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As we gear up for Leather Pride Week, Andrew Georgiou talks shop with Sydney Leather Pride's President, Greg Bloye
Check out Time Out's full list of Leather Pride week events
When the Sydney Leather Pride Association formed over 15 years ago its ethos was simple: "To provide a support network for people who are into bondage and discipline, sado-masochism, fetish or other obscure sexual practices." Although an appreciation for leather is a common thread amongst its members, the use of the word ‘leather' in the groups' title is merely an acceptably decent euphemism. "We couldn't exactly call it the Let Me Tie You Up, Spank You, Spit On You, Call You A Dog And Lick My Boots Pride Association," admits Bloye. The association attracts all comers, from corporate lawyers with a penchant for punishment through to straight plumbers gagging to be plunged. Straight, gay, bisexual or label defiant, those interested in entering the world of fetish with an open mind, have always been welcomed by the SLPA.
If activities such as bondage, cock-and-ball torture and master/slave role play seem somewhat deviant to you, it's probably because you've been overdosing on CSI television series, reckons Bloye. Cookie cutter programs in the CSI genre frequently associate these activities with murder, crime or accidental deaths, and irresponsibly sensationalise and stereotype activities which in reality are commonly carried out as consensual sexual practices between two or more people. "Every time there's a murder in the bedroom they tie it in with S&M or the practices of a wayward mistress," says Bloye. "These stereotypes give the wrong impression of what S&M is about." While the details of what draws people to various S&M and bondage kinkery vary, Bloye insists safety is the foundation of every practice.
Changing times have seen a number of members of the SLPA gravitate toward internet chat rooms to seek partners for fetish activities, often without adequate knowledge about the person they are planning on placing their trust into. "People may think they have found someone online who are into the same thing they are, but the reality is that person may be far more experienced than themselves or be into more extreme practices. This may lead to the person pushing themselves beyond their boundaries and that can be dangerous," warns Bloye.
While the federal government isn't likely to set up a ‘bondage hotline' any time soon, the SLPA is responsibly serving the community by offering advice to those who have questions about fetish pursuits and safe play.
Apart from advice, the SLPA offers a number of creative fetish workshops to its members and newcomers in a variety of fields. "Our Advance Bondage workshop is proving to be very popular this year, which is great to see," says Bloye. "Bondage can be performed using leather, rope or even cling wrap depending on one's fetish."
More extreme workshops such as the Cock and Ball Torture Part II course sees a professional instructor with a medical background introduce the fine line between pleasure and pain in a monitored environment. "This has been our most popular class and attracts both straight and gay men as well as mistresses and even lesbians." Yes lesbians.
The SLPA's biggest fundraising event is the annual Inquisition party held at the Entertainment Quarter (see right). Roping in leather and fetish buffs in their thousands, the dance party scheduled for Saturday 8 June features a slingful of Sydney's finest spinners weaving a leathery lather on the dirty dance floor including DJs Ben Drayton, Sandi Hotrod, Shigeki, and Mandy Rollins.
Check out Time Out's full list of Leather Pride week events