Black BDSM History

Leather Titleholders

Historically, in the Leather community, those who have won Leather titles have been looked upon as leaders and role models. That was not always the case. While some titles started out as a way to promote particular Leather bars and were more like beauty pageants, they evolved into forums for activism with the titleholders advocating for particular causes and participating in fund raising for charities and in education. One such title is International Mr. Leather which began in 1979 and it is considered one of the most prestigious of the Leather titles. The first Man of Color to walk away with that title was Ron Moore in 1984. It was a coup for that time. Seven years later in 1991 came the next man of color to win the title. He went by the name of D. Cannon. That didn’t happen again until 2014, when Ramien Pierre won the title. He spent a lot of his title year raising funds for charity and raising awareness of issues affecting People of Color in the Leather community, not just in the states but internationally as well. He also shined the light on some of the racism that exists within this thing called the Leather community. Articulate, intelligent and straight-forward, Ramien Pierre overcame his shyness to present poignant issues during his title year and since.