Emcee - dave
dave is a 53-year-old, single, cisgendered, gay male from North Carolina. dave has been active in the leather/kink/bdsm community since the Fall of 2001. dave started his leather journey, like most gay men, by walking into a gay leather bar, the Charlotte Eagle. Ironically, his first leather mentors were one of the bar’s bartenders and a very short heterosexual slave, known as slavette. slavette and her Master, Master Scott, took boy dave under their wing and introduced him into the leather lifestyle/kink/bdsm world by having him join them at leather conferences and private leather/bdsm events across the country. dave’s first leather conference was SELF, 2003. dave’s first bdsm play experiences were in play spaces occupied by heterosexual men and women; here, he learned about play that was not attached to sexual pleasure…. that came later when he began to venture into the gay-male leather world. his leather journey has been vast and colorful to say the least.
dave’s focus is on service, but do not let that fool you as he is also a very piggy kinky leather man. dave’s interests include Boots, cigars, jock straps, impact play, mind fucks, biting, ass play, along with others…. he is VERY open minded. dave has served as presenter, judge, judges’ boy/slave/person, contestant coordinator/den daddy, contestant handler, and contestant coach for multiple conferences, contests, and contestants. dave is a Full Member of The Charlotte Tradesmen, Charlotte NC’s local leather/Levi club. He has served on the board for the Leather History Preservation Foundation, Together in Leather (early 2000s), The Leather History Conference, and Southeast Leatherfest.
As noted earlier, dave is well versed in the leather title circuit. he has competed on the local, state, regional, national and international leather contest stages. he has also coached or handled contestants at the regional, national, and international level. dave holds the leather titles of Southeast Leatherboy 2004, Southeast Bootblack 2011, and American Leatherboy 2014.
Judges
Head Judge - Oracle Uncle Jay Onyx
Jamal aka Uncle J is one of the founding members of Onyx Southeast. He is the first African American to hold the title of Mr. Georgia Leather and a former board member of SELF. For many years he has taught supported and advocated for the BDSM Community in the POC LGBTQIA community.
Judge - Evie Lupine
Evie Lupine is an asexual, polyamorous kink educator and YouTuber who first began her journey into the BDSM lifestyle about eight years ago. In that time, she’s been a 24/7 collared submissive, a petplayer, a bondage freak, and an occasional sadist. Her passion for learning as well as her diverse interests within kink led her toward helping others in their explorations. She focuses on supporting folks developing happier, healthier relationships while separating the fantasy from the reality of doing BDSM every day.
Judge - Joy Perez
Joy Perez, of House of CHAOS, is a proudly covered Leather bratty switch. Identifying as queer, polyamorous, and Leather, Joy fearlessly challenges societal norms and misconceptions surrounding her unique identity. As a bratty switch, Joy embraces her multifaceted nature and actively educates others about polyamory and the true essence of being "bratty." In her various roles and affiliations, Joy demonstrates her commitment to advocacy and community involvement. As the board president for Central Texas Pride Community Center, she works tirelessly to create an inclusive and supportive environment for the LGBTQIA+ community. Joy's co-leadership of CTX TNG & Beyond allows her to provide mentorship, resources, and a safe space for individuals within the kink and BDSM communities. Joy's membership in LgOC exemplifies her dedication to intersectionality and amplifying marginalized voices. Additionally, as a board member of CTX Darkside, she actively fosters educational opportunities, safe practices, and community growth. Joy Perez's passion for inclusivity, education, and community empowerment shines through her diverse roles and dedicated advocacy. She encourages others to embrace their true selves, break down barriers, and celebrate the vibrant diversity within the communities of which she belongs to.
Judge - Tomo
Tomo (He/They) is a queer butch leatherdyke who found the leather community during a sunset motorcycle ride with his wife Mel decades ago. He has presented classes, produced events, served as a judge, keynote speaker, auctioneer and emcee at leather events since. Tomo has been served by his Majordomo Levi for over 15 years. Tomo is Owner and Producer of South Plains Leatherfest, the International Master slave Contest and the International Person of Leather Contest. He served as Northwest slave 2015 and International slave 2016/2021. He was a Producer of Northwest Leather Celebration, the Northwest Master slave, Northwest Bootblack, and Northwest Person of Leather Contests. He was also a Producer of International Ms Leather and International Ms Bootblack for seven years. He co-produces the Ms Sacramento Leather Contest and is a founding member of the D.U.C. Tomo is a member and serves as Webmaster for Queer Leather Association Sacramento, has served as the West Coast Curator for the Leather Quilt Project, is a former Director of MAsT: Sacramento , and is a member of MAsT: San Francisco and The Exiles. He was awarded the 2013 Pantheon of Leather President's Award, the 2018 Master slave Conference slave Heart Award, the 2020 Vice President’s Award from the National Leather Association, and the 2023 Master slave Conference Guy Baldwin Master/slave Heritage Award.
Judge - Sir Mark Athens
Sir Mark Athens (He/Him) Mark is a queer poly Leatherman who heads a Master\slave household that focuses on personal growth, exploration, and service. Being born and raised in Kansas city, Mark is passionate about barbeque, the local football team Chiefs, and midwestern hospitality. He has been a part of the Leather community since 2015 and is well sought after both locally and nationally as a kink educator. He flags black on the left and is well known for his tagline ‘Why the fuck not!’. He is an erotic instigator, delighting in encouraging people to explore their most debaucherous sexual desires and can often be found in his home dungeon ‘The Black Dog’, telling Dad jokes, and cruising with his devilishly sadistic smile. Mark has served his local community and the community at large by serving on boards such as the Kansas City Pride Parade, Consent Kansas City Facilitator, and acting as a leather liaison with the Kansas City Ballroom Community. Being a member of local groups such as Alternative Humans Sexuality (AHS), Consent Kansas City (CKC), Kansas City Ballroom, and the 13th Floor dungeon. More recently serving as your Mr. Route 66 Leather 2022. Mark regularly presents workshops on a wide range of topics that center around edgeplay and practical application. He is most often sought out to teach workshops on Fire play, unique deprivation, and edge play. Often mixing his classes with hands-on experience, stories, and dad jokes, he leaves his students with a very unique experience that is both engaging and fun. Mark’s (continuing) passion is to engage with and support a wide variety of communities, sharing knowledge, time and space, and increasing strength through increased diversity.
Miss Meesh - Surprise Judge
Miss Meesh, a pleasure Domme, has been in the BDSM lifestyle for about 10 years. This is her first year at SELF. Miss Meesh enjoys many different types of play including impact, violet wand, bondage, sensation, wax, pet, needle and staple play. She loves the ladies and lingerie. A lover of nature and animals, Miss Meesh is mom to 3 kitties: Sebastian the Ragdoll, Toebee the polydactal, and Bean the orange fat cat, as well as her Dachshund beagle mix Mia.
Mycalyne - Technical Bootblack Judge
Mycalyne is a Leatherwoman from Birmingham, Alabama who has a passion for bootblacking. She actually credits bootblacking for helping pull her out of a deep depression 4 1/2 years ago. She has been a 24/7 slave to her owner, SirThomas205, for 17 years, but has only been out and about in the community for 11 years. While she will always and forever be owned by SirThomas205, she has recently found and embraced her switchy side.
She has been a member of The Red Chair (2011) where she has been an Ambassador, was SIG Chair for the Submissive Roundtable for 4 years, and served on the TRC Board of Directors 2019-2022. She is the founder of NEWK (New Experiences With Kink), core and founding member of CABLE (Central Alabama Birmingham Leather Enthusiasts). Has served as CABLE’s treasurer 2018 to 2021, President 2021 to 2023, and is currently serving as Secretary. Mycalyne was honored to be Southeast Bootblack for 2019 - 2021!
She loves spending her free time serving her Master and creating things in her fully stocked craft room.
Daisy Blue - Technical Bootblack Judge
Daisy Blue (They/Them) is a seasoned and active Bootblack. They first picked up a shine brush in 2017 and were set free like a kid in a candy store! From there, they completed a year-long mentorship in 2019. With the desire to expand their leather care skills into leatherworking, Daisy completed a Leather Technician Certification from The Chicago School of Shoemaking and Leather Arts in 2020. Throughout their journey, Daisy has enjoyed the privilege of working the Bootblack chair throughout the country in Reno, Atlanta, Chicago, Madison, and Dallas. They are now back in their hometown and origin community of Nashville where they are a member of The Mark by CPI. As a CPI volunteer Daisy manages the CPI House Bootblack Team, facilitates a bimonthly boot lab, and captains Nashville Hot Leather, a CPI special interest group for Leather folks. For Daisy, bootblacking is the art of leather care, which can be expressed from technical to erotic. And to be a Bootblack is to be a caregiver of Leather, of people, and of history. Being a Bootblack is a driving force of Daisy’s Leather expression. They are also passionate about showing people Leather can be whatever you make it, with no one true way! When not working the chair or volunteering, you can find Daisy flexing their artistry through designing, painting, and drawing while a hot mocha latte cools by their hand. Daisy’s favorite boots are ones they don’t have to lace up themselves.
Dave - Technical Bootblack Judge
dave is a 53-year-old, single, cisgendered, gay male from North Carolina. dave has been active in the leather/kink/bdsm community since the Fall of 2001. dave started his leather journey, like most gay men, by walking into a gay leather bar, the Charlotte Eagle. Ironically, his first leather mentors were one of the bar’s bartenders and a very short heterosexual slave, known as slavette. slavette and her Master, Master Scott, took boy dave under their wing and introduced him into the leather lifestyle/kink/bdsm world by having him join them at leather conferences and private leather/bdsm events across the country. dave’s first leather conference was SELF, 2003. dave’s first bdsm play experiences were in play spaces occupied by heterosexual men and women; here, he learned about play that was not attached to sexual pleasure…. that came later when he began to venture into the gay-male leather world. his leather journey has been vast and colorful to say the least.
Judges Liaison - Kennon Twilight Onyx
I'm 4 years into this and a true country boy off a farm in South Carolina. I've been a member of Onyx for roughly 5 years, fairly new to the Leather World. Love the man I'm becoming, learning more about me and others in this Leather journey. Would love to use this opportunity to learn even more.
Tally Goddesses - Chrissie and Melissa
Chrissie and Melissa met about 15 years ago, and it's been an adventure in friendship ever since! Starting through the local kink communities in North Carolina, both were education coordinators for their local groups in Charlotte and Greensboro. Fantasm brought them south to the Atlanta region assisting with the Kink Track and confirming their roles as the girls on the go. The establishment of Frolicon happened around 2005, where both got their feet wet in directing a large-scale event. Chrissie has been with the convention for nine years now. Melissa took a break but has finally come back into the fold. They love to shop, be silly, and find trouble wherever they can of the kinky or non-kinky variety. (Warning: Do not get into a glass elevator with them!)