Brisbane’s biggest ever Leather Pride

Lovers of all things fetish and leather are set to celebrate a month’s worth of events and parties during this year’s Brisbane Leather Pride Festival.

An inclusive festival encompassing members from all walks of fetish life, it runs August 11-September 8 with its largest ever program, featuring 22 fetish-driven events.

Organised by local fetish group BootCo, president Pierre Brand said it was a proud moment for the community.

“I am even more proud of the people who have been involved putting this together. It is wonderful to see people care enough to volunteer their time to do something for their community,” Brand said.

Brand believes the extent to which this year’s festival has been so inclusive speaks to the current nature of the Brisbane fetish community.

“It validates the belief that we are all the same, enjoying the journey of discovering one’s sexual fantasies without prejudice and with respect,” he said.

Leather community member Cyll Duncan (pictured left), said the festival represented a milestone achievement for the community.

“It’s a great achievement, with the current political climate in Queensland… I think it’s great that instead of giving up or losing heart, we are staging stronger, more inclusive events,“ Duncan said.

“We are moving away from being so easily pigeonholed and insulated from each other, even within our own community. Bringing us together for the festival really sends a strong message that kink offers something for everyone.”

Creator and convenor of QTs, a FTM (female to male) social support group, and organiser of the monthly pub night TBar, Jaxxon Chili said that the inclusivity of the festival speaks volumes about the leather and kink family.

“The kink scene isn’t so much about gender or sexuality as it is celebrating one’s kink or ‘bentness’,” Chill said.

“Kink doesn’t have boundaries of gender of sexuality. It’s about our common interest and our love for kink and leather and celebrating in that. I think people see and feel the warmth and welcoming vibe that is given out.”

The festival will include bondage workshops, dance parties, dinners and discussion forums.

INFO: The full list of events can be found at www.bootco.org.au and in this year’s Brisbane Pride Festival guide.