 Photo credit: Ulli Richter
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I've always known what I was and where my interests lay, but I didn't know that's what a gay person was until I met my partner, David. I came out as gay the next day, took three months to woo him and then dragged him onto the leather scene along with me. We celebrated our 10th anniversary in June 2003 by signing the Mayor of London's Partnership Register. The ceremony lasted half an hour and guests included both our families, work colleagues and leathermen from the U.K., Germany and the Netherlands. There was a strict "black and blue" dress code, and everyone was given a red buttonhole flower to symbolise the red heart in the leather flag.
The London Partnerships Register had no legal significance but its popularity led to the UK's Civil Partnerships Act, which came into force in December 2005 and grants same sex couples the same rights as married couples. We registered as a Civil Partnership on Saturday 13th May 2006, which means that I'm no longer single in the eyes of the law in the UK - and I'm officially a step-dad to Dave's daughter and son!
I won the "Mr Hoist" title on 8th February 2003. The Hoist sponsored me to enter "International Mr Leather 2003" in Chicago in May 2003 and no-one was more surprised than me when I won that too. You can read my diary of what it was like to be an IML contestant here.
I took the year off work to travel to leather events full time. From July 2003 to June 2004 I travelled 100,000 miles visiting 28 cities in the US, Europe and Canada. I documented my travels in monthly diary entries on ths website and summarised the year in my IML step-down speech. In February 2004 I was honoured to receive two Pantheon of Leather awards: the International award and "Community Choice (Men)".
In September 2004 I returned to my career in broadcasting by joining a TV post production company in West London, and a month later I became an Associate Member of the Chicago Hellfire Club. In November 2004 I was awarded Honorary Membership of Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert. In January 2008 I was presented with the Thom Dombkowski Heart of a Leatherman Award from the Chicago Leather Kennel Club.
I'm a keen supporter of the Spanner Trust (I became one of the trustees of the Spanner Trust in May 2004 and was also the Chairman from September 2005 to December 2006), the Revise F-65 Project, Kansas City Leather University and the Leather Archives and Museum. For more information on these organisations please go to my SUPPORT page.
I've been a regular columnist on Joe Gallagher's Leatherpage.Com since June 2003. You can see a full list of my columns by clicking here.
I still travel internationally on a regular basis giving speeches and workshops about the Spanner Trust, fundraising, as a leather contest MC or providing SM education:
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
For Mr Belfast Leather (in 2004 and 2005), Mr Palm Springs Leather (Nov 2004), Mr Hoist (Feb 2005), Mr Midwest Leather in Dubuque, Iowa (April 2005), Tulsa Mr Leather (March 2006), Mr Leatherman Toronto (Nov 2007) and Mr Chicago Leather (every year from 2004 - 2008).
MODEL IN SM DEMONSTRATIONS
At The Hoist, the London Alternative Market, M.O.R.E. ("Men Only Rope Event") and SM Gays in London, Leather University 801 and 901 in Fort Lauderdale, SouthPlains Leatherfest in Dallas (2005 and 2008) and the Chicago Eagle.
PRESENTED SM CLASSES
At Minnesota Leather Pride (June 2004), Kinkfest 2 in London (July 2005), Palm Springs Leather Pride (November 2004), Leather Camp II in Wichita (August 2006), Thunder in the Mountains in Denver (July 2007), Mr Leatherman Toronto (Nov 2007), the London Alternative Market (March 2008), and Spring in the South in Atlanta (April 2008).
 Photo credit: Ulli Richter
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SEMINARS AND PANEL DISCUSSIONS
At the Leather Leadership Conference 8 (April 2004), Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend (April 2006), Leather Leadership Conference 11 (April 2007) and the British Association for Sexual and Relationship Therapy conference (May 2007).
SPEECHES ABOUT THE SPANNER TRUST
Too many to mention, but particular highlights have been Kinkfests 1, 2 and 3 in London, Kinklusive in Manchester, UK and an MSC Belgium European leather weekend in Liège.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
At the Leather Leadership Conference 11 in Minneapolis, April 2007. (There's a transcript of my speech here.)
IN PRINT
I've had articles published a variety of magazines, including EURO BEAR (vol 4 no 22), INSTIGATOR (issues 10 and 12), MACH 21 (issue 1) and TUG (issue 007). There are also in-depth interviews in FORUM (vol 41 no 9 & vol 41 no 10), and the LESBIAN AND GAY PSYCHOILOGY REVIEW (vol 6 no 3).
UPCOMING EVENTS
I'll be teaching two classes at Thunder in the Mountains in Denver, CO from 25th to 27th July 2008. I'll also be a judge at the International LeatherSir/ boy contest in San Francisco, CA from October 9th to 12th 2008.
