
Posted on
June 23, 2020
Sir Andre
What is Your Scene Name? | Sir Andre |
City and State of residence? | Houston, Texas |
Region of Residence? | Central Southwest |
What are your pronouns? | He/him/His |
What is your gender Identity? | Transman |
What is your sexual identity? | Pansexual |
What is are your racial identities? | African American |
What is/are your ethnicities? (Culture, nationality, ancestry, language) | N/A |
How did you first get into Leather and/or Kink? | Offline |
Give a Brief Description of your entrance into Leather and/or Kink | Back in 2003, I was introduced to kink by my girlfriend at the time. This prompted me to want to study more of the lifestyle. We eventually transitioned our vanilla relationship to a D/s one and she became my first submissive. |
What was your local scene like when you were starting? How is it now, by comparison? | I was living in Mobile, Al at the time. Everything was underground, almost nonexistent. I had to go online and connect with others via chatrooms, before the days of Facebook. I was happy to move to Houston which has a larger presence. However, it was predominantly white. I’m the type to adapt though. I’m happy to see more people from Alabama finding their way to the dark side. |
Who’s the most influential Black person. In your life and why? | Currently, it would have to be my wife. She’s also a Dominant that I’ve mentored. And her growth in the lifestyle has encouraged me to continuously elevate my knowledge and skillset. |
What book have you read that influenced your life and why? | The most recent book I’ve read was Journey in Leather. It was very informative and dispelled a lot of misinformation I learned about leather from my own studies. |
Talk about one of your favorite experiences in your local Kink and/or Leather Community. | My favorite and affirming experience was when i crossed as a Man of Onyx. Being transgender, I often feel like I don’t fit into most spaces. However, finding Onyx was like finding a home. My first bar night will always stay in my heart because I felt like I found my people and I had a blast. |
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) | Houston People Exchanging Power for two years. Onyx Lone Star as a full brother for 10 months. |
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? | No |
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. | For me not having other black leather folks around me didn’t impact my experience too much. I wanted to learn and if that meant being around non-POC people to do so then so be it. By finding various POC spaces, I felt more comfortable which made it easier for me to trust the information if that makes sense. |
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’ve been in some spaces where my skin color caused glares from some members. However, if I paid my money and I was invited then I wasn’t about to be scared away. And I always gave feedback in hopes that the organizers pay attention and make changes. |
Is there a specific instance where you feel your Blackness enhanced your experience in Leather? | No |
If you answered “yes” or “maybe” please explain.
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What is a specific challenge you had coming up in Leather that was unrelated to race/ethnicity? |
My biggest challenge was being taken seriously as a trans leather Dominant. The lifestyle is still very misogynistic.
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How do you find you’re treated in the Leather community vs. the greater LGBT community? | I’m more comfortable in the greater LGBT community because that’s my first home. Leather has a long way to go when it comes to being diverse and inclusive. |
Do you feel that the leather community and embracing blackness has a positive outlook? | Maybe |
Please explain your previous response. | In some spaces leather is still very non-POC, even our home bar is predominantly white. So we’re still fighting to carve out our space in this community. |
What advice would you give to newcomers in the Leather scene who are Black? | Find your tribe but also don’t be afraid to explore. There’s something to learn from everyone. |
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