Amy Crowder was a corsetière and owner of Wasp Creations, located in Kansas City and later New York.

The 2026 Sling Raffle is underway. Come see us in the IML vendor mart or get your tickets online at leatherarchives.info/slingraffle

Happy Birthday, Colt! Colt Thomas was titled International Mr. Leather 1983. He was 23 and a medical resident at the University of Texas at Galveston.

Bob Toner was a bartender, manager of Wolf's, and co-owner of The Loading Zone in San Diego. He helped raise funds for Auntie Helen's and the AIDS Emergency Fund.

G.L. Leyner was an LGBT activist, writer, and theatre producer. He volunteered for AIDS Project LA and Los Angeles Gay Rodeo and was a member of Congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim. His short stories and articles were printed in Fetish, Drummer, CUIR, Mach and other publications.

Quote from Sadomasochism and the Magic Kingdom by Donald L. Miesen (3rd revision draft, Society of Janus, 1984).

Every Wednesday in May, our friends at @steamworkschi.bsky.social is donating 5% of their door sales to LA&M. Charitable giving never felt so good!

John Prather was a former contestant handler for International Mr. Leather, long-time volunteer for the LA&M, and helped raise funds for charities including TPAN and Howard Brown Health.

Get your raffle tickets for this years sling from @jimsupport.bsky.social sling will be shipped to the winner. Tickets available at IML or online at leatherarchives.info/slingraffle

Stop in and see us before we close for renovations!

Dann Sivers was titled Mr. Colorado Leather 1994. He was active in the Colorado Gay Rodeo Association.

Andrew Harwin (right) was a former board member of Folsom Street East and the Gay Male S/M Activists.

Bill Robbins co-founded Studworks, a leather store in Seattle, and Excel Nursing Service with his partner Lee Willis. Robbins was a charter member of Seattle Men in Leather and a member of Mid-America Fists in Action and TRUST.

Happy Birthday, Vern! Vern, pictured here with Mister Marcus Hernandez, was a leather community journalist, photographer, bar manager, contest judge, and event producer.

Robert Davolt (right) was a journalist and cartoonist. He was active in the leather scene in Madison, Wisconsin before moving to San Francisco where he was hired to publish Drummer magazine and produce the annual International Mr. Drummer contest.

Reposted with correct date :-) visit leatherarchives.org/renovation for details.

Quote from Ripping Off the Mask: A Queer, Kinky Fat Masquerade by Jennifer Lee (in QED Vol 4 No 1, 2017). Photo from Bondage Parade No 15 (1985).

Hawk Brooks owned The Jacket Shop in San Francisco and Falcon Leathers in Cambridge. He was titled Mr. New England Drummer 1995 and was involved with several leather clubs. Brooks studied iconography and martial arts, and was a Boston Park Ranger.

Colin Laskey was one of the Spanner Case defendants. He was described as a "kind, gentle, caring and polite man with a laconic sense of humor" in The Leather Journal.

Join Sir Oliver and Their horse G for a workshop and roundtable on Crip creativity, intersectionality, and service animal protocol. Wednesday at 7pm! Details and registration at leatherarchives.libcal.com/event/16695193

Michael "Red" Bentzinger was a leathercrafter and manager of Mr. S. Leather in San Francisco. Prior to moving to San Francisco, he owned an antique clock business in Scotland.

Quote from The End of Genderqueer by Rocko Bulldagger (in Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity ed. Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, 2006). Photo by Alon Nemni from Allspice No 2 (2000).

Happy birthday, Centaur MC! Centaur MC was founded on May 10, 1970 in Richmond, Virginia. They produce Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend and other events throughout the year. The Centaurs have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities including the LA&M.

Carolyn Roberts worked for the Houston Voice. She was a founding member of Females In Search of Trouble and the Houston chapter of the National Leather Association. Carolyn volunteered and worked with many Houston-area charities including Camp HOPE.

Quote from Saint Foucault: Towards a Gay Hagiography by David M. Halperin (1995). Photo from Mister SM No 35 (1983).

Mistress Velvet was a community leader, theorist, educator, political organizer and activist based in Chicago. Velvet integrated Black Feminist theory into their work as a professional dominant and wrote on Black Feminism and sexuality.

Leonard Sewell was the co-owner of 4Skins Leather shop and was a founding board member of SouthEast LeatherFest. He was titled Mr. George Leather 1996 and co-founded the Dallas Bears.

Alan Oversby, also known as Mr. Sebastian, was a body piercer and tattoo artist, credited as one of the leading innovators of modern body piercing. Photo of Oversby from PFIQ No 4.

Quote from A Fem Reflects on Four Decades of Lesbian Self-Expression (interview with Joan Nestle in off our backs Vol 23 No 8, 1993). Photo by Michele Serchuck from the cover of On Our Backs Apr-May 2003.

Ernie Hoffman (center) was a member of Highwaymen TNT, International Deaf Leather, the Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance, and the Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf (RAD). He served in nearly every capacity on the RAD board.

Bill Williams aka Costume Guy was a costume designer and crafter of pony play gear. Williams performed stand up comedy and had a career in computing technology.

Larry Hunt was a photographer and model. He worked at Mr S Leather and independently as a leathercrafter. Robert Opel's Fey-Way Studios hosted an exhibition of Hunt's artwork.

Russ Guarino was a member of the Knights d'Orleans for many years and served the club in many capacities, including as president.

Alan Selby (left) founded Mr. S Leather in London before moving to San Francisco in the late 1970s. Selby served on the board of the AIDS Emergency Fund and produced events that raised over 1 million for the AEF. He volunteered at the SF General Hospital.

Pam Meyer was a leatherwoman and softball player from Madison. She was titled Ms. Gay Madison 1990-91, Ms. Midwest Leather 1992, and International Ms Leather 1999. Meyer worked in construction and volunteered for the Madison AIDS Support Network, Red Cross, Fire Department and Hazmat clean up team.

Frank Goley was a leather crafter in Chicago. Goley and his partner Robert Maddox opened Male Hide Leathers in the basement of The Gold Coast in ca 1969. It grew to become one of the most successful, long-running gay businesses in Chicago.

Photo from the 6th Bal des Gracieuses in London, 1991. Photo from O No 11 (1992). The Bal featured an exhibition of modern and antique corsets by BR Creations, True Grace Corsets, Juliet Hamilton and Mr. S. Rossing. #Corsetry

Kent Arnwolt repaired and restored pianos and organs. He built furniture and taught classes for community events. He was a member of the Orange Coast Leather Assembly and co-created the Southland Honors in 2002.

Quote from Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us (Revised and Updated) by Kate Bornstein (2016). Photo by Rich Stadtmiller of Sister Jane D'oh at the Sisters' 2013 SF Eagle Beer Bust.

Get ready for our Kink Klass happening this Sunday, May 3rd, during Chicago Leather Pride Weekend! This is a fan-favorite class! Starts at 3pm! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Fire Flogging — It’s Getting Hot in Here!

John Preston was a gay rights activist, journalist, and author. He was involved in the first gay community center in Minneapolis and co-founded the AIDS Project in Southern Maine.

John Bryant was Mr. Boston Leather 1993 and a member of the Boston Gay Men's Chorus. He attended Carnegie Mellon and served as a first lieutenant in the Air Force. "I have been loved. I have loved. Of life I can ask no more" (Bay Area Reporter).

Emerson Briney (left) was a leather titleholder, pro-choice activist, part of the national steering committee for the 1993 March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, and involved with the Omaha Players Club, and Alcoholics Anonymous. Briney was the first openly HIV positive Mr. Drummer.

Reverend Canon David R. Forbes was an Episcopal priest, educator, and leatherman. He was a chaplain of the Defenders Leather Levi Club and helped open a shelter on the site of the former Club Baths.

Kat Skeza-Hooks (right, with Judy Tallwing McCarthey) was titled Washingon State Ms. Leather 2011. She was a civil servant, bookkeeper, and worked with a cruise company. Kat traveled widely during her title year.

Davis Burbank was a founding member of Leather-United Chicago. He was a member of the Lambda Car Club and served as treasurer for LU-C for many years.

From S&M Is Safe Sex by Tony DeBlase, published in his groundbreaking newsletter DungeonMaster: "DungeonMaster is and always has been devoted to the cause of safe sex...”

Northwest Bootblack 2018 judges Caitlin, Q, and Pawlish. Photo from Rich Stadtmiller's collection at the LA&M. #Bootblacks #LeatherCommunity

Happy birthday, Johnie! Johnie A. Garcia helped found the MHR AIDS Support Group and volunteered for the AIDS Emergency Fund.