By Jennifer Howe

As the final dog days of summer are coming to an end, PROUD & Kinky is just warming up for a fun and exciting fall. I’m overjoyed to introduce you to our three 2023 PROUD & Kinky Leather titleholders. Bringing back Leather titleholders to Southern Nevada is just one of the many milestones I get to cross off my list this year. I’m grateful that Las Vegas PRIDE has supported and sponsored these amazing kinky folks to represent the PROUD & Kinky brand.

I have gotten to know these three individuals better over the last few months since we informally announced them back in March. Now I will introduce them to you. Check out their features on page 49 of this issue.

Our Miss Las Vegas Leather 2023 is Mayven Missbehavin’. Mayven moved here a few years ago from Florida and has since been making a name for herself. You can see this bright star shining on the strip in productions like Absinthe, and twinkling on many stages around the Las Vegas Valley. She is an esteemed aerialist, fire performer, burlesque dancer, gogo queen, and event producer. She produced several LGBTQ+ fundraising events in Florida for the Pride organization there, and I can’t wait to see what she does here in Las Vegas.

Photo of Jennifer by Joseph Murphy

Our Las Vegas Bootblack 2023 is Skylar McDowell. Skylar was an active member in several leather communities in Arizona before relocating to Las Vegas a few years ago. They are a leather care enthusiast and well-rounded kinkster. Skylar has a passion for being helpful and helping others. They are non-binary and have been in the kink lifestyle for many years.

Our Las Vegas Puppy 2023 Frankie Francescso, also known as Pup Major Riot. Frankie is the person behind the queer-focused Therapy Zine and Therapy Zine events. He is also a musician and visual artist. He is also one of the main organizers for the Las Vegas Pup Coalition, which has weekly queer and pup-friendly meetups and events. Check out the community directory in the back for a listing of those events.

In June, we had our 2nd PROUD & Kinky play Party called Kinky Shorts. It was a fun night where the only rule was no pants allowed. We will produce another event in September, so keep your eyes open. You can always stay updated on kinky events by checking out the community calendar on PROUDandKinky.com. While you’re there, please take a second to subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.

Looking ahead to October, the Las Vegas PRIDE Festival and our 40th Anniversary PRIDE Celebration, RED AND WILD, is coming up Oct 6-7th. The Las Vegas PRIDE festival will be at Craig Ranch Park on Oct 7th. If you weren’t already in the know, PROUD & Kinky has a whole area at the festival dedicated to kinky and alternative queer lifestyles for ages 18 and up. This includes a dungeon area produced by Torture Garden LA & Sanctuary Studios, Kinky vendors and sex-positive businesses, and a large stage featuring entertainment from 12-10 pm. I’m elated to announce the PROUD & Kinky stage lineup in this issue on page 5. The PROUD & Kinky adult area will be bigger and better than last year. There will be over 60 performers gracing the stage during the day, plus a fashion show featuring local designers and Andrew Christian. There will also be kinky demos, burlesque, drag, fire performers, aerialists, pole dancers, athletes, and more. Get tickets to the festival at LasVegasPRIDE.org and save some moola and time by purchasing tickets in advance. I can’t wait to see you there.

Your fellow pervert,

Jennifer Howe
(they / them)
Editor of PROUD & Kinky
Las Vegas PRIDE Board Member

This article was originally published in the second issue of PROUD & Kinky Magazine. You may read it in its original format here.

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