Leesa has worked for many years on many leather events – as a performer at Hellfire, curator of SLPA’s Artspace, and running the infamous Lion’s Den S&M parties every couple of months.
She is renowned for welcoming newcomers and inviting them to join in her dirty deeds.

Other feats:
+is known for her excellent needlework – spending weeks creating fantastic fetish costumes for numerous people for our dance parties. Even recently did a great Liberace outfit for playmate Aaron.
+renowned for her exquisite piercing needlework and bloodplay, on women and men, including threading flashpaper around several needles in a corset style and setting it alight.
+has had large hooks stuck in her back and then pulled on in a tug of war.
+Into body mods – had microdermals inserted at back of neck. Red Bear paw tattoos down her arm, etc.
+A brilliant cook – from osso buco, lamb shanks and stews to batches of orange muffins.

Leesa says on her blogs:
“I'm a gal who like her little pleasures ... and her big pleasures, and any kind of pleasure!”
“Ahh ... there’s nothing like beating the snot out of someone gorgeous to make you feel all is right with the world, and to ensure a sound nights sleep...”
 Her favourite quote is: “Bite my shiny metal ass.”
The presentation was interrupted several times by cheers from the crowd. Well done!

A comment made by the Leather Person of the Year judges about the judging process in general: next year more information should be included in the nomination. Some of the judges might never have met the nominee, so you need to make a strong case for your candidate, taking this into account.

By Trashie

There were about 40 of us at Manacle for a two-part talk about the history of Leather culture in Sydney, and what the hanky code means. The presenters were DaddySir, Cardinal Titi and Mother Desmond of the Order of Perpetual Indulgence Sydney House.

Cardinal Titi started off with a blessing of the Holy Dingo, which involved everyone doing a lot of raucous baying and praying that our knots will always hold when restraining writhing subbies.

DaddySir had been requested to give the workshop 10 days ago just after he had found his personal files of the 1991-1993 then Sydney Leather Pride Week Association meeting minutes.

He explained that it all started when a few people got together because they wanted to enter a representative in the US Drummer competition.

They mainly wanted to create a profile for Australia in the international leather community – “there was a huge leather community in London, Paris, Sweden and the US.”

The founders included Ray Hopkins (“a true sadist who started Radical Leather”), Melissa Henry (an Oxford Hotel door bitch – “Even if you knew her, she still wouldn’t let you in if she was having a bad nite”), and Ron Handley (drag queen Fanny Farquar who was famous for going to the Stonewall Hotel [Sydney] in the early 1990s and was kicked out for being too “sick looking” with HIV).

Drummer was a huge magazine back then. Its theme was “marching to the beat of a different drum”. “We needed to mobilize the community so we could sponsor people to go to the US. There were contestants from North America, England, Germany and Sweden.”

“We (Australians) have placed in International Mr Leather (IML) competition for many years”.

The biggest difference between the US and Aussie scenes is that the US doesn’t have good health care safety nets, so they need to do a lot of serious fund-raising. In Australia, we focus more on fun and community building activities.”

SLPA built a strong connection with MCC (Metropolitan Community Church – founded by the GLBTIQ community), which held funerals for people with AIDS. SLPWA also started the Forbes St Fair Day, in Darlinghurst, for “showing off our tattoos and leather in the sunshine”. [We have it inside now because we can’t afford the Sydney City Council charges to hire a park or close a street.]

“Inquisition was the main fundraiser for Leather Pride Week. It grew so big that in the mid to late ’90s, international rock stars used to pop in when they were touring. Wealthy gay people – who spend all year traveling around the world from one party to another – always included it on their itinerary.”

The Internationally adopted leather pride flag was designed by Chicago’s Tony DeBlase, also known as “Fledermaus”, who was into “horny, sadistic stuff”. He first presented it at International Mr Leather (IML) in Chicago in 1989. The flag’s design has been used on cockwarmers, beads, badges, coloured ropes and pebble mosaics. The colours and design don’t have any particular meaning. The original flag is displayed at the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago (www.leatherarchives.org).

Cardinal Titi, a “78er” (someone who was at Sydney’s first Mardi Gras protest march in 1978) said the international Dykes on Bikes flag, inspired by a motorbike engine, was also based on an Aussie design. (If any DOB members know who designed it and when, let me know ...) This design has recently been adopted by the international DoB movement as their symbol.

Then there was a Q&A section and audience participation was encouraged by Mthr Desmond who gave a Tim Tam or Smarties to everyone who answered questions, which included: “Who’s who in the gay zoo?” Otters = skinny bears; polar bears = grey hair; pandas = Asians.

DaddySir reminisced about the gay motorcycle clubs that were started here 30 years ago. “The SPMC [South Pacific Motorcycle Club) used to take 18 truckloads of generators on their annual club run. They’d use them to produce seven-course dinners and full theatrical shows.” SPMC have since closed down.

After a drinks break, and an intense discussion about what it means when you’ve got a Kewpie doll stuck in your back pocket (that you “like them young”), we were ready for the history of beats.

We gathered upstairs at the Midnight Shift for the S&M legal workshop to hear from experienced defence lawyer X about the latest legal trends and defences. Experienced S&Mer G, who used to run an S&M club in the ’90s, also contributed to the discussion.

We enjoyed a couple of rounds of gourmet finger food and petite sandwiches with the crusts cut off. The only interruption was when a stripper started a routine nearby and at first there was a guessing game as to the performer’s gender, and all finally agreed it was a young guy.

X said new laws were made in NSW after the gang rapes led by Bilal Skaf in 2000 which dramatically increased sentences for gang rapists and created a new category of crime known as “aggravated sexual assault in company”.

“If you’re at a party that involves S&M, sexual activity, drugs and alcohol, then legally you might have problems. “You might think when you go to these parties that everyone consents to activity. But if one person makes a complaint, suddenly everyone could be implicated. You can face up to 20 years for aggravated sexual assault.”

G said: “If an incident occurs, throw out any prohibited weapons before the police execute a search warrant. In other words, get rid of the stun gun.”

X: “In the area of S&M activities, there’s rarely only one charge. Usually you’re up for sexual assault, deprivation of liberty, and possession of a prohibited weapon.

“They can execute a search warrant, always at 6am when you’re unguarded.”

G: “To tie someone up with consent is OK, so long as you do it properly and one of their limbs doesn’t fall off. Gagging is not because they can’t communicate consent easily.”
You can’t legally consent to fireplay.

X said: “At an S&M party, keep in mind that a person can agree to play with one or two people but withdraw their consent to play with eight people. It’s best to have a safe word – the universal safe word is ‘safe word’. By using that, you can still say ‘No, no, stop’ and ‘Don’t do that’ as part of your role playing.

“Often, whether you’re convicted or not comes down to what society feels comfortable with. People aren’t comfortable with major injuries. There’s a big grey area of what you can consent to. Sydney juries tend to be pretty sophisticated. The Police in Surry Hills and Kings Cross are not easily shocked – they’ve seen it all.”

( Read more... )

Sydney Leather Pride Association would like to thank all those who participated and assisted in our Mardi Gras Parade 2009 Entry.
From Tom who drove the ute during the parade to all those who held our GIANT Australian Leather Pride Flag a loft and made the flag float high above the Mardi Gras crowds.. We also thank Australia/New Zealand Mr Leather 2008, Mr Pierre Brand and Sydney Mr Leather, Mr Alan Norman for directing the flag up the parade route.
SLPA thanks Henry for organising the ute with its sound while in the staging area and at the end of the parade making sure everything was there to be sent back home. Henry was helped by numerous other people and we express gratitude to them for this as well..
Our interstate deputation included Stephan and Shervin from Melbourne and Luke from Adelaide. It is great to see people coming from all around Australia to be part of Mardi Gras.
We would like to also give particular thanks to the contingent from San Francisco’s Folsom Street which included Demetri, Joshua, Andrew, Mitchell, Nick and Brian. Their specially designed ‘Flag’ celebrating Leather Pride Week 2009 in San Francisco , gave our entry a distinctive ‘International’ flavour. We thank them for coming all this way to be part of our ‘United Tribes of Leather’.
Our Mardi Gras Parade Entry was a great achievement this year with a successful grant application (one of the biggest given out by Mardi Gras) which allowed us to purchase our GIANT Australian Leather Pride Flag. We will be flying this FLAG for many years to come!
 

Went to the Ed Martin workshop held by uber. He’s not into BDSM – he’s a 73-yr-old Texan ninja master and his stepdaughter is a pro-domme in Australia, so he taught her a few moves to use with her domming and also for protection. He visits her once a year and holds workshops, if asked.

Ed does rope class with a difference – he can do fancy tying but he’s all about gaining control and getting the other person off-balance, mentally or otherwise.

“Never play by the rules. If you follow rules, you’ll train to follow them, then you’ll get eaten alive by someone without rules.

“And never play the other person’s game. Set your own rules and play your own game.”

With rope, he said it was best not to think of it as “tying someone up”.

“Think of entangling them. Then, when you have control, you can do your fancy knots.”

Revellers work themselves into a leather, then party (from smh.com.au) 

(scroll underneath this entry for other more current updates and how to join our Mardi Gras parade entry)
SLPA Mardi Gras Beer Bust

INDULGENCE - Mardi Gras week's major leather party

SUNDAY March 8, 9am at Midnightshift Video Bar, 85 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
Great music from our djs , be seduced by our line up of sexy fetish shows.
Tickets are $45 + bf for non-members or: $34* SLPA Members price
http://www.eevolution.com.au/    http://www.themidnightshift.com/
*Discounted tix available for purchase only in person at the Shift video Bar Members must produce a member card on purchase. Maximum of 2 discounted tickets can be purchased.

SLPA at Fair Day
Sunday 15 February 2009 | 10am till 6.00pm
Victoria Park, Camperdown

 'Kiss' Sydney Mr Leather 2008 – all day long at a very low price!

1. Join as a new SLPA member for a very low price of $30. Cash only! Membership until the end of September 2009
2. Calendar of SLPA events for 2009
3. SLPA Education news and information. What workshops will be on and join up for them as well!
4. Join up to march with SLPA during the Mardi Gras Parade. Our theme this year is ‘United Tribes of Leather’. We will be marching with a 6 metre by 4 metre ‘Australian Leather Pride’ Flag! It’s big, exciting and momentous. So come along and march with us and show the world your Leather Pride!
5. Come and talk to us about volunteering. It’s a great way to meet people in the Leather community while enjoying yourself.
6. Come and talk to the SLPA Committee – suggest events and talk shop.
7. See what we have planned for Leather Pride Week – it’s electrifying, exhilarating and something that we can’t wait to put on to show the world who we are.