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Light up that gar' and sit to get your boots done because it is the Thirty Sixth episode of the Kink Kloset! Joining us from Canada is the one and only International Mr Leather 2025, Rene! Grew up in Edmonton Canada, well known around Palm Springs, and now residing in Montreal. Rene is not one to shy away from his nerdiness with both Dungeons & Dragons and video games being fond pastimes during his upbringing. While most gamers strive to be the hero, Rene resonated with the power fantasy of just being a "good person" more focusing on support and ensuring everyone was able to succeed. This moral compass was what helped guide Rene along his kink journey. His mentors helped lay the foundations of education, respect, reflection, growth, and most importantly kindness. These core values are present in every aspect of Rene's kink community from his bootblacking, to educational social media, and how he has conducted himself through his time as a titleholder. Queer communities have been an ever present part of Rene's adult life. The Imperial Court community is where much of Rene's exposure to the queer world began as it introduced him to the local drag scene, amplified his passion for musical theatre, and had crossover with the leather community. Rene describes queer communities as venn diagrams which overlap more than most know. Throughout the years he has heard all of the arguments of why each community is different, yet he believes it is a lot easier to focus on the common threads which bind us together. While traveling the globe as International Mr Leather (IML), he has experienced first hand the harmonious existence of queer communities, especially the various kink subsets, and has been inspired to encourage others to learn from this. Rene feels very humbled and appreciative of the opportunities he has had to amplify the many voices throughout the community. Now winding down his impressive year as IML, he is excited to see how the future bastions of the kink community forge their own paths.

Howdy y'all, welcome to the Thirty Fifth episode of the Kink Kloset. It gives me great pleasure to introduce our next guest of the Kink Kloset, riding in from Houston Texas, we have the sensational Austin Abernathy! Before interviewing Austin, I would not have imagined the rollercoaster journey that he has been through. Upon graduating high school, moving to the big city, and getting ready for college, most young adults would be enjoying their new found freedom, Austin was reminded of his mortality. It was this time when Austin received his HIV diagnosis, which shifted his world for life, and felt isolated especially with the remorselessness of the person who passed on the virus to him. I had to hold back my tears when Austin recounted his depression talking about how he felt he "Didn't aspire to much" and "Stopped dreaming big and stopped smiling". Thankfully Austin received treatment early to help repair physically, yet it took many years and the support of his cherished friends to rebuild himself mentally to regain his self-worth. The biggest learning for Austin was how to be comfortable to safely play with others now that he is living with HIV, which is something we have not discussed on the Kink Kloset. For Austin, being transparent and honest with his status was non-negotiable with how he navigated play, to ensure everyone had agency and all avenues were able to be discussed respectfully. It is a reminder for all of us about safe and consensual play practices for which I applaud Austin for employing to help him reconnect with his kink side. Austin recollects from this period of his journey and says "going through darkness to become a champion", which is a strong premonition for what is yet to come. Upon coming out the other side of his personal darkness, Austin started to reconnect with leather and the queer community through working at his local leather bars. Leather was always required, and a few simple pieces kickstarted his hunger for more. It was during this time he was introduced to leather contests and studied with deep fascination to learn the fabric of a community representative. The Mr Firedancer title resonated with Austin as it is an intentional 2 year leather title with strong values tied to the native lands for which it is founded on, resulting in a dedicated focus on community growth/projects. Already in Austin's first year he has smashed his community fundraising goals being a real force for good both locally, statewide, and in the online sphere. What has been a humbling moment for this community leader, is when helping out the Trans community with legal barriers, he was told by folx "You might not remember my face after today, yet I will remember yours and will not forget the kindness you showed me here in my time of need", which was the light he was given during his HIV treatment to help him become a champion.

It is time to soar into the Thirty Fourth episode of the Kink Kloset! Charging into the Kink Kloset riding on the Welsh Dragon is none other than Pendragon Nic! Pendragon Nic grew up in Wales and had his earliest memories of leather from the satchel given to him as a gift where the smell of it permeated throughout his room feeding his curiosity. Leaving Wales as an early adult, Nic ventured down under to Australia where he started a family. It was for many years Nic focused on his family and any development of his kink journey was left just in thought, not to be acted on. One day, Nic finally gave himself the freedom to explore kink and started to embrace what was bubbling deep inside. Since embarking on his kink journey, Nic has become a staple within the Australian kink and fetish community, especially being an active participant at Sydney events. In 2023, Nic felt it was time to step within the community and was successful in becoming the 2023 Pride of The Hide and has took the title in his stride. Pendragon Nic's kink journey has not always been smooth sailing. Unfortunately Nic has been through tough experiences which he wishes no other kinksters to go through (TW: abuse). To his strength, Nic has shown outstanding resilience by channeling his community work into charities and community programs to help combat abuse and help with sex education. Beyond his community work, Nic has been one of the most visible titleholders of his cohort, with one of the highest event attendance and ability to show visibility in alternative kink events which has fostered greater collaboration within the community. Nic has been a fantastic advocate for The Hide as the 2023 Pride of The Hide, and looks forward to representing The Hide on the international stage this coming May in Chicago for the 47th International Mr Leather competition.

Get your wheels shined up and your dash detailed as it is the Thirty Third episode of the Kink Kloset! Pull up into the Kink Kloset in style is none other than the fabulous Awksity! Awksity joins us from Boorloo/ Perth in Western Australia, where they are a steward of the fetish and bear communities. Being a kinkster in Booroloo/ Perth felt isolating for Awksity as there was no prominent community to allow for them to freely express their fetishes. Instead, Awksity connected with other kinksters online and was fortunate enough to be mentored and travel around Australia to develop their passion for kink and fetish. It didn't take long for Awksity to become driven to create spaces for kinksters in Booroloo/ Perth and was welcomed in by the Perth Bears community to join in their kink nights. Come 2020, Awksity took the plunge and was successful in becoming Mr Bear Perth 2020 promoting their message of body positivity and challenging the assumptions of the bear community. It didn't stop there as they went on to become Mr Australasia Bear 2021 wherein they served the community post COVID travelling across the nation and helping bridge the gaps between the bear and kink communities. Body positivity hits differently with Awksity as they experienced the shallow side of those who only noticed them after a weightless journey and appealing to the traditionally attractive body shape. This did not sit right with Awksity and further encouraged them to work on accepting themselves and work towards the visibility of those who get overlooked. Transformation, growth, and acceptance, are all strong themes which resonate with Awksity and we discuss these in detail throughout this episode. Each stage of their kink journey has not been without their own challenges, yet often at times there have been special people which have helped them overcome any barriers. :)

Hope you're ready for a howl and cackle of a time because it is the Thirty Second episode of the Kink Kloset! The Kink Kloset is finally connecting coast to coast of Australia with none other than the effervescent Pup Jaxx! Jaxx is a British born kinkster raised in an industrial town where he kept his kink life fairly private to meld in with the acceptable behaviors of his peers. This all changed when his family made the move to Boorloo/Perth on the west coast of Australia while Jaxx was in his late teens. It was here where Jaxx stumbled upon the pup and kink community and realised he could connect with a part him that was missing. This connection led to increased involvement which inspired him to run for community titles. Pup Jaxx has been a bastion for the Australian pup and fetish communities through his work as Australian Puppy 2022 and is now an international representative through his successful work in becoming IPTC International Puppy 2024. Pup Jaxx's kink journey has gone through an Olympic level of mental gymnastics. In this episode we explore these times through discussion of kink exploration, challenging expectations of what kink should look like, and what strategies a kinkster can take to guide themselves safely through it. The intimate and erotic aspects of pup play had an instrumental role with sensemaking of his journey through showing him the tender side of D/s relationships. The quote of "An avenue to explore a submissive side with a positive reinforcement loop" is such a powerful explanation for what pup play means for Pup Jaxx and one which will resonate with many kinksters for eons to come.

Gear up everyone because it is the Thirty First episode of the Kink Kloset! Riding in from Los Angeles, it is the Mexican Texan, Marcus Barela. Marcus left his hometown in Midland Texas and moved to Los Angeles in search of adventure, diversity and popstars. In his early 20's he started working as a barback and bartender for the famous Eagle LA. It was these early years where Marcus was exposed to the local queer and kink communities wherein he felt accepted and could call the Eagle his home. His passion for the leather community ignited over the past 3 -4 years, especially galvanized with overcoming the challenges Covid had on the community, which inspired him to be more involved. This involvement eventually led to Marcus competing for International Mr Leather in Chicago last May, where he was successful in becoming International Mr Leather 2023. Marcus' journey hasn't always been a smooth sailing. Working in a lively and social workplace, coupled with excitement of queer life, Marcus found himself engaging in big nights out and not always able to recall the tale. There came a tipping point in his late 20's where he was continuously breaking his own self-promises regarding his drinking, and decided to engage in the sober community for help. Marcus has found that continuous engagement and support from sober community is key to maintaining his sobriety. As we discuss in the episode, it takes a village, and for Marcus the sober, and leather and kink communities are multiple villages which have helped make him into the outstanding kinkster and human he is today.

Welcome to the Thirtieth episode and world premier of the Fourth season of the Kink Kloset.   Heralding in all the way from Atlanta, Georgia, is none other than the undeniable Master J. Tebias Perry.  MasterTebias started to take active steps his kink journey in the early 2000's after returning home from his time in duty. He wrote the next chapter of his journey through D/s dynamics, facilitating scenes, and being associated with ONYX to connect with his tribe. Master Tebias was successful in achieving the title of Mr Hideaway Leather 2014, and then went on to compete at IML in 2014, where he placed in the Top 20. Currently Master Tebias stays active within the community through the BULGE parties and touring around the world promoting his book, Leather Mentorship. In this episode we get the backstory to the lessons Master Tebias learned through his kink journey which then led to the passion to promote mentorship. Strong values of integrity, respect, and growth, resonate throughout his journey and reflect in the chapters of his book, Leather Mentorship. Through listening to Master Tebias' stories, we can all develop a greater understanding on how to weave in the mentorship lessons to our own paths. Maybe, just maybe, we can pass this on to help out the new crop of squash who are embarking on their kink journeys.  * Originally recorded on 29/07/23 - at the time of recording, Master Tebias was referred to as 'Sir Tebias', and this has since changed.

It's play time! Welcome to the Twenty Ninth episode of the Kink Kloset! Continuing on our North American adventures, we find ourselves over in the Bay Area on the West Coast visiting our favourite bundle of joy, Jesbian. Gosh, where do we even start with this episode? From an early age, Jesbian recalls the duality of exploring who she was, and the pressures of growing up in an immigrant household. Coming from a Croatian, Nicaraguan and Native American heritage, the households she was raised in reinforced a structure which praised hard work and strived for each generation to be better than the one before. This left no room to deviate from the path. However, being surrounded in the San Francisco environment, she knew there was a kinkster brewing inside and was fortunate enough to see positive reinforcement of the lifestyle which spoke to her inner self. While the rest of her teen years were tough leading a double life between fetish and family, it was her inner rebel which gave her the courage and conviction to reinforce her independence and set upon a new path to forge her own identity.  Setting out on her next adventure of independence, Jesbian was immersed into a world which she had only ever fantasied about. Yet this time, there was no limits to what she could explore and the mischief she could manage. Being surrounded by various forms of polyamory and kink dynamics, Jesbian felt free to embrace the little 6 yo inside which had been yearning to play this whole time.  It is truly special to hear how Jesbian describes her Little as being the best version of herself, where she just wants a gold star and to give everyone else a gold star. She describes that putting her first is the best possible way to dispel all the social norms we don't really need. Winning her first title as International Little Ms Little in 2014, it was important for Jesbian to strongly promote the title as the ABDL kink was seen as such a taboo in the greater leather community. Through spreading joy and education, she has been able to see the shift and the growth of acceptance of the Little and ABDL community across the globe. Furthermore to her community work, Jesbian was successful in being titled Ms California Leather 2017, where it further strengthened her joyful presence amongst the community she adores.  For anyone who wishes to explore further resources into the ABDL community, Jesbian recommends the following: Penny Barber - The Age Play and Diaper Fetish Handbook: https://www.amazon.com.au/Age-Play-Diaper-Fetish-Handbook/dp/1257061046 Check out FetLife to see if there is a Littles Scouts chapter in your area, Coming to Wicked Grounds in San Francisco where there are safe places for Littles, Keep out for the West Coast Jungle Gym Conference,  or listen to the Big Little Podcast: https://www.biglittlepodcast.com/

Welcome to the Third Season of the Kink Kloset, where we start off with the scent of cigars and leather! On this episode of the Kink Kloset, we go international and find ourselves landing in the amazing USA. Through a plume of cigar smoke, we are welcomed by the Wilton Manors based leatherman, Leather Edge! Leather Edge grew up in New Orleans and had been thrusting himself into kinky scenarios from as early as he could remember. From a young,  geeky and  awkward manboy, he knew that there was something inside of him which was itching to be explored yet was constrained in his current environment. This itching turned into an insatiable curiosity for which he found himself into some seriously heavy BDSM situations so early in his youth. He was fortunate enough to be taken in by a nurturing leather daddy couple which had all the tools and spaces to make any kinkster wet. All of the knowledge, training, and experiences were never enough for this aspiring Leatherman who had no idea what path this was going to take him on. It was his mid-twenties, and a move which landed him close to New York City, which initiated another turning point in Leather Edge's life.  Leather Edge talks fondly of NYC and attributes their leather community of the late 90's to be a huge influence of who he is today. It was during this time he decided to embark on the path to become the Leatherman he wanted to see in the world, and lead an active lifestyle to help achieve that. Even after successfully fulfilling his goals, it was humbling to hear that he is still taking steps to ensure he feels at home in all environments when in gear. Even though you might see a confident and proud Leatherman with sensational gear topped off with a sexy moustache, he continually works on his own barriers so he can be present and at ease in any kinky situation.

The Twenty Seventh episode of Kink Kloset calls for leather and protocol, and will settle for nothing less! Please welcome to the Kink Kloset someone whom I admire greatly in the kink community, Kevan Walsh. Kevan is a Melbourne based kinkster who has joined the community later in his life. After Kevan first came out, it took him a while to find his tribe. Through some exposure in pubs, and doing some online research, he was able to dip his toe into the Melbourne kink community. The sense of purpose, structure, and tradition, resonated with Kevan and he knew he had had found his tribe. Kevan was titled Laird Leatherman 2018, and has been very active within the kink community. All of his work within the kink community has highlighted how great of an impact we can have on each other's lives, and what can be achieved through hard work. Kevan's main journey through kink was driven through a D/s relationship with his Sir. His Sir was able to guide him on which resources to use to help grow his kink knowledge. In recent years, he has since developed a strong D/s relationship with his boy, to which he is now embodying the mentoring role. When talking about his views on how people live out their kinks, he adopts a mindset of "You do it your way, and I'll do it my way" and is very accepting on how we all have different and unique kink journeys. This open minded mindset is helping Kevan learn and develop his relationships within the community as he is able to understand the perspectives of many different kinksters.

Get your deviance on for the Twenty Sixth episode of the Kink Kloset! Coming in hot to the Kink Kloset is Dublin's very own Genial Miscreant, Fionn Scott. Fionn came to Dublin in his teenage years after spending his early years in Malaysia and the USA. To him, it felt like he was entering into a predominantly conservative culture compared to what he was used to. Fionn states that this feeling was fuelling his inner deviant at a young age and motivated him to question everything. His inquisitive nature lead him to seek out avenues and outlets which helped him explore his queer side. It comes as no surprise for Fionn to discover the kink clubs of Dublin early on in his young adulthood. Over the years he has put his deviance to good use and he took on the Mr Leather Ireland title in 2019, to which he took the title to the 41st International Mr Leather competition and placed 2nd runner up.  In this episode we talk about the importance of queer spaces and the success which comes from unifying the community. Over the years, Fionn had noticed the decline of queer spaces in his city and started to recognize how the spaces were being taken for granted. This situation became the platform for his titleholder project, to which he was able to arrange all of the key stakeholders, clubs, and events, to get together to share their experiences and learnings. Fionn talks in great depth on the outcomes from that meeting, yet it was due to this gathering, all of the kink community in Dublin marched together as one in pride that year for the first time ever. Fionn is hopeful that communities listening to his story can learn from his experiences and how important it is to come together as one, oh, and to question everything like the deviants we are!

Get ready for the Twenty Fifth episode of the Kink Kloset! Putting on an amazing show for the Kink Kloset is none other than Melbourne's own, Dean Arcuri! For Dean, he has seen himself as a kinkster throughout most of his life. In fact, Dean finds it more challenging to relate to his vanilla self compared to his kink self. From a young age he has been very exploratory and sought out experiences to live out his kinky urges. During his exploration he developed a passion for cruising and had some memorable times at beats all around Melbourne. Some of these experiences put Dean in some uncomfortable situations especially when handcuffs are involved, and upon reflection, steps could of been taken to go about his kink in a safer manner. However, it was going through a rough encounter which acted as a catalyst for Dean to reach out to the kink and fetish community to help him out, and he has been connected to the community ever since.    In the second part of the episode we discuss on how Dean is connecting with all the kink aspects of his life. It was very heartening to help Dean reflect on how he stayed connected with the kinkster inside of him during Covid lockdowns. While it had its own challenges, he spoke fondly of how the Spit N Polish and Down N Dirty Zoom calls kept the community together and provided a space for their kink community to express how they were feeling. Throughout all of this, Dean is optimistic he can develop greater connections with the kink aspects of his life in the renaissance period post lockdowns.

We have now had two dozen of these, it is the Twenty Fourth episode of the Kink Kloset! Smoking us out is the oink worthy, Dreck Sau! On this episode we are travelling back to London town to visit Dreck. Dreck was born in the UK, yet split his time growing up between here and Mexico City. He has always seen himself as a fetishist from a young age. Dreck still remembers fondly the moment when he stole a pack of cigarettes from the kitchen table, sneaking away and taking his first drag. That moment awoke feeling inside of him he couldn't deny. Not too long after that, he was gifted leather from his father who owned various leather and punk gear during his biker days. The feeling of leather and seeing how others reacted to it inspired Dreck to see the fashion in fetish. It comes as no surprise that Dreck soon embraced his creative side, infused it with his fetishes, and started to have some great fun exploring what fetish meant to him.  Dreck has always been a person who marches to the beat of his own drum. From being a trailer blazer in the online smoking community, to not confirming to conventional dress codes at fetish events, Dreck has always done it his way. Deep down he knows you need to be honest with yourself and what you're feeling. Even after having his online fetish life maliciously revealed to all of his close family and friends, Dreck never stopped embracing his fetish. Looking back on it, he is somewhat thankful because it allowed him to freely express himself. It appears that even through times of adversity, Dreck has managed to stay true to himself and has bounced back with more creativity and a deeper connection with his fetishes.

It's getting real now! Strap yourselves in for the Twenty Third episode of the Kink Kloset! Gracing the Kink Kloset with her presence is the wonderful and wicked Mistress Electra Amore! Electra is a Melbourne based professional dominatrix who has become a world traveller while developing her kinky skills. Originally from Hobart in Tasmania, this shy and introverted girl lead an active life spending her time adventuring the Tasmanian wilderness. In her teens, her family moved back to the Melbourne suburbs to which her life was thrown in a spin. While Melbourne provided Electra with a sense of cultural belong, she encountered a huge social disconnect with her community.  These teenage years acted as a catalyst to help Electra initiate the journey to discover who she was, and embarking on this path helped her break free from her shyness.  Electra has flourished in her life when she has been able to express herself without limits. This first started in year 12 where she embraced being an art student and breaking the mould. Beyond school, Electra was off exploring the streets of Melbourne to which she discovered the dance clubs of the 90's. The clubs were a living organism with a pulse, personality and power. Nothing was going stop Electra from the intimacy of the dance floor. This club kid soon funnelled her love of art for a passion for fashion, and would treat every weekend as new opportunity to express her fashions with a captive audience. Luckily for Electra, PVC and latex were becoming mainstream in fashion, which opened up the possibilities for some wickedly kinky outfits. Unsurprising, latex still remains a staple of Mistress Electra Amore, to which she has honed her craft to become a designer and producer of rubber fetishware. Electra's path to dominatrix started in her early 20's with a phone call to the House of Domination. After looking them up in the Yellow Pages, she was persistent with four calls to secure an interview.  Arriving at an inconspicuous house in Melbourne's inner suburbs, she was in awe of the stunning leather Mistress who greet her at the door. After an interview with the head Mistress, Electra embarked on her apprenticeship as a dominatrix. This apprenticeship was another journey of self-discovery while also learning the tantalizing skills of her profession.   It was not always roses and restraints. One unfortunate incident of a session which went too far by having boundaries broken steeled Electra's value for consent and trust. Instead of letting this situation break her, she used it as fuel in her trainings of future apprentices on how to set up consensual sessions.  Throughout Electra's exploration in the Kink Kloset, it is clear she has outstanding resilience and is able to grow from her struggles and hurdles. She is able to empathize with her clients who are shy and feeling lost. She is able to implant herself into any situation, city or country, and talk to anyone and effortlessly make friends. She also oozes confidence which has allowed her to teach her craft, host events and be the lifeblood of a party. Electra left the Kink Kloset with three nuggets of wisdom: Honour yourself, Honour your boundaries, and be Open with your heart. I hope you enjoy this special episode of the Kink Kloset.

I spy two little ducks, it must be the twenty second episode of the Kink Kloset! Bounding their way into the Kink Kloset, is one of my dear friends, Patrick Reid. Patrick is an Adelaide based kinkster who has come in and out of kink during his life. Growing up in the north suburbs of Adelaide, Patrick found it hard to connect with his queer-self because there was little support in his area. When he was in his late teens, he found a support group called a drop-in. It was there he found a very special person, Justin. Justin helped Patrick discover the kinkster inside of him and encouraged him to be comfortable with his kinks. In more recent years, Patrick has become active in the kink community and became Mr Adelaide Leather in 2018. Patrick has flowed in and out of being a kinkster during his adult life. While he was exploring his kinks during his 20's, he parked it when he met his long-term partner. It felt like the right thing to do, yet he couldn't deny he was missing a piece of himself. This changed when we met his Pup, Miles. Together they developed a Pup/Handler dynamic and this helped Patrick re-discover the kink community. Patrick is very proud of the kink community in Adelaide and all the work Adelaide Leather and Fetish has done to grow the kink community. The Gear'd weekend in Adelaide has become a hallmark event for the kink community in Australia and has given space for new kinksters to discover themselves. Patrick is thankful for the very supportive kink community and is excited with how many opportunities there are for kinksters to be themselves these days.