Posted on
June 10, 2020
Pup Gavroche
| What is Your Scene Name? | Pup Gavroche |
| City and State of residence? | Ecorse MI |
| Region of Residence? | Great Lakes |
| What are your pronouns? | El/los |
| What is your gender Identity? | Two Spirit (If Indigenous ONLY), Transman |
| What is your sexual identity? | Queer |
| What is are your racial identities? | Indigenous Indian, African American |
| What is/are your ethnicities? (Culture, nationality, ancestry, language) | Not too sure i know im native as my grandmother and great grandfather but beyond that im not sure |
| How did you first get into Leather and/or Kink? | Online |
| Give a Brief Description of your entrance into Leather and/or Kink | CampOUT! It’s a trans centered clothing optional camping trip |
| What was your local scene like when you were starting? How is it now, by comparison? | Was pretty white from what I could glean, pretty cis too. That’s changing gradually |
| Who’s the most influential Black person. In your life and why? | My dad, because he showed me everything I know about being a black man. There are others that I learned from in other ways, but hes the first |
| What book have you read that influenced your life and why? | Proabably the most influential is maus or a clockwork orange. Both are hard critiques on society and what it does to humans, but I love the way maus takes the story of the holocaust and makes it human through the eyes of the authors father |
| Talk about one of your favorite experiences in your local Kink and/or Leather Community. | Seeing Jack Thompson win IML. And going to IPahw for the first time and teaching my very first solo class |
| Do you have a favorite mantra or quote? If so, please share. | Absolutle power corrupts absolutely |
| Name of Clubs you have been a part of? (Please also notate duration, leadership positions if any, and membership levels) | I’m a current member(since 2015) and acting president(since 2017) of La Fraternitie du Loup Garou |
| Are you a founding member of any club(s)? | No |
| If you answered yes to previous question please list club(s), or write n/a. | N/a |
| Are you a founding member of any organization? | No |
| If you answered yes to previous question please list organization(s), or write n/a. | N/a |
| Were there any other Black leather folks around in the leather scene when you came into the scene/community? | Maybe |
| 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. | I didnt. With he limited access I had and the fact that leather clubs even then were not permitting trans men to join konda put a damper on my search. I’ll be the first to admit the club I’m a part of is extremely white. But I made it clear that if they expected me as president our goal and mission was to center bipoc trans men |
| 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. | Pretty sure I’m an undesirable in many different ways, including being black. I cant change who I am physically, so I just decided to stop giving a fuck about what others think though I’m sure that wont get me laid lmao |
| Is there a specific instance where you feel your Blackness enhanced your experience in Leather? | Yes |
| If you answered “yes” or “maybe” please explain. | Being the only black member of a club allowed me to show the other members where they had been blind not only to racism but thier own privilege |
| What is a specific challenge you had coming up in Leather that was unrelated to race/ethnicity? | I’m disabled and poor and getting places, getting seen, even winning a title takes cash and an able body and drivers lisence |
| How do you find you’re treated in the Leather community vs. the greater LGBT community? | I’m pretty much ignored in every instance, reference undesirable above. In leather at least I have a few friends and some voice |
| Do you feel that the leather community and embracing blackness has a positive outlook? | Yes |
| Please explain your previous response. | Theres nowhere to go but towards acceptance. Anything else is dead literally. |
| What advice would you give to newcomers in the Leather scene who are Black? | Dont let anyone tell you you are less than. You are not a fetish or a pastime or just a body to fuck. You are beautiful in leather in rope with slippers. We need you |
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