Don’t forget the weekend of April 23 through April 25 is 2010 California Leather Sir/boy contest in Palm Springs. For more information on the 2010 California Leather Sir/boy and California Community Bootblack competition check out the Web site www.caleathersir.com or the California Leather Sir/boy and Community Bootblack Facebook group page.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to judge Ms San Diego Leather 2008, Donna Lady of Light as she competed for the title of International Ms. Leather 2010. I told you last column that San Diego is one of the few leather communities which require titleholders to complete the full term of the local title and step down before going to compete for a national or international title. When making that decision, we felt that a month or two was simply not enough time for a Mr. or Ms San Diego Leather to prepare for an international contest. This enables the local titleholder to fulfill his or her contractual duties while gaining valuable experience at the local level. Donna decided to wait an additional year before heading to International Ms. Leather and that proved to be a very wise decision. The moment Donna walked into the interview chamber I could see a tremendous amount of growth from the time she held the title of Ms San Diego Leather until now. The interview is worth forty points and is a chance for the judges to get to know the competitor. Donna seized the opportunity during her interview to wow the judging panel which included American Leatherwoman 1994, Sarah Humble; producer of the Northwest Master/slave Contest, Ms. Margaret Anderson; Executive Director for Sex Positive Culture, Allena Gabosch; International Ms Leather 2008, Hobbit; Southeast Master 2007, Sir Top and International Mr. Leather 2009, Jeffery Payne and I. This was not an easy group to impress, but the personality, poise and knowledge of Ms San Diego Leather 2008 made her one of the favorites to win the title.

It was also heart-warming to see the amount of individuals that made the trip from San Diego to San Francisco to support Donna during her bid for International Ms. Leather 2010. The co-producer of Ms San Diego Leather, Annie Romano and pup not only attended the weekend with Donna but also took part in one of the more imaginative fantasies I’ve seen in a while. San Diego leather woman Amy and former Ms San Diego Leather Karen Yew were volunteers for the contest. Ms San Diego Leather 2009, Christi Campbell and the current Ms San Diego Leather, tiger were also in the house. Christi will have the chance to compete for another title this year if she chooses. Rumor has it that she may go for American Leatherwoman which happens in Chicago in July. Leather men from around the country were also in town to support their leather sisters and title wives during the competition. The current Mr. San Diego Leather, Anthony Rollar made this his first trip to San Francisco. After all the sight seeing and man-watching, he attended work shops and receptions where he met other male titleholders from around the country. His showing here was equally impressive and San Diego has a lot to be proud of with this crop of representatives.

There were other strong women in the contest vying for the title of International Ms. Leather 2010. One of those was Ms. San Francisco Leather, Mo Williams. Like Donna, she also had an outstanding interview but her onstage presence proved too much for our Lady of Light. It was Ms. San Francisco Leather’s risky choice of a black woman performing a “slavery” themed fantasy during the competition that stunned and moved the audience. Her rousing performance awarded the title of International Ms. Leather 2010 to Mo Williams with Ms San Diego Leather Donna, Lady of Light taking First Runner-Up. What an amazing accomplishment for a women’s community that has had to overcome so much adversity this past decade. Congratulations Donna and the women of San Diego. America’s Finest City has reason to celebrate!