThePup and Omen ThePup , Le Chateau Exotique, Keystone Leather Contest, Maryland Leather Weekend/COMMAND MC and Spark Pupper, thanks to your willingness to say "Yes," to this wild adventure, I was able to put together two stacked baskets worth $460 EACH and give my winners products and experiences I fully stand behind. I can't wait to continue to show my love and appreciation for y'all's ventures for years to come. Thank you so much! 

To my classmate, Red Buoy: You did an absolutely amazing job presenting your authentic self on stage, and it was a pleasure sharing space with you! I can't wait to see what you continue to do in this community, and I'm looking forward to visiting Provincetown this year. 

To my Title Parent Jace The Caveat: Congratulations on an amazing year! You've given me big shoes to fill, and I promise to do right by you and Sir S'ango RoyalHeart in carrying on this title's legacy. Now go kick some ASS at International! 

To our Judges, Tally's, Den Team, Producer Jack, Emcee and Staff: Thank you for your time, your energy, your hard work and your discernment. The level of organization and professionalism present in this contest was top tier.

To everyone who cheered me on, in that room and from home, thank you. To everyone who speaks out in support of the trans community in rooms we're not in, thank you. 

Violet’s Bake Sale

                  I was planning on going to this event whether I won the title or not, as its truly one of my favorite events of the year. Helping auction off deliciously deviant desserts with my gorgeous friends to raise money for queer folks and sex workers in the DC area? Yes, please! The Potomac cake was an absolute showstopper, and the trans pride rainbow cookies COMMAND donated were a personal favorite. It was also lovely to get to catch up with folks from around the region that I don’t get to see as often. 

Heartfelt thanks to Potomac MC, the staff at The Crucible, and everyone involved with Violet’s Bake Sale for letting me help out once again. Together, we collectively raised over $11,000 for HIPS and Rainbow History Project. That’s what community is all about! 

 Levi & Leather: Mx. Maryland Valentine Edition

My sash sibling, Mx. Maryland Leather 2025 Chris Jay, held their fundraiser at Clifton Pleasure Club. I loved the “Thirst Trap” theme, and it was loads of fun to come up with an outfit idea, even if my look was a bit impractical for the freezing weather. Their merch table was plentiful, and I got to pick up their GORGEOUS title pin to add to my growing collection. They also sold color shifting coffee mugs where penises or vaginas appeared when adding hot liquid. So cute! The house bootblack, Geoffrey, was in full effect. It’s always a pleasure watching him work. 

All in all, it was a lovely time of sharing space with good friends. I can’t wait to see Chris absolutely rock it at International Ms. Leather/Bootblack, next month.

Potomac Happy Hour at The District Eagle

                                    I’d been meaning to check out the new District Eagle on U Street in DC since it opened, and when Potomac MC announced they’d be hosting a happy hour there, I knew it was the perfect time to pop in! 

                  In the leather world, the word “Eagle” brings a very specific image to mind. Red lights, chains, porn on the TVs, a dark room, a gear shop. The District Eagle has all the DNA of an Eagle bar packed into a small, speakeasy-style space. I was especially pleased to see the diversity in the staff, who were all every bit as kind as they were professional. 

                  I was thrilled to see old friends and make new ones, and left excited for the future of that space. I could absolutely see myself hosting a bar night or two there, or maybe even signing up to work the bootblack stand. Big props to Potomac MC once again for their kind hospitality. I always feel so embraced in their spaces, and it makes me proud to be an associate member. 

What’s Next?

I’ve got plenty of exciting things coming down the pipeline. Here are just a few places you’ll be able to find me:

• March 9^th- Mixers Leather Contest: My boy, Matt, has decided to run in his very first title contest, so I’ll be cheering him on and celebrating Furby Smash’s incredible year!
• March 14^th- Pennsmen’s Run: This run was one of my favorite events during my Maryland title year, and I’m so excited to have been invited back to teach my Electro-Play class! If you haven’t been to a Pennsmen’s Run, do yourself a favor and go for it!
• March 21-23, 28-30- “The Prom” at College of Southern Maryland: I’m performing in the ensemble of this absolutely adorable musical for a couple weekends in March. Stop by for a heart-warming, toe-tapping good time!

I’ll be keeping this space updated with more events as my calendar is constantly evolving. Until next time, I love you, I’m proud of you and I’m happy you’re here!

Thoughts From the Bootblack Bench

Where I’ve Been

- Overhang at Kiki
- Mixers Leather Contest
- Pennsmen’s Run
- The Prom at College of Southern Maryland
- Virginia Leather Weekend
- Bears of Maryland: Woods Leather Invasion
- Never Again: A Community Visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Tri-Club Bar Night
- Christ Jay’s Send-Off/International Ms. Leather/Bootblack

March and April have me moving in a million different directions, but to all of my favorite places. This is a joyful chaos; a carnival ride rather than a train wreck. I still find myself exhausted at the end, but it’s a fulfilling kind of tired. I joke that I’m a high-velocity human being. I’m constantly chasing the next adventure, so months like this are awesome for me every so often. Leather, Theater, Drag, these are a few of my favorite things. Let’s talk about it!

Overhang at Kiki Lounge, Washington DC

I’m going to take the same moment of vulnerability here that I did on my Facebook page prior to this event.
Dysphoria is psychological distress associated with your body being incongruent to your gender identity. Dysmorphia is psychological stress tied to the shape or appearance of your body.

I'm lucky enough to experience both. Yay!

I've always had a little bit of a belly, even when I was 40 pounds lighter than I am now. It's just how my body shaped out after puberty. My belly is the biggest source of both dysphoria and dysmorphia for me. I loved the way bellies looked on other people, but couldn't see that beauty in myself.

I still struggle seeing it sometimes, but watching people in my life celebrate their bodies encourages me to do the same. Events like this aren’t just fun, they’re so, so sorely needed for so many reasons.

When I tell you the folks putting this event together thought of everything, they thought of EVERYTHING. From the buffet of donuts and hostess cakes near the front door to the beer chugging contest and sizable clothes check, everything that could be tailored to folks with bellies and the people who love them was tailored to the finest degree. Even though most of the attendees were cis gay men, there was never a moment in time where I felt unwelcome or out of place.
I had a grand time connecting with friends I hadn’t seen in a while, and meeting some new ones in the process, and it all wrapped up at 10pm, leaving me with some extra sleep to boot. I want to thank Pup Indigo, all the volunteers and the staff at Kiki for a wonderful evening, and I’ll absolutely be at the next one.

Mixers Leather Contest

I’ve had lots of experience in contests now in various roles ranging from spectator to contestant to Judge to Producer. I’ve coached aspiring titleholders and hosted mock interview panels. One thing I hadn’t had much experience doing was handling a contestant the day of. When my boy, Matt, said he wanted to run for the Mixers Leather title, I knew I was going to give him all the tools I could to bring the best out of him. Matt had done a PHOENOMINAL job handling me during my run for Northeast Person of Leather, and it was my turn to return the favor.

Mixers has always felt like a home bar for me, and the Mixers Leather contest has become a frenetic, must-attend event in its short lifespan. The producers, Jack Thompson and Rabbit, have done a phenomenal job putting together a contest that is both challenging for the contestants and entertaining for the audience. It’s like a family reunion meets the kinky Olympics all in one powerful little dive bar.

This was not an easy contest. Matt was joined by Pup Finn and Temptress M. All three contestants wanted this title, and for all the right reasons. I can truly say that, no matter who ended up winning, the title would be in great hands.

I’m so very proud of Matt for taking home first runner up. They truly put their best self on stage, and the love the community showed them was palpable. I won first runner up my very first contest, too (Mr. Woods Leather 2022), so it feels like they’re following in my footsteps a bit.

A hearty congratulations to the inaugural titleholder, Furby Smash, on an epic year. You did an incredible job setting the tone and connecting with the community to do some real, tangible good, and its an honor to keep fighting by your side, sash or no sash.

Congratulations as well to Temptress M for taking the title! I’m very excited to see what you do with your year.

Pennsmen’s Run

Pennsmen’s Run is rapidly becoming one of my favorite run weekends. From the socials to the classes to the play parties, its spicy fun for everyone! I was fortunate to be invited to teach at the last one as Mx. Maryland, and I’m so grateful they invited me back again, this year.

New to me this year was the excursion to Indian Echo Caverns a short drive away from the host hotel. We took a guided tour of this natural marvel, and interacted with the resident goats and peacocks on the property. I’m a huge fan of elaborate architecture, be it made by man or carved by nature, so this was a super special excursion, and a welcome, refreshing break from the typical leather run activities.

I was most impressed by the ideal location of the run. The host hotel was right near several other hotels, and a short walk from plenty of restaurants and gas stations where one could procure late night snacks.

My electro-play course was absolutely lovely. The students were engaged, and the Education Coordinator, Luke, made triple sure I had everything I needed and then some.

The Pennsmen truly think of everything with their run, and I’m eternally grateful to them for having me back again. I’ll be going every year it happens!

The Prom at College of Southern Maryland

I’ve always been of the mind that community involvement can take many forms. In this title year, I’ve challenged myself to think outside the bars, host hotels and play parties, widening the net of love and support leather is most known for.

One such safe space for queer folks is the theater. I remember being drawn to the black boards and bright lights from a very early age. Whether it was to surround myself with folks of similar lived experiences, or to take off the dysphoria, depression and uncertainty and just be someone else for a time, theater always felt like home. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but performing was something I excelled at; something I felt good doing. So I did it, and kept doing it, all the way through a bachelor's degree in Theater, Film and Media Studies.

The theater was a magical place, but also often a toxic one. The pressure of constantly meeting a Eurocentric beauty standard drove me from the conventional stage and into burlesque and drag for many years. At the encouragement of my sister, I decided to dip my toe back in this year, and I’m so grateful I did.

I’m happy to say the theater world has changed drastically for the better since last I left it. From gender-expansive casting to humane rehearsal schedules and a supportive, enthusiastic environment, its been an absolute pleasure to interact with the community in this way.

“The Prom” is a musical about a lesbian couple who were denied the opportunity to go to prom together, and their journey for justice with the help of some hapless broadway actors. I could think of no better show to make my triumphant return. I found new challenges (my body is not as mobile as it was in my 20s), but it felt so satisfying to return to the stage in a show with such a meaningful, personal message to me, and to be able to do so shoulder to shoulder with the next generation of queer folks. I can confidently say the kids are alright.

A huge thank you to Director AnneMarie, Music Director Will, Choreographer Brooke and the entire cast and crew for giving this recovering actor the chance to dust off the ol’ chops again.

This won’t be the last time I hit the stage either! I’ve thoroughly caught the acting bug, and will be performing in Port Tobacco Players’ production of Othello, running May 2nd-18th.

Virginia Leather Weekend

I already knew I was going to be going back to Virginia Leather Weekend come hell or high water the moment I finished judging it last year. Imagine my surprise when they not only invited me to teach a new Electro-Play 201 course, but also invited me to bootblack at the event! I couldn’t say “Yes” fast enough.

I’m very fortunate to live in a community that’s positively flush with bootblacks, and some of the best in the country at that. I mostly keep to my kitchen table with my own work, but I often find myself missing the personal connection found in the stand. To get the chance to work a stand at a fairly-large leather event was a special moment for me. The 201 class allowed me to delve deeper into one particular modality of the Violet Wand, which gave me time to go over some fun tricks I don’t normally get the chance to cover.

Virginia Leather Weekend is something special. The Virginia community has welcomed me so immediately and so completely into their fold, that I feel as though I’ve known many of them far more years than I actually have.

I’m so very proud of Jason and Megan on their fantastic title years as Mr. and Mrs. Virginia leather 2024, and I have every confidence that the new titleholders, Sir Don and Lynn, will have incredible adventures as well.

My heartfelt gratitude to Cody, Monster, Adam and the entire Virginia Leather team for having me. This event truly feels like a family reunion for me, and I will absolutely be back, next year.

Bears of Maryland Bar Night: Woods Leather Invasion

Speaking of family reunions, the Woods Bear and Woods Daddy titleholders came down to visit Mixers Baltimore! It was a rocking and rowdy good time, and we raised a considerable amount of money for NAMI in the process, as only the Northeast region can!

I don’t get to hang out in bear spaces nearly as much as I’d like, but its always a good time when I do! I got to reunite with some old friends, and make plenty of new ones.

Congratulations to Mr, Woods Bear Jordan and Mr. Woods Daddy Sean on a wonderfully successful takeover, and cheers to the Bears of Maryland for having me!

Never Again: A Leather Community Visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum

With fascism once again rearing its ugly head, its more important now than ever to learn about the devastating effect these ideologies have had on the past, and how to fight them off in the present and future. I consider the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC to be one of the most critical tools in this fight.

The museum contains pictures, videos, testimonies and artifacts from one of the most cruel, deadly regimes in history. As needed as this experience is, its also extremely heavy, and much easier to process when surrounded by a group of loving, supportive individuals. Having organized several other leather outings, I knew this one had to move to the top of the list.

As expected, the experience was heavy. Stories were shared, tears were shed, strategies were discussed. I’m endlessly thankful to those that came along on this trip, and with how fragile our access to information is in this administration, you can be sure there will be another trip to this particular museum in a few months time, along with many other outings of this nature.

Tri-Club Bar Night

Mixers was taken over with triple trouble for Eagle in Exile, this month, as Potomac MC, The Vixxens and my own club, COMMAND MC, joined forces in a bar night for the ages. The turnout was absolutely insane, and the whole bar was packed with laughter and love the entire night through.

Heartfelt thanks to Jen, who spearheaded this event, the club members who sold jello shots and encouraged donations, and everyone who came to celebrate unity with these sibling organizations.

Chris Jay’s Send-Off/International Ms. Leather/Bootblack

Rounding out the month are Mx. Maryland Leather 2025 Chris Jay’s Send-Off to IMsL/BB and the event itself.

The send-off was wildly successful, and had the addition of a service auction to spice things up. Various members and friends of COMMAND MC (myself included) put up experiences and services for auction, ranging from tarot readings and burbon tastings to crochet quilts and impact scenes, with all proceeds going to Chris’s travel fund. To cap the evening off (literally), Chris Jay was surprised with a covering ceremony at the end of the night with a brilliant gold Muir cap: a much deserved accolade for an incredible human being.

Though I could only be there for a day due to other commitments, International Ms. Leather/Bootblack was every bit the family reunion I needed it to be. I got to see friends I’ve only ever known online, cheer on my Maryland sash sibling as I witnessed their incredible speech and chat and play with some incredible people.

The contest side of the weekend has brought about a lot of feelings and important conversations from many different angles. I’m personally still navigating my thoughts on it all, and I’ve learned throughout my life that sometimes the most helpful thing someone can do is stop, step back, shut their mouth and listen. That’s what I’ve elected to do for now.

Many heartfelt congratulations to our new IMsL, Velvet Storm (who judged me to my very first title back in 2023), the contestants, production team, volunteers and staff on a wildly successful, inclusive, enjoyable event. IMsL is and will always be on my list of must-go events every year.

Upcoming Events

-Port Tobacco Players presents Othello: May 2nd-18th (For tickets and times, visit https://www.ptplayers.com)
-Bears, Bikers & Mayhem: May 30th-June 1st
-June 7th: DC World Pride Parade

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Coming soon!