Olympus Leather

Updates: Covid 2020-2021 Event Announcements

End of the Olympus Leather Contest?

From the desk of Vonn Tramel, Owner Olympus Leather

In May of 2019 Olympus Leather Hosted some fantastic folks in Chicago for Olympus Leather Weekend 2019. Among them was Laura Antoniou who was kind enough to take my money and give a keynote address of her choosing "whether I liked what she had to say or not". Little did she know, that I had been pondering some of the things she had to say.

Why weren't events focusing on artists and authors? Why were events SOOOOO focused on "just contests"? After all, titleholders "should" be doing SOMETHING...What were they actually doing? I'd been having trouble answering that very question for the 6 years I'd been involved with Olympus Leather beyond traveling, teaching (teaching what?), and raising money (for what and did I KNOW the charities were getting their money? and that raised more questions than I had time to ponder).

WELP....2020 gave me A LOT of time to think about whether or not a pageant was the way to continue. December 31, 2020, I made the decision and put out the word to Regional and Local Olympus Leather Producers that we were killing the pageant system as we knew it. I have ideas. Ideas for the way we pick future titleholders, the way we present our events, the way we utilize this family to promote our chosen charities, and the way we choose our charities. The whole thing needed a good scrub and re-work.

In February 2021 a group of individuals comprised of Olympus Leather Former Titleholders, close family members, and Producers sat in on the first committee meeting to hear what I had to say. Some liked it, some are still (as of May) not certain about the changes...I am CERTAIN that we'll come out the other side of this thing better for it.

I'm not ready to spill all the beans just yet, but we have chosen the date for the next event and I hope you'll join us for OLW 2021 Online. This won't be just another Zoom Conference. We'll have curated virtual museum displays and vendors marts where you can autonomously stroll through at your leisure, the Leather Quilt will be on virtual display as well. Performances on the main stage by our community for our community, a special table reading of Laura Antoniou's Killer short "A SPICE Oddity". NO Contest (this year) NO Classes, NO Auction. Chat roulette...and so much more is being planned! And it's all FREE. Registration will be opening soon.

Olympus Leather Weekend, FREE VIRTUAL JULY 24, 2021 Info updated weekly at OlympusLeather.com

Midwest Olympus Leather, Ohio - Next event TBD check midwestolympus.com for updates

Central Canada Olympus Leather, Ottawa, ON Canada - Next event TBD check centralcanadaolympus.com for updates

Great Plains Olympus Leather, Dallas, TX - Next event TBD check greatplainsolympus.com for updates.

Olympus Leather producers have agreed that all events should if not already postponed be monitored closely through September 2021.

Updates about all Olympus Leather events will be at the top of each of their website homepages.

MX WCOL 2018 - Ferris Oxide

Ferris Oxide, (They/Them), Queer, Kinky, Switch, Intersectional feminist, Trans, Disabled, and Kitchen table polyamorous. I am also parent to an amazing dog-child, Wingnut. I am an English professor and PhD student. I'm blunt, quirky, and honest. I value integrity and heart above all else and I'm passionate about "being the person I needed when I was younger.” I help queer youth develop their leadership potential and advocate for themselves effectively.

When I am not teaching or scening, I am a diversity a trainer who works with colleges, youth organizations, and health organizations to improve their ability to support LGBTIQA individuals. I also do this on my campus where I serve as the faculty advisor for Queers and Allies. In this position, I empower young adults to follow their interests in leadership, relationships, sexuality, gender, and help them develop their communication skills. I also run a monthly polyamorous gathering in Long Beach that centers queer individuals but welcomes all those who are friendly and agree to be respectful of the individuals in attendance. Poly Gatherings Long Beach provides a safe and welcoming space to those exploring non-monogamy.

I found kink because of my early interest in watersports and eventually the kink community lead me to leather. I never felt like I fit in because I don’t have leather family and as a community that is built on binary gender identities, I felt like there wasn’t a space for me. So when this title came up, it seemed natural to run for it. I love breaking down oppressive structures, especially binaries.

Vision The Leather community is comprised of an extremely diverse group of people Olympus Leather Titles are a platform for non-biased community visibility.		Mission The Olympus Leather Mr/Ms/Mx International & Regional Titles seek to advance equity in the leather community for all persons.