2025 Contestants for Northeast Person of Leather

 

 

Website Finn 2CONTESTANT #1 IS FINN GERHARDT 

Finn Gerhardt is a non-binary leatherperson, drag performer and vintage leather enthusiast hailing from the backwoods of Charles County, Maryland. Finn is the current Run Captain of COMMAND MC, a member of Clifton Pleasure Club, and served as Mx. Maryland Leather 2023. Finn most enjoys educating; teaching classes in Electro-Play, Sanitation and Disinfection of Kink Tools, Leather Restoration, Erotic Makeup Application, Trans Allyship, Public Speaking and more. Finn is the founder of the Leather in Action Initiative; a collective of activists dedicated to fighting discriminatory legislation in Maryland and beyond. Finn collects vintage clothing, including vintage leather, and enjoys giving new life to old pieces through the art and science of bootblacking. Finn is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist in both Maryland and Virginia, so whether its people or pelts, if its skin, Finn is all in.

I’ve organized and planned several community events and fundraisers including, “Game and Gear Night,” “No Adulting Required: An AB/DL Friendly Fundraiser” and “Leather Adventures”: A recurring event where leatherfolk gather for various cultural and educational experiences in the DC/MD/VA area. I’ve also hosted several bar nights and events in partnership with COMMAND MC, including co-producing Maryland Leather Weekend, last year. Most recently, I coordinated a leather community visit to the AIDS quilt when a segment of the quilt came to Baltimore for World AIDS Day. I go where I’m needed and no job is too small; be it selling jello shots and raffle tickets or handling contest judges and emceeing or performing in benefit shows. In the fetish sphere, I teach and demo at events across the country, and have served as Dungeon Monitor at COMMAND’s PigSty play parties. I’m a proud Thaddy to boy Matt, and flag black, hunter green, teal and electrical tape on the left and white velvet on both sides.

 

CONTESTANT #2 IS RED BUOY 

Website RedRed Buoy is a trans queer VERS Switch, a sleazy sensual slutfucker, a Fist Fucker top and an unapologetic, au naturale, firecrotch. Red is a published scholar of transgender studies and sexworker studies. Red is a member of the Nor’east Ursamen Leather Club and is very involved in Leather and Bear Community in New England and on the Eastern Seaboard. Red is Provincetown, MA local and is also a bonafide strap-on salesperson at Toys of Eros in Provincetown, MA. 

I am a member of the Nor’east Ursamen Leather Club, which is a bear club open to all genders and orientations. I’m a member of BLUF (BLUF #2859), which I have found to be a fun way to connect with the greater global leather community, and to share goings-ons. I am currently working on applying to join the Rhode Island Leather Enthusiasts (RILE) based in Providence, RI and FLAG (Fits Like A Glove), a glove enthusiasts club, as I attend most of these clubs events presently. I also make gift baskets for all local leather and Ursamen events in Provincetown, which is about 6-7 events per year. As for general queer community organization affiliations, I served as a Co-Chair of the Stonewall Center Advisory Board at the University of Massachusetts previously; I chaired the Trans Awareness Week Organizing Board previously; I chaired the Queer Gender & Sexuality Conference Organizing Board for 4 years (a large weekend-long conference that took place at Hampshire College where we hosted many speakers on queer subjects, and also had multiple kink presenters each year); I co-founded and organized the Trans Futurity Conference at Hampshire College; I co-founded Gender Liberation UMass and organized in that group for 3 years including coalition building with many groups which coalesced during a week of actions that resulted in working with University administration to improve policies related to transgender and queer students’ housing, bathroom access, among many other policy matters.