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boy brent
(contact)
Great Lakes Leatherboy 2006
i came out in to the leather world in 2001. i had always had an
interest in the fetishes, and a particular interest in the Drummer
contests. It has always been one of my goals to compete in the
International Mr. Drummer contest. As i began exploring my fetishes,
i discovered that i was a submissive in the lifestyle. i was fortunate
and won the Indiana Drummerboy title that year and went on to compete
at the Great Lakes Drummer contest. i was very green at that time,
and as some would say, "still wet behind the ears." So i progressed
no further that time. What i gained from that experience was a closer
relationship with two leathermen in Evansville, Indiana who would
later come to be counted among my closest friends and confidents
Sir Lee and Sir John. Most importantly a closer relationship was
forged with my partner of 10 years Phil.
In 2002, i took a phrase from International Mr. Drummer 2000, Dan
Clark, and turned it into a working concept; Leather & Feathers.
The first iteration of this was in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. i organized
a group of leathermen and a group of female impersonators into a
fundraising effort that showcased each community's strengths and
talents and also demonstrated that both can work together to raise
money and awareness of our community. i repeated the same process
in Evansville, Indiana with the same results. They have been an
ongoing event that both the female impersonator and leather
communities seem to anticipate and enjoy. The Leather & Feathers
event was used to raise money to launch the Ft. Wayne
LeatherSIR / Leatherboy contest as well as the
Evansville LeatherSIR / Leatherboy contest. These contests
were designed to add contestants from the lower and upper portions
of the state to the predominately Indianapolis-centric state
contest. Also in 2002, i was asked to take part in the formation
of the Great Lakes Leather Alliance. This is a group with which
i have maintained an active role in various capacities from
security volunteer and trash cleanup to my current role as a m
arketing coordinator.
In 2005, i decided to once again pursue a Leatherboy title and
was awarded the Indiana Leatherboy title and First Runner-up at
Great Lakes. The contest was a great experience as always. i liken
the backstage experiences to what i have read about warfare in the
trenches during the great wars. Lots of stress and emotions that
often lead to strong friendships. i find that each time i
experience it, i am more aware of who i really am and what i am
capable of doing.
If i could, through actions or force of will, change one thing in
the world; i would change how people perceive our lifestyle. For
the majority of people in the world, the perception that what is
tucked between their legs is their largest, most powerful sex
organ persists. The most important piece of enlightenment that
i have gathered in my journeys through the leather lifestyle is
that my skin is the biggest sex organ and that my brain is the
most powerful. Skin receives all of the stimulation and sends
it to my brain, my brain then has to determine what is pleasant
and what is not. The truly great paradox is that pleasure is
not so dissimilar than pain and quickly the brain can make pain
into pleasure, as long as safety from bodily harm is relatively
insured. When meeting people outside the lifestyle, these are
the main points i always strive to make. Because if outsiders
understand us, and see that we are not the sick, perverted
people that the conservatives would like us to be, then we are
much harder to hate and loathe.
True change in the world is never truly achieved through
legislation. It is only achieved in a lasting manner through
changes in how individuals view the world around them.
"The mind can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven."
- John Milton, Paradise Lost.
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