Posted on
June 23, 2020
Exile ONYX
| What is Your Scene Name? | Exile ONYX |
| City and State of residence? | Baltimore |
| Region of Residence? | Mid-Atlantic |
| What are your pronouns? | He/him/His |
| What is your gender Identity? | Transman |
| What is your sexual identity? | Queer |
| What is are your racial identities? | African American, Caucasian |
| What is/are your ethnicities? (Culture, nationality, ancestry, language) | Jamaican/Irish – English |
| How did you first get into Leather and/or Kink? | Offline |
| Give a Brief Description of your entrance into Leather and/or Kink | Been into the look since I was 12, but started being a more active member of the community when I was 18. I started going to regular kinky play parties and met some leather folks and knew I belonged there. |
| What was your local scene like when you were starting? How is it now, by comparison? | I grew up in the Bay Area. Leather is all around. I went to Folsom when I was 17 and that was totally normal. Lol I moved to Baltimore recently and the com out there is different. Smaller, but just as mighty. |
| Who’s the most influential Black person. In your life and why? | There are many in my life, but I’d have to say my aunt Angela. She is the funniest and toughest person I know. |
| What book have you read that influenced your life and why? | V for Vendetta. When I read it, it gave me chills. When I saw the movie, I realized how close to that exact scenario we actually are. |
| Talk about one of your favorite experiences in your local Kink and/or Leather Community. | My Going to IML party at the DC Eagle. It was small, not a lot of people showed up, but the people in my life that I have grown to love out in Baltimore came. I was less than a year into living there and that was the first time I felt like I had a community there. |
| Do you have a favorite mantra or quote? If so, please share. | I am enough. |
| Name of Clubs you have been a part of? (Please also notate duration, leadership positions if any, and membership levels) | ONYX (founding father NW) Queer Sphere (secretary) Alameda Leather |
| Are you a founding member of any club(s)? | Yes |
| If you answered yes to previous question please list club(s), or write n/a. | OYNX North West |
| Are you a founding member of any organization? | No |
| If you answered yes to previous question please list organization(s), or write n/a. | NA |
| Were there any other Black leather folks around in the leather scene when you came into the scene/community? | Yes |
| If so, did you find that you gravitated more towards each other? If not, how did this affect your experience? Did you build your own community? Say more about your experience. | Yes and no. It depended on the event and place. |
| Do you think being Black has hampered your experience in the leather/kink community at all? | Yes |
| If it has, what kind of things did you do to try and remedy those issues? If it hasn’t, please describe. | I joined some fellow black leathermen and created ONYX NW. |
| Is there a specific instance where you feel your Blackness enhanced your experience in Leather? | Yes |
| If you answered “yes” or “maybe” please explain. | When I joined ONYX, I felt like I had family in leather. Now when I go to any event anywhere in the US, I know I have family there. |
| What is a specific challenge you had coming up in Leather that was unrelated to race/ethnicity? | I have had multiple people come to me and say that they didn’t think black folks were into Leather (including other POCs). I have had to do a lot of edits and emotional labor to deal with this stigma. |
| How do you find you’re treated in the Leather community vs. the greater LGBT community? | I am overwhelming treated better in the leather community. Even before I won IML. |
| Do you feel that the leather community and embracing blackness has a positive outlook? | Maybe |
| Please explain your previous response. | I think it’s getting better. We have a long way to go, but progress is progress. |
| What advice would you give to newcomers in the Leather scene who are Black? | We belong here and are just as kinky as anyone else in the community. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. |
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