The city is about to get a lot more faux medieval as leather enthusiasts take to the streets for Toronto Leather Pride (TLP). This year’s festivities feature the first-ever official Leather Pride March, which begins at the 519 Church Street Community Centre, swaggers over to Yonge Street, then veers back onto Carlton Street to end up in the parking lot of Zipperz/Cellblock, where the Kickoff T-Dance and Fetish Market take place. A statement put out by Heart of the Flag Federation (HOTF), the organization that runs TLP, says the parade is included to promote the community’s “journey for its right to visibility, recognition, identity and to have some old fashion fun.”
Kinksters take to the bars and clubs as well, for the Surge Women’s and Trans Play Party at Oasis Aqualounge, the Full Fetish Party at the Black Eagle, the competitions for the titles of Mr Leatherman Toronto, Ms Leather Toronto and Mr Rubber, and “three calling birds, two French hens . . . Yes, there’s a whole list of things. Something for everybody,” Jack Pearce, president of HOTF, says. Another highlight is the TLP education series taking place at The 519, with workshops from presenters like Toni Solenne, the Mid-Atlantic Leatherwoman 2012, who hosts a workshop called Women in Leather: Shaping Our Own Identity; and Youkali Youkali, Ms Leather Toronto 2013, who hosts Quickie Fiction: Leatherotica Writing Workshop.
HOTF has as many pass and ticket offers for the TLP as it has acronyms and titles! Mercifully, their website can fill in prospective attendees on all the required details. The website also provides a digital flipbook, detailing events going on for each day of TLP.
Toronto Leather Pride runs Sun, Aug 4–Sun, Aug 11 in various locations. torontoleatherpride.ca
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