Mr. and Ms. Atlanta Eagle a weekend highlight
When the blockbuster novel trilogy “Fifty Shades of Grey” and its subsequent movie adaptation exploded into the mainstream, a whole new awakening happened for the leather, kink and fetish community, for better or for worse. It’s a phenomenon that devout leather pros are still trying to filter through. That’s because the “Fifty Shades” film and books, and shows like “Transparent” and “American Horror Story,” which has propelled BDSM awareness, are focused on selling a fantasy. For the organizers of Atlanta Leather Weekend, it’s more than that. For them, it’s about reality.
“The way I look at it, if there are little blips of it in the mainstream, it makes it a little less [about] turning your head and gawking if I’m walking down the street,” said “Nitro” Hankinson, executive producer of Atlanta Leather Pride, in an interview with Georgia Voice. “While there are plenty of people who may put on some leather or some gear because it’s pretty, I do it for a very different reason. I have a very strong connection with different pieces that I put on, that actually mean something special to me.”
And that very sentiment for leather worship and fraternity will be shared with the thousands of men and women who will converge on Atlanta for three days and nights, from April 1315, for a leather fetish fest encompassing beer busts, bootblacking, kink demos, titleholder contests and a Saturday late-night dance party.
While describing the essence of the weekend, Nitro along with event co-producer G-Man shared by phone how the weekend often resembles a family reunion. “That’s a great way to describe it,” said G-Man, a former Mr. International Rubber and member of Hotlanta Rubber & Gear. “We have people coming in from all across the country. They’ll drive up from Florida and fly in from San Francisco, whatever it takes to put this thing together.” Nitro agrees: “People always comment that the folk here are very welcoming and very eager to sit around and chat and get to know you. They’ll give you advice on where to go, what to see, what to eat — God knows we know how to eat in the South.”
Now in its ninth consecutive year, Atlanta Leather Pride will once again share its space
BY J. MATTHEW COBB