Nestled within the Leather subculture are smaller stripes like hypnotists, foot fetishists, floggers, superheroes and, of course, pups. Matt Baume for Rolling Stone

Welcome to Dave Rhodes' Hump Day - Wednesday, August 23, 2017. This column will appear here every Wednesday on TheLeatherJournal.com

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Chuck Renslow Memorial
A memorial for Chuck Renslow was held on Sunday, August 27 at Metro in Chicago. Leatherfolk and friends from all over North America and beyond attended. The Renslow Family hosted its 36th and final White Party celebrating Renslow.

Inside the Changing Leather Scene
Inside the Changing Leather Scene, by Rolling Stone Magazine, As the stigma against BDSM and kink subsides, how does a long-underground culture move into a new era? "At the time that the community formed, being discovered as queer was enough to ruin a person's life...." This is a must-see. Full article at http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/bdsm-inside-changing-leather-kink-scene-w496283 See photo above.

Women's International Leather Legacy 2017
Renee Beckman was best in a field of five contestants in winning the Women's International Leather Legacy 2017 title in Dallas, TX in early August. This was the largest WILL class to date. WILL titleholders compile women's Leather history by video interviewing them The first WILL Tracy Wolf set the tone with interviews nearly every week she held the title. http://www.internationalleatherlegacy.com/index.html See photo below.

ONYX: Superiority Complex in San Francisco
ONYX: Superiority Complex is a party for kinky men of color and will be at the Powerhouse in San Francisco on Saturday night, August 26 from 6-9. Special guest of honor and super-supporter of the kinky men's community, International Ms Leather 2017 Girl Complex will be in the house.

Mr. and Ms Alameda County Leather
Mr. and Ms Alameda County Leather are Steve Geist and Jeni Finch who won their titles on Saturday, August 19 the Hayward Veteran's Memorial Hall in Hayward, CA.

Steve, also known as “Ox”, has been a member of the Leather community since 1989, starting with the Fire Keepers of Indiana. He moved west and made his first several hundred cockrings at Image Leather in San Francisco. In 1993, he moved to Sacramento to work Leatherworks and also run his own company.

Minxy Jeni is a newbie queer in chronology but an old soul in Leather. As an acupuncture student, she dipped her toe into the scene six months ago with a class on pressure points and somehow found herself free diving in the depths almost immediately.

The titles are produced by the Alameda County Leather Corps. http://www.acleather.org See photo below.

Lady Katerina and her boy Sebastian wed
Lady Katerina and her boy Sebastian were wed Saturday, August 19 at the Women's Building in San Francisco CA. They were joined by their family, friends and communities. See photo below.

Mr. Bear LA
Bears LA hosted the Mr. Bear LA contest on Saturday night, August 19 at the Eagle LA where Art Berkowitz won the title he will compete at Mr. SoCal Bear. Berkowitz was the lone contestant.
The emcees were the team of Don Mike and Jeremy Ronceros and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence gave one of their zany blessing. See photo below.

Dynamics of a BDSM Scene
Dynamics of a BDSM Scene with Mistress Cyan hosted by Cyan St. James on Wednesday, August 30 at 7:30 PM at Sanctuary LAX Studios, 10914 South La Cienega Blvd, Inglewood, California 90304. https://www.facebook.com/mysanctuaryla

DNA Northeast
The Drummer North America Northeast region welcomed new additions to their title family, Drummer Bootblack Jimmy Basset and Drummerboy Kenneth Sautter on August 19 at the Providence Eagle in Providence, RI. See photo below.

Leather Archives through Amazon
Shop Amazon.com and support the Leather Archives & Museum through Amazon's charitable giving program, Amazon Smile. For every qualifying purchase, Amazon will donate a percentage to the Leather Archives & Museum. It's that simple! https://smile.amazon.com/ch/36-3841874

Mr. California Leather
The first Mr. California Leather contest will be held at the Bullet Bar in North Hollywood on Saturday, September 9 at 9 PM. Winner may got to IML, ABW, ILSLb or IPOL to compete. http://mrcaleather.com/

San Diego AIDS Walk XXV
The San Diego Leather community is participating in this year's AIDS Walk and Run San Diego on Saturday, September 27 because HIV and AIDS have touched our lives and affected the people we love. This is an opportunity to be visible in the support for those living with HIV and AIDS while raising much needed funds for critical support services in the community. http://events.thecentersd.org/goto/BeWhoYouNeeded

Mr. Bolt Leather 2018 Contest Weekend
Mr. Bolt Leather 2018 Contest Weekend will be September 8-10 at the Bolt in Sacramento, CA. The contest is on Saturday night, meet and greet on Friday and victory barbecue and beer bust on Sunday. http://sacbolt.com

CineKink at the Leather Archives in November
CineKink returns to the Leather Archives & Museum November 10-11 in Chicago, IL.

Kink and the Community - There are many tastes and predilections that make up the world of kink. Here, a sampling of just a few; and the Museum that strives to keep track of them all on Friday November 10 at 7 PM, followed by The Best of CineKink - A collection of award-winning shorts deemed the year’s best from CineKink, “the kinky film festival." at 9 PM.

As we ready ourselves for new political realities, these shorts stake a claim for female agency and the power of speaking one’s desires on Saturday November 11, 8 PM. http://cinekink.com/

CODE Eighth Anniversary
CODE Presents CODE Eighth Anniversary Party on Saturday, September 2 at The Glorious Health Club in Baltimore, MD. Sports gear, jocks, skins, uniforms, Leather, rubber and pups are welcome.

Mr. Leather64TEN will be March 8-11
The third Annual Mr. Leather64TEN Contest will be held in Chicago on March 10, 2018. The Mr. Leather64TEN contest and events were created to help the Chicagoland Leather community explore, celebrate, and showcase their Leather pride. http://www.leather64ten.com/mrleather64ten/

Tom of Finland
Tom of Finland was introduced in Stockholm, Sweden through a diverse program August 24-26. In the center of Stockholm almost 300 artists performed during a street party; in addition to music, stand-up comedy, children's theater, circus arts and meetings with writers were seen on stage. The City of Turku was invited to Stockholm because of their long shared history and close collaborations. http://www.tomoffinlandfoundation.org See photo below.

International Mr./Mx/Ms Olympus Leather room block open
International Mr./Mx/Ms Olympus Leather will be held at the Crowne Plaza - San Diego Mission Valley the weekend of May 3-6. International Mx Olympus Leather will make its debut there.
Go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoUJnyIE9rBrbZUSklqYD-pCMoqaBS7zF9j-58KIG6RUnruA/viewform?usp=send_form to make a reservation.

Great Lakes Leather Alliance XVI
Great Lakes Leather Alliance XVI (GLLA) is all set to go the weekend of September 28 - October 1 at an unnamed hotel in Indianapolis, IN. The keynote speaker will be International Mr. Leather 2016 Patrick Smith and the Carter Johnson Leather Library will be there. Plenty of workshops and classes, play parties and socials, and a few Leather contests too. http://greatlakesleather.org/

Palm Springs Leather Pride 2017
Palm Springs Leather Pride 2017 will be held October 26-29 in Palm Springs, CA. The big news is the Friday night Parking Lot Party will return to lot behind the Tool Shed. Tom of Finland will have an exhibit and there will be a Saturday afternoon pool party. And oh, the Mr. Palm Springs Leather contest will be held in the newest hangar at the Palm Springs Air Museum. https://www.palmspringsleatherpride.org/

You can help make Dave Rhodes' Hump Day better by sending dates and basic information on new events, club information such as new officers and runs, obituaries and wedding announcements. This is designed for the web site and less so for print, so there is no 45 days-in-advance deadline. If your event is happening on August 27, make sure I have it by Monday afternoon, August 21. Make sure to add your events to the Leather Community Calendar by clicking on Calendar above - follow the directions.

You had a contest over the weekend - send us the names of the winners and a photo and a brief bit about it. We have it by mid-Monday and it will appear on Wednesday. Your events hotel room block opens - that is news. Send the link and a brief. Someone passes, let us know - photo please if available, but do not let lack of an immediate photo stop you from sending. This is news shorts.

If a news item comes in which we feel should also be a larger article we will contact you about it. Send to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Photos need to be jpg format.

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Women's International Leather Legacy 2017 Renee Beckman

Tom of Finland was introduced in Stockholm, Sweden through a diverse program. Art provided by the Tom of Finland Foundation

Mr. and Ms Alameda County Leather are Steve Geist and Jeni Finch. Photo by Rich Stadtmiller

Lady Katerina and her boy Sebastian wed in San Francisco, CA.

The Drummer North America Northeast regional at the Providence Eagle in Providence, RI.

 Dynamics of a BDSM Scene with Mistress Cyan at Sanctuary LAX Studios

 Mr. Bear LA Art Berkowitz won his title at Eagle LA. Photo by Dave Rhodes