Leather, legacy, and a little lust: Celebrating 25 years of LA Leather Pride

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