NEWS
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
SLM 2025 MEMBERSHIP OPENS JANUARY 1ST
2025 Membership Price: $37 annually (1st Jan – 31st Dec)
As an SLM member, you’ll enjoy the benefit of FREE monthly social events, designed to bring our community together. Beyond our monthly socials, we are dedicated to creating as many opportunities as possible for members and the wider community to connect, bond, and build lasting relationships. With an exciting calendar planned for 2025, we aim to host over 20+ events (many of them FREE) throughout the year, offering a variety of ways to engage, celebrate, and strengthen our leather and fetish community.
2025 Member Benefits:
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- Discounts & Reduced Ticket Offers: Enjoy perks from our valued MBP’s (membership benefit partners) throughout the year. We are contunually looking for more benefits and offers for members.
- 10% Off Merchandise: Members save on all SLM merchandise.
- Monthly Members-Only Door Prize: Each month, members will automatically receive 5 free chances for hundreds of dollars in prizes from amazing sponsors like Sax Fetish, Naughty Boy Australia, and more.
- Monthly Members-Only Cash Draw: A guaranteed cash prize of at least $50! It jackpots the following month if not won. The potential to win your membership costs back in cash!
- Member drink specials and venue offers (More TBC)
- Ad Hoc Perks: Expect surprise treats like free drinks, exclusive events and access, and more to keep things exciting.
Raffle tickets will only be sold for special occasions, such as fundraising, ensuring these efforts feel meaningful and focused and are done with purpose.
This revamped program means members will receive chances to win hundreds of dollars in prizes each month for an annual $37 membership fee, attend free events and support the ongoing evolution of Sydney Leather Men Inc.
Renewals and new memberships open 1st January 2025. Existing members will need to log in to their account on our website to renew their membership and retain member numbers. Member cards will be issued and available in person at each monthly social. *not all cards will be available for January due to expected high volume.
We want to remind you that SLM Inc is a registered community run association and its members have an opportunity to guide its future direction, we are not a private business and as such community support through membership is vital to our future.
We’re grateful for your continued support and attendance and can’t wait to share another incredible year with you!
REMINDER – PLEASE LOG IN TO CHECK YOUR ‘AUTO RENEWAL’ STATUS.
OUR BIG NEWS
After two incredible years of hosting our events at Kinsela’s, we’re thrilled to announce the next step in the evolution of our Monthly Leather and BLUF Socials. The SLM Inc Committee has been presented with an opportunity that we believe is in the best interest of everyone involved and will help set us up for a successful future.
From our Social on Friday February 14th, 2025, SLM Inc. will be moving our Monthly Socials to the Polo Lounge (Level 2) at The Oxford Hotel !
This exciting move positions us alongside two iconic brands in the Sydney scene: Harbour City Bears (HCB) and The Oxford Hotel, as well as legendary parties like Trash Daddy. The Oxford not only recognises what we bring to the table but also offers SLM the perfect platform for our socials to grow, evolve, and enhances entertainment opportunities for our community in the future.
Here’s what you can look forward to at our new home:
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- A dedicated cigar balcony for leather and BLUF enthusiasts.
- A bootblack space to celebrate and support our bootblack community.
- Member drink discounts and benefits from The Oxford (details TBC).
- The opportunity to collaborate with Harbour City Bears (HCB) and The Oxford on exciting future ideas and events.
But before we kick off this exciting new chapter, let’s give Kinsela’s a proper send-off! Join us on Friday January 17th, 2025, for our Summer Leather Social upstairs at Kinsela’s from 7pm with one last hurrah before heading down to Trash Daddy also on that evening.
We’re incredibly grateful to Kinsela’s for hosting us over the past two years and look forward to celebrating this transition with all of you. The future is bright, and we can’t wait to see you at The Oxford Hotel in February!
2024 MEMBER SURVEY
As we approach 2025, we’re looking ahead with excitement for what’s to come. At Sydney Leather Men Inc., your voice is at the heart of our growth and success.
That’s why we’re inviting you to take part in our Annual Survey, designed to reflect on the past year and guide our momentum into the future.
Your feedback helps us understand what’s working, what could be improved, and what new ideas you’d like to see come to life or ways we can better support the leather and fetish community, we want to hear from you!
Take a few moments to share your thoughts and thank you for being an essential part of SLM.
MARDI GRAS 2025 FLOAT
EOI CLOSING 29TH DECEMBER
Sydney Leather Men Inc. has teamed up with Sydney Leather Women, Sydney Leather Queers, with the incredible support of Studio Kink, to form a float for the 2025 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade!
Our float theme is “Free to Be Uniquely You – Liberated in Leather”, proudly aligning with the parade’s theme, FREE TO BE. Together, we’ll showcase the diversity of our leather community, celebrating our unique identities and the freedom to be unapologetically ourselves while feeling truly liberated in leather.
Successful expressions will be advised early January 2025.
UPCOMING EVENTS
DECEMBER 2024
END OF YEAR
PRESIDENTS UPDATE
🎉Wrapping Up an Amazing 2024 with Excitement for 2025! 🎉
As we close out the year, SLM Inc. is taking a well-deserved break to enjoy the festive season, to connect with family and friends, and to soak up some summer sunshine. On behalf of the SLM Committee, we extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us in 2024. Whether through attending events, volunteering, or simply cheering us on from the side-lines, your contributions have been invaluable.
We wish you all a safe holiday season and can’t wait to see you back in 2025 for what promises to be another huge year!
Membership Milestone and Renewals
Our first-ever membership year wraps up on December 31st, with renewals beginning on January1st. We started the year with a modest membership target, but thanks to your overwhelming support, we more than doubled our goal, ending with an incredible 117 financial members! This success reaffirms the belief in what SLM stands for, and we are excited to bring even more benefits in 2025. Details on the membership program and what’s new are in this newsletter, so don’t miss out!
A Year of Community Engagement
In 2024, SLM hosted 25 events, most of which were free, with only a handful requiring pre-orders or door charges. Attendance ranged from high 30s at the lowest to nearly 120 at our record-breaking event, with an average of 60–70 people at our monthly socials. These gatherings strengthened our community and injected an estimated $20,000+ into our local hospitality and partner venues. Through these events, we’ve shown that SLM isn’t just building a community, it’s contributing to the local scene and economy too!
Our Sponsors and Supporters
This year, we gave away approx. $4,000 in sponsored prizes from raffles and almost $700 in free drinks to members and guests, BTW That’s more than we raised from raffles! A huge thankyou to our sponsors who made this possible.
The continued support of these community-focused organisations helps us give back even more.
Celebrating Our Titleholders
2024 marked a remarkable year for our titleholders. Coach Jura, Sydney Mr Leather 2023, achieved global recognition by placing 4th at International Mr Leather (IML), elevating Sydney’s visibility in the international leather community. Timo, Sydney Mr Leather 2024, has already begun his own journey with strength and vision, and we’re thrilled to support him as he heads to IML in May 2025. Alongside the amazing Lani De Viate, Sydney Ms Leather 2023 and Pride of The Hide 2023 Pendragon Nick, our local titleholders continue to inspire and unify our community. We also want to extend our gratitude and admiration to everyone who stepped forward to compete for the Mr& Ms titles this year, even if they didn’t walk away with the sash. Their ongoing dedication and contributions to the community, title or not, are truly inspiring. It’s these acts of selfless commitment and community spirit that highlight the incredible strength and progress of our community.
Supporting Our Community
This year, SLM Inc donated approx. $2,700 in support of our local titleholders and organisations like Qtopia Sydney, ensuring we stay true to our mission of giving back. We remain committed to further supporting Timo and other community initiatives in 2025.
A Changing of the Guard
2024 saw changes to our committee, with valued members like Raymond, Ian, and Stephen stepping down but continuing as active supporters. We welcomed new committee members: Jaime, Phil, Shane, Jon, and Tony, who’ve brought fresh energy and ideas to SLM. We’re grateful to everyone who’s contributed and look forward to working together in the new year. We are also looking forward to our first AGM to be held in early 2025 and look forward to sharing and discussing our progress with members.
Looking Ahead to 2025
The new year promises exciting things, including our Mardi Gras float collaboration with Sydney Leather Queers and Women, supported by Studio Kink, under the theme “Liberated in Leather.” EOIs close on December 29th, so don’t miss your chance to join!
We’re also gearing up for Friday, January 17th, when we kick off the year with our first Monthly Social. With over 20 events planned for 2025, we’re committed to creating spaces for connection, celebration, and visibility.
Thank You for Believing in SLM, Your support drives everything we do, and we’re humbled by the belief you’ve shown in 2024. Let’s keep building, supporting, and lifting each other up as we step into 2025. From all of us at SLM Incorporated, Thank you and have a safe and wonderful festive season, we can’t wait to see you in the new year!
Leather & Love,
Mick ‘Darkroom Daddy’ Watson
President, SLM Inc.
SLM INC ARE NOW ON BLUESKY
MARDI GRAS 2025 FLOAT
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST CLOSE DECEMBER 29TH
Sydney Leather Men Inc. has teamed up with Sydney Leather Women, Sydney Leather Queers, with the incredible support of Studio Kink, to form a float for the 2025 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade!
Our float theme is “Free to Be Uniquely You – Liberated in Leather”, proudly aligning with the parade’s theme, FREE TO BE. Together, we’ll showcase the diversity of our leather community, celebrating our unique identities and the freedom to be unapologetically ourselves while feeling truly liberated in leather.
We are almost ready to share more details and open the EOI for Boys on Bikes for Mardi Gras 2025. Stay Tuned!
We are also seeking volunteers to assist with the Boys on Bikes parade entry. If you are interested in helping please reach out to Peter Rayner.
2025 MEMBERSHIP & RENEWAL
Exciting Updates to the SLM Membership Program for 2025!
To our incredible members: After an amazing first year of membership—where we doubled our sign-up target (thank you!), the SLM Committee has reviewed the member program to enhance and refine our approach.
We had a desire to make fundraising raffles and efforts more special and impactful, So, we’re taking a fresh approach to selling raffle tickets for 2025.
Here’s What’s New and Changing:
2025 Membership Price: $37 annually (1st Jan – 31st Dec)
As an SLM member, you’ll enjoy the benefit of FREE monthly social events, designed to bring our community together. Beyond our monthly socials, we are dedicated to creating as many opportunities as possible for members and the wider community to connect, bond, and build lasting relationships. With an exciting calendar planned for 2025, we aim to host over 20 events (many of them FREE) throughout the year, offering a variety of ways to engage, celebrate, and strengthen our leather and fetish community.
2025 Member Benefits:
-
- Discounts & Reduced Ticket Offers: Enjoy perks from our valued MBP’s (membership benefit partners) throughout the year. We are continually looking for more benefits and offers for members.
- 10% Off Merchandise: Members save on all SLM merchandise.
- Monthly Members-Only Door Prize: Each month, members will automatically receive 5 free chances for hundreds of dollars in prizes from amazing sponsors like Sax Fetish, Naughty Boy Australia, and more.
- Monthly Members-Only Cash Draw: A guaranteed cash prize of at least $50! It jackpots the following month if not won. The potential to win your membership costs back in cash!
- Ad Hoc Perks: Expect surprise treats like free drinks, exclusive events and access, and more to keep things exciting.
Raffles with a Purpose: Raffle tickets will only be sold for special occasions, such as fundraising for Timo’s IML travel fund or chosen charities, ensuring these efforts feel meaningful and focused and are done with purpose.
This revamped program means members will now receive chances to win hundreds of dollars in benefits and prizes each month for an annual $37 membership fee.
Our goal is to grow the SLM family even more in 2025. Renewals and new memberships open 1st January 2025.
We’re grateful for your continued support and attendance and can’t wait to share another incredible year with you!
A Leather, Fetish and Kink Conversation Series hosted by Sydney Mr. Leather 2023 Coach Jura & Special Guests. Boundless is where we dive deep into the world of leather, fetish, and kink—past, present, and future. Our focus is on sharing the stories of our past so that they aren’t forgotten and they help shape the future. This is a Leather, Fetish and Kink Conversation Series where we’re bound by nothing but the freedom to explore, Unrestrained! It is produced by IM Entertainment. So, stay tuned for awesome conversations and informative content in 2025.
Sydney Leather Men (SLM) is also committed to preserving and promoting the rich history of our leather and fetish scene in 2025. Alongside supporting the Boundless Conversations Series, which explores and shares the stories that shape our past and develops our future, SLM is embarking on several of its own initiatives to investigate and collate details of our rich local history, ensuring they are celebrated and remembered.
We’re exploring ways to share our efforts, through our available channels, including this newsletter and our website, to keep history alive and accessible to all. For starters see the next section!
Leather Legacy: Stories from Our Past
From the archive: “Leather is a boy’s best friend, 1996”
Join us for a dive through Sydney’s leather archives. We’ll publish a photo from our community’s history each newsletter – feel free to send us yours!
Here Colin Slater performs “Leather is a boy’s best friend”– in the manner of Marilyn Monroe – surrounded by a gaggle of leather-clad gogo boys at the 1996 Mardi Gras Awards, at Sydney Town Hall on George Street. Note the Australian Sign Language interpreter, top right, doing a great job of staying focused.
Photographer: Mazz Image, via the Sydney Star Observer photograph library at the City of Sydney archives.
HCB XMAS SUNDAY BEARS
Need a beer and catch up with friends before Christmas, then Come catch up with your mates at Sunday Bears @ The Townie in Newtown (next to Newtown Train Station) from 4pm.
A spectacular afternoon of leather and community at SKIN, a leather fundraising festival hosted by Lani DeViate, Sydney Ms Leather 2024!
An incredible line-up of DJs, a variety of stalls, bootblacks, raffle prizes, and a super special photobooth experience waiting for you. More details to come, but don’t wait – get your tickets now and be part of this spectacular event!
This event is not just about fun; it’s also a chance to support Lani’s travel fund (as she will be heading to compete at IMsLBB in April 2025) and of course support the incredible work of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation.
MASCULAR LIVING ARTICLE
From Coach Jura (Sydney Mr Leather 2023)
Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to be interviewed by Craig Menzies for the second edition of the relatively new publication, Mascular Living. It was an honour to share details about my journey as Sydney Mr Leather 2023 and the incredible experience of representing our community at International Mr. Leather (IML) in May this year.
Reflecting on this chapter of my life—highlighting the friendships, challenges, and personal growth it brought—was both humbling and inspiring. Craig’s thoughtful questions made me pause and appreciate the broader impact of visibility, connection, and authenticity in our leather and fetish communities.
I’m so grateful for platforms like Mascular Living that spotlight diverse voices and celebrate shared experiences. I highly recommend checking Mascular Living out, it’s a beautiful publication with meaningful content!
*Photo Credit (Appears In Article) – Darkroom Daddy Photography
INQUISITION 2025
Get ready. INQUISITION is returning on Saturday, February 22nd, 2025, and trust us, you won’t want to miss this wild ride! Bought to you by HAUS of SAVVY.
Two levels of dance areas, each pumping out those deep, dark, and dirty beats that’ll make your heart race. There’ll be mind-blowing sideshows to tease your senses at every turn. You’ll be surrounded by hundreds in a sexy crowd wearing the ultimate kink attire, all here to celebrate Sydney’s fetish and kink community.
SLM Financial Members Get $10 Off Tickets. Use The Code in Members Area on our Website. Over 500+ tickets have already sold, don’t delay. Get yours NOW.
COAT CHECK VOLUNTEERS
Exciting News! Sydney Leather Men Inc. are honoured to have been invited as a community-run organisation to operate the coat check for HCB Underbear XXX on 26th February 2025, as part of Bear Essentials!
This is an incredible opportunity for SLM to raise funds for our community and our initiatives while supporting this amazing event for the bears.
However, we need your help to make this a success! We’re looking for volunteers to help with coat check shifts. As a thank you, volunteers will receive an entry ticket to the event in exchange for their time and effort.
If you’re interested in this volunteering opportunity, please reach out to us using the ‘Contact Us’ form on this website or message us on Facebook.
BEAR ESSENTIALS 2025
HCB Presents Bear Essentials from 16th Feb until 2 March 2025.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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