By Mufasa Ali
Thank you to the LLC Board for trusting me with this auspicious occasion to share, to my husband in his absence, boi Optimus and the Mufasa’s Pride Family, to the National Council of ONYX and all my ONYX family, to my Leather Preservation History Weekend Board members, to all my Leather Community and to His Eminence T’Chala always in my soul ….Wakanda Forever!

Scene from Southwest Leather Conference 2017. Photo by Dave Rhodes

Southwest Leather Conference - Take the Plunge
Southwest Leather Conference 2018 - Take the Plunge will highlight the annual Southwest Master/slave Contest and Southwest Bootblack Contest in gorgeous Phoenix, Arizona. Southwest Leather Conference also includes Dance of Souls hook pull ceremony, keynote brunch, play parties, a large number of classes and workshops, Leather Tribe Revival and other socials. http://www.southwestleather.org/content/registration NOLA Leather to Geaux 2018 March 16 - 18, 2018 hosted by NOLA Leather to Geaux March 16-18 at 6 PM at the Phoenix, 941 Elysian Fields Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117-8535.

Looking for something to get out of the cold this November join us on Saturday, November 8 at Voyeur Nightclub for the Sixth Annual Philadelphia Leather Pride Night (PLPN), 2012 winner of the Pantheon of Leather Event of the Year award and producer of this year’s Leather Leadership Conference.

Each year, PLPN auctions off incredible items from all across the spectrum - from opera tickets to event passes, Leather and fetish clothing to toys, equipment, books, art, and more

Proceeds from the Philadelphia Leather Pride Night auction go to a variety of amazing charities. This year, the PLPN charity partners are: By the Grace of George, which helps feed the pets of people who are homebound and would otherwise not be able to keep their beloved pets; The Leather Archives and Museum who are working diligently out of Chicago to chronicle the history of the Leather, Kink and BDSM communities; Change Philly Today, an organization that provides education and a safe-haven for LGBT individuals; and Philly AIDS Thrift which has been donating their proceeds to organizations that help individuals with HIV/AIDS since 2005.

Philadelphia Leather Pride Night will welcome back the million dollar auctioneer and phenomenal woman, Jo Arnone, who has already helped raise over $54,000 for Philadelphia Leather Pride Night's charities alone.

The Leather Leadership Conference and Philadelphia Leather Pride  announced this year's Keynote speaker as Jaco Lourens and Endnote speaker as Jo Arnone.

Keynote Speaker Jaco Lourens
Living through Apartheid as an openly gay man Jaco Lourens took Cape Town by storm. In 2009, he won the title of Mr. South Africa Leather and went on to take fourth place at International Mr. Leather in 2010. Jaco runs the Cape Town Chapter of South Africa Leather and along with his legal husband, Herman, has cofounded the Golden Gays Foundation, which is a  non-profit organization that cares for aged gay men and women in their community.

Jaco strives to bring diversity to their Leather community and has hosting such events as the Corbin Street Fair, a pansexual street fair similar to Folsom Street Fair. He also moved the Mr South Africa Leather contest to a venue that allows women to attend. He plans on introducing a Ms South Africa leather title to their 2014 contest weekend.

The Leather Leadership Conference 2014, to be held at the DoubleTree Hotel and the William Way Center in downtown Philadelphia April 11-13, has done an internal inventory of what it has offered, combined with conference feedback forms and with the results of their 2012 community survey, with the result of that inventory being the creation a new Do It Yourself (DIY) program that will debut in Philly with a new delivery system for that program.

LLC has been the offering leadership training for Leather/BDSM/Kink/Fetish and LGBT communities for nearly 18 years. During that time, several changes have taken place and there has been more acceptance for those in alternate lifestyles, including more positive media. The Internet has given endless opportunities for contact, communication, and networking. There are a multitude of groups, munches and events to attend; sometimes so many that one could go to at least one event a week or have to choose where to participate.