Guidetogay.com

We recently caught up with the winner of the Sydney/NSW Mr Leather competition - who will head to Melbourne for the national competition, Mr Alan Norman. We wanted to know why a pageant for the Leather community was still valid in todays society and what its like to be a member of a vibrant sub section the the GLBTI community.

What does winning the title mean to you?
Winning the title is an honour that carries with it great responsibility. It means that I will have an opportunity to meet a larger group of people in Sydney and surrounding regions. As a representative of the community it also provides with the chance to discover and learn more about the many other organizations in the community and - volunteer my time where possible.

How do you plan on representing sydney's leather community throughout the year?
I plan on representing Sydney’s Leather Community in a positive and non threatening light. Often the community is misunderstood - and throughout the year wherever possible at events, functions, workshops, meet and greets and through day to day contact with people I hope to be able to break down some of those misunderstandings through open and honest communication.

What is it about the leather culture that you admire most?
The diversity of the people. Rarely will you encounter someone on the street and immediately identify them as a member of the ‘leather culture’. Leather culture encompasses many different segments of the whole community – gay and straight.
Who knows – maybe the person sitting beside you in the office embraces the leather culture – perhaps your lawyer, the bus driver, a policeman, a teacher, a member of the clergy or maybe even the anaesthesiologist that is watching over you in the surgery. Leather is an attitude and not necessarily something that is always worn on one’s sleeve.