From the Editor

By The Editor

Dear Reader,

There’s a moment that happens, sometimes on a stage, sometimes in a dungeon, sometimes in the quiet honesty of a conversation, when someone decides to stop shrinking. To stop apologizing. To stop waiting for permission. This issue of PROUD & Kinky Magazine lives squarely in that moment.

From the velvet-draped rebellion of Las Vegas burlesque to the carefully negotiated fantasies of kink and roleplay, every story in these pages asks the same essential question: What happens when we show up fully, authentically, and without shame?

Our issue opens with a martini-soaked conversation that refuses to whisper. In “The T & A of a Las Vegas Burlesque,” Lou Lou Roxy and Norma remind us that simply existing on stage joyfully, loudly, and unapologetically, is a radical act. Their words are part memoir, part manifesto, and part love letter to every body that’s ever been told it didn’t belong in the spotlight. This is burlesque not as nostalgia, but as living, breathing resistance.

That same spirit of intentional presence carries through our educational features, beginning with “Roleplay & Fantasy: Where Imagination, Consent, and Boundaries Meet.” Fantasy, we’re reminded, isn’t about escape, it’s about agency. When imagination is grounded in consent, communication, and care, it becomes a powerful tool for self-discovery and connection. Paired with “Consent, Negotiation & Communication,” these pieces form the ethical backbone of this issue: pleasure thrives best when everyone feels safe, heard, and respected.

Identity, too, is something we negotiate, sometimes daily. In “The Intersectionality of Names,” Gaz Bearington invites us into the deeply personal terrain of chosen names, earned titles, and the intimacy of being known in different ways across different spaces. It’s a tender reminder that names aren’t masks; they’re mirrors, reflecting who we are, who we’ve been, and who we’re becoming.

For those standing at the threshold, “Entering the Scene: Munches, Play Parties & Etiquette” offers a warm, steady hand. There is no rush here. No pressure to perform. Just an open door and a reminder that curiosity, respect, and listening are always enough to begin.

This issue also celebrates desire in its many confident forms. “Call Him Daddy” introduces us to Crush Daddy, whose journey through sport, performance, and kink is grounded in chemistry, consent, and self-determination. His refusal to be a vending machine, and insistence on authenticity, echoes a theme you’ll see again and again in these pages.

We also sit with vulnerability where it’s messy and unresolved. “Laughing Through the Loneliness” examines Danny Will Die Alone not just as a comedy, but as a cultural mirror reflecting queer intimacy in the age of algorithms, monetized desire, and emotional honesty. Sometimes liberation doesn’t fix loneliness, but being seen can still be transformative.

Community care takes center stage in “Sacred, Sinful, and Safe,” where the Sin Sity Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence show us what it looks like when kink, harm reduction, spirituality, and service walk hand in hand. Pleasure deserves protection, and visibility carries responsibility, truths this issue holds close.

Visually, this edition is anchored by the striking photo series “’Victor’ The Manor Men,” alongside powerful imagery from Absolution, a PROUD & Kinky event that blurred the line between ritual and release. We close with our kink community directory because connection doesn’t end at the last page; it begins there.

Taken together, this issue is an invitation. To take up space. To ask better questions. To play with intention. To care for one another fiercely.

We’re glad you’re here.

And we’re proud of the ways you show up.

With pleasure and purpose,

— The Editor
PROUD & Kinky Magazine