Letter from the Editor

By Jennifer Howe

Welcome to 2023, Kinksters!

PROUD & Kinky is going to be doing even more to engage with the alternative queer community in the next 12 months. Shout out to all the folks that attended Merry Fistmas in mid-December. It was a fun and well-attended play party event and we can’t wait to host more. I’ve seen the future of the kinky queer community.

Before I moved to Las Vegas, I lived in Portland, Oregon for 10 years. The kink and queer communities there were thriving during that time and all throughout the Pacific Northwest. I had the opportunity to help cultivate and participate in queer kinky spaces that were electric and enriching. Vegas is still playing catch up, but Merry Fistmas was the first time I felt that spark of electricity at a local kink event. The joy of feeling that spark again makes the hard work of planning and producing these community-focused events worthwhile. It brings me joy and pride to see the kink community growing and beginning to thrive again, post pandemic.

Photo of Jennifer Howe by Gina Barbara Photography

I have some exciting announcements to make this year. In addition to hosting more events, PROUD & Kinky will also be hosting workshops in 2023. We plan to offer a free Dungeon Master class to the community. This class will be available to anyone interested in learning more about what it takes to be a Dungeon Master (DM) for local play parties and kink events. After the class, we will encourage participants to sign up for a DM shift at a local kink event to put your new skills into practice. Part of creating a safe, responsible, and accountable community is creating opportunities to educate folks so we can all participate in creating a stronger community from the ground up.

Another delightful announcement is that PROUD & Kinky will be sponsoring Leather Titles in 2023. There will be four Las Vegas Leather titles that we are seeking nominations for: Mr. Las Vegas Leather, Las Vegas Person of Leather, Las Vegas Pup of Leather, and Las Vegas Bootblack.

The Las Vegas Person of Leather will get a specific title that is characteristic of the individual who accepts the nomination, such as: Mx. / Mrs. / Miss / Trans person or leather / Leatherboy / or whatever they think, fits them best. All of the leather title holders will get the opportunity to compete in International Mr. Leather (IML) as well as travel and serve as PROUD & Kinky’s representative for the 2023-24 year. Nominations are open, if you or anyone you know deserves to be nominated for a leather title, just drop us a line at hello@proudandkinky.com. We will be collecting nominations till the end of February. At which time, we will then move into the next phase of the nomination process which will be a process of vetting and peer review.

A big part of being a leather titleholder is community-focused service. As well as being an ambassador at PROUD & Kinky and other local kink events. We’re featuring our Las Vegas PRIDE 2022 royalty, Mr. Las Vegas PRIDE Kevin Heward and Miss Las Vegas PRIDE Jolene Secrets, on the cover of this issue as well as interviews with them, to highlight what it takes to be a royalty representative. We plan to feature the selected leather title holders on the cover of the next issue of PROUD & Kinky.

I look forward to connecting with and helping to cultivate our community in 2023. Check out the PROUD & Kinky community calendar to get more involved and see upcoming events.

Thanks for showing up!

Your fellow pervert,

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