For a quarter of a century, the Mr. LA Leather title has been a leather-clad chronicle of queer heritage, kink culture, and community leadership. Each titleholder carries the weight of their ansisters who came before them, penning in their own chapter into a legacy built on sweat, solidarity, and buckets of leather polish. The contest itself has always been a celebration of tradition, but never one stuck in the past. It is a consistent pulse that beats in rhythm with a community always ready to evolve and diversify, all the while taking pride in its own oh-so yummy sexuality. After all, heritage in the leather community isn’t preserved by tucking it away on a shelf. It’s kept alive every time someone straps in, struts their stuff across that stage, and claims the title.

At the center of this evolving history is LA Leather Pride co-chair George Vasser, a man who understands that respecting the past does not by any means translate to being stuck in it. Under his eye, LA Leather Pride is polishing the old boots of tradition while also marching confidently (and rhythmically) into the future, one crack of the whip at a time. Vasser champions the idea that a titleholder isn’t merely a juicy set of pecs in a harness, but a torchbearer, community advocate, and catalyst for progress. With a proper mix of reverence and irreverence (because what’s leather without a little playful friction), Vasser is here to ensure that the next generation of titleholders are ready to proudly pen their own chapter in the ongoing legacy of LA Leather Pride.

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We’re coming up on the 25th anniversary. Over the years, how have you seen the identity or characteristics of Mr. LA Leather evolve?

The first thing that stands out is that it has become far more inclusive. If you look back at our very first Mr. LA Leather, Jeff Wacha, in 2000, the titleholder reflected a very traditional demographic – your stereotypical tall, gay, white male. We’ve changed a lot since then. Starting around 2010, we began seeing more people of color, and we’ve had trans candidates as well. Over the past 14 years, more than half of our existence, we’ve embraced diversity. We’re actively expanding the image of what a leather person looks like. It’s no longer just the Tom of Finland archetype.

We’ve recently added all our titleholders’ photos to the Los Angeles Leather Pride website. This is the first time we’ve truly documented our history so people can reference it and see who we are.

In the past few years, has one winner stood out to you or shined a bit above the rest?

One who stands out to me is our 2014 titleholder, Eric Paul Leue. He had recently moved from Germany to the U.S. and was an early PrEP advocate before it became widely discussed. He later worked with kink.com in a role focused on sexual health and sex-positive education, and he became a prominent international voice for HIV prevention and kink-positive culture. He didn’t win International Mr. Leather (IML), but his title deeply influenced his career and advocacy work. Today, he’s happily married and living in Atlanta.

What do you think the LA Mr. Leather titleholder’s legacy should be for future generations?

Our legacy is that we try to set the national standard. Southern California has produced more IML winners than any other region. Whether or not you win IML, being Mr. Los Angeles Leather puts you in a special class. You’re representing all of Southern California – Long Beach, Orange County, everywhere – not just Los Angeles.

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How has the relationship between IML and Mr. LA Leather evolved? They seem closely connected.

They’re connected in the same way we have feeder contests: LA Leather itself is a feeder contest into IML. We often have former IML winners as judges, usually including the current IML titleholder when logistics allow. Many people from the LA leather community have served as IML judges, even if they were never contestants. We also give a community service award honoring George Wong, a beloved member of Avatar who was never a titleholder but was an IML handler and multi-time judge. There’s a long, deep connection between LA and IML.

How do you balance celebrating tradition with acknowledging social progress?

We focus on social progress while still respecting tradition. IML is a male-presenting contest – that’s their standard – so the contestants we send forward must meet that criteria. But at the local level, we welcome anyone to compete in our feeder contests. We’ve had trans winners, including Elliot Musgrave in 2019. Progress is visible in our winners: comparing photos from early years to recent years shows how dramatically the community has diversified.

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What criteria do judges look for in a titleholder… beyond a sexy slick outfit?

IML talks about “personality and presence,” and that applies here too. You need to be articulate onstage, think on your feet, and understand your leather history – contestants need deeper historical knowledge than attendees. We look for integrity, honesty, openness to change, and commitment to social justice. The current IML winner, Rene Hebert from Palm Springs, is an excellent example – very vocal about trans rights and inclusion.

Self-confidence is crucial. You’re putting yourself on a national stage. You must be authentic and willing to put your name and face out there.

Do you remember the sexiest, most unique, or most extravagant leather look from recent years?

Absolutely! Colin MacDougall’s look for IML 2023. I was helping Ben Orson Leather at the time. His outfit was extraordinary – something between a 1950s Uncle Sam, the leader of a marching band, and Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was completely one-of-a-kind and very unconventional for formal leather.

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Any wardrobe malfunctions worth noting?

Not at LA Leather, not that I recall. At LA Pup around 2015, there may have been an incident involving something that had been inserted and later became… un-inserted on stage. But nothing major in the Los Angeles Leather contest itself.

For people preparing to compete, where can they find high-quality gear in Southern California?

Rough Trade Gear is one of our premier sponsors, with locations in LA and Palm Springs. Ben Orson Leather in Duarte does phenomenal custom work – that’s who made Colin’s outfit.
665 Leather is returning as a sponsor; they used to have a brick-and-mortar store before the pandemic and are ramping up again.

In Palm Springs, Off-Ramp Leather has an outstanding consignment section. GearWorks in Palm Springs and San Diego (connected to Mr. S Leather in San Francisco) is another great option. Moose Leather in San Diego does consignment, repairs, and custom work as well.

If you could sum up the spirit of Mr. LA Leather in three words, what would they be?

Honesty, integrity, community.

And what message would you give prospective contestants for 2026?

Have fun. If you’re not enjoying the process, don’t do it. Also, remember: a title doesn’t give you power. Anyone in the community can make a difference. The title just opens certain doors—but you can walk through them with or without a sash.

Los Angeles is polishing its boots, tightening its laces, and prepping to cruise into its kinkiest convention of 2026. As LA Leather Pride gears up to celebrate its 25th anniversary, co-chairs Ayité Okyne and George Vasser are steering the community into a milestone year drenched in the scent of rawhide and unapologetic erotic imagination. But this anniversary marks more than a major celebration. It reflects the leather community’s longstanding role in expanding queer visibility, asserting the legitimacy of diverse sexual expression, and pushing LGBTQIA+ rights forward through fearless authenticity. Leather is more than a simple kink. For decades, leather has been a political act. It serves as a declaration of freedom and queer liberation. 

This year’s theme, “Cruising – The Boulevard of Erotic Dreams,” pays tribute to the deep roots of cruising culture while also inviting a new generation to embrace the sensuality, solidarity, and radical self-expression that have defined Los Angeles’ leather legacy for decades. In so many ways, cruising, and leather culture as a whole, have always made space where queer people can boldly be themselves and on their own terms, way before mainstream society bothered to make room. We sat down with Okyne to talk cruising then and now, and just how erotic we can expect this year’s Boulevard to be. Buckle up. I hope you drive stick.

To start, what is Leather Pride for readers who may not know?

Leather Pride brings together people in the leather, fetish, and kink communities to celebrate our culture and shared identity. For many, leather and kink exist on the edges of what’s considered “mainstream,” so Leather Pride becomes a space of affirmation, much like LGBTQ+ Pride.

Los Angeles is one of the major centers for celebrating leather and kink, and we’re proud of that history. This year marks the 25th anniversary of LA Leather Pride, and we’re thrilled to continue that legacy.

Can you take us through the process of organizing LA Leather Pride? What goes into preparation leading up to day one? 

A surprising amount of work. We begin months in advance, planning, programming, securing sponsorships, and coordinating the various feeder contests in the LA area that send contestants to Mr. LA Leather. We also select and vet judges, promote the events, and host weekly planning meetings.

I joined the organization a few months ago and have focused on modernizing and making our operations more efficient. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes to make the experience seamless.

What inspired this year’s theme, “Cruising the Boulevard of Erotic Dreams,” and how did the references to Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’” come together? 

The theme came from several days of brainstorming. We wanted something fresh, sexy, and not overly political. We explored different words and ideas, and “cruising” emerged early on – it immediately brought to mind the Smokey Robinson song. Someone then remembered “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and we thought, why not combine the two? That’s how “Cruising the Boulevard of Erotic Dreams” was born. It captures nostalgia, sensuality, and a sense of possibility.

You mentioned wanting to avoid a political theme, yet expressions of sexuality often carry political weight. Can you speak to the relationship between sexual expression and today’s political climate?

Absolutely. Anything queer is political by nature. Expressing our desires – our pleasure – is itself a revolutionary act. Leather Pride is inherently political simply by existing, but we also wanted this year’s theme to be unabashedly sexy. Pride is already political; this theme invites people to lean into the joy and sensuality that are also part of our culture.

How does the theme reflect the current moment in the leather community, especially here in Los Angeles?

The theme is a nod to the past, when cruising was a central way of connecting before apps existed. But it also looks toward the present – toward the erotic, sensual, and imaginative aspects of our community today. In an era where asserting pleasure is an act of defiance, the theme honors both our history and our ongoing resilience.

Cruising is often misunderstood. Do you think this year’s theme and events will help reclaim cruising as an art form or tradition?

I don’t think the intention is to change behavior. It’s more about honoring and revisiting the past, bringing that energy into the present rather than trying to shift how people connect today.

What can cruising offer that apps like Grindr or Sniffies can’t?

Cruising is organic and immediate. There’s a primal, instinctive quality to it – locking eyes with someone, feeling a spark without a word spoken, reading body language, sensing interest. That raw, spontaneous connection doesn’t translate through an app. Cruising reminds us that connection can be visceral, intuitive, and deeply in-the-moment.

How is the organization engaging people who may be new to the leather scene, including younger generations who might not be familiar with cruising at all? 

Inclusion is a major priority this year. For example, LA LA Leather – one of our events – merges leather culture with classical music, bringing in audiences who may never have interacted with leather spaces before. We’re also featuring the Trans Chorus of LA, which is significant because trans people haven’t historically had as much visibility in leather communities.

We’re committed to expanding our audience, being more welcoming, and making the culture accessible.

Let’s save a deeper dive into LA LA Leather for its own feature. For now, what can attendees expect creatively, visually, or experientially from LA Leather Pride 2026? 

This year’s event has a fresh new look and feel – a new logo, new branding, and a more welcoming, contemporary aesthetic. The events themselves will be more cohesive and thoughtfully executed. Think of it as a revitalized version of what people already love about LA Leather Pride, with an emphasis on inclusivity and creative vision.

Final question: What do you hope people, whether they’re part of the leather community or simply adjacent to it, take away from LA Leather Pride this year?

I hope people walk away feeling empowered. Don’t be afraid to express yourself. Take up space. Be seen. Don’t hide.

For more information, head to LALeatherPride.com