So, You Want to Run For a Title?

Let’s talk first.

I promise you, that when you make that decision, the number one thing people are going to ask you – including judges – is why? WHY do you want to be a titleholder?

Maybe you went to a Leather contest and saw the contestants on stage, so proud and powerful, sharing their truths and thought, “I want that”. Perhaps your friends have told you, “oh – you’d for sure win that!” Maybe it’s the regalia – the beautiful patch, the medallion – the roar of the crowd as you are crowned the next Ms./Mr./Mx/Person/Pet/Bootblack/Bear/boy/Handler etc. Maybe you think that a sash or a stole will finally prove you worthy.

Let me stop you right there.

If your why is that you like the spotlight, that you want the attention and the accolades, or you want to be more popular – you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Because hear me when I say that being a titleholder and doing it RIGHT, is WORK. It can rip your heart out at times, make you fodder for gossip, bruise your ego and not to mention, wreck your finances and your relationships. It will teach you who you really are and could expose your shortcomings to the entire community if you aren’t doing it for the right reasons. So, why? Ask yourself – why you? Why now? Why THIS title?

Run for a title because you have a message – know what that message is and how to convey it. Know what your goal for your title year will be and how to get that across to a judge who asks you about it – because trust me when I tell you that they will. Titles amplify who you are – they don’t create or invent you. You need to know who you are and be prepared to speak on it. You’re going to need stamina, a support system, thick skin, nerves of steel and community involvement. If you aren’t already showing up for your community, by serving, educating, organizing, etc. then you better get started now. Before you toss your hat into the ring. Because winning a title shouldn’t be where that begins – it should be where it continues.

Ahhh the judges. I have to say that judging Leather contests has become one of my favorite things to do. I see it as a service to the community – to our title families and to the person I help to sash. So here’s the thing about judges. They aren’t just looking at your gear – or how much of it you have. It isn’t just about your slick speech that you memorized. Of course those things factor in – but it’s also how you walk into a room, how you treat your fellow contestants, and how you treat the event staff. They want to see that you have an actual platform – not just the latest buzzwords. You can’t fake Leather my friend – not for long anyway, and judges can smell bullshit from a mile away.

So you are ready – great! Title runs are SO much fun if you are prepared and ready and have a team to support you! If you win – just keep your feet firmly on the ground please. Absolutely be excited and proud – just know that you haven’t suddenly become holy. You don’t get a ticker tape parade or your face on a coin (well, maybe you do – if so, I need your friends lol). What you do get is a big responsibility, the visibility that goes along with holding a title – and you get a sacred duty to represent – yourself, your title, your community. People are going to watch you, critique you, lean on you. You’ll mess up. You won’t always have the spoons for yet another trip, another photo session. Sometimes the sash will feel heavy on your shoulders. But still, you will serve – because that is what we do.

And if you don’t win…? Then you still fucking stand tall. You still serve. YOU STILL MATTER and your voice and leadership are still needed. Not winning a title doesn’t make you less than. One of the most sage pieces of advice I ever received, from Miss Sara, after my win, was to remember that on any other night, with any other team of judges, it could have just as easily been someone else. We never know what exactly the judges are looking for at that time – what they collectively feel that the community is in need of. It isn’t a popularity contest – or shouldn’t be. It is about putting the right leaders in place at the right time. Plenty of amazing people have lost, and will lose contests and still change lives. You can walk off that stage without a stole, or a medallion, without the pomp and circumstance and still have more honor and contribute more than half the titleholders in the circuit if you’re there for the right reasons.

As a boy who has been there, under the lights, under the microscope, on a National and International stage – as well as behind the judges table, I am here to tell you that running for a title can be one of the most transformative things you will ever do. I have run and won, and I have run and walked away without a title. It is only transformative if you show up with humility, heart and hunger. If you are ready to serve and work towards something bigger than yourself – then fuck yes – LET’S GO! But if you’re chasing ego, attention or a status boost then save yourself and everyone else the trouble and sit in the crowd and watch and listen to what aspiring leaders sound like – learn what holding a title really means first and then reevaluate what your platform is and what the community needs from you.

In Truth and Leather, Cade

Mr Route 66 Leather 2023/IML Class 46

No regrets, no illusions.