About Living In Leather & Mission
Living In Leather is a charitable nonprofit 501(c)3 dedicated to the establishment of independent clubs and events tailored to the group or city needs, Leather Award recognition, the name of our annual gathering and embodies our Domestic Violence Project under its umbrella.
Living in Leather is a multi-facet project. One that started as an annual event created in 1986 providing workshops, meetings for activists and providing a space for leadership within the community to come together and share ideas, views and strategies on the direction of the overall BDSM/Leather/Kink community.
In 2018, Living in Leather was expanded and formed into a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with the intent to preserve the already existing NLA Awards and the Domestic Violence Project (DVP).
It was also determined that from 2018 forward, no longer would the NLA create chapters. We would instead focus on the formation of independent clubs/events. Those clubs/events would only be under the NLA oversight for one (1) year, then become eligible for affiliate membership for the years to follow if they continued to share principal ideas within our Mission.
·
To
maintain our national/international communication, information, education, and
support network for all members of the Leather/BDSM/Fetish community.
·
To
role model the power and pride of all adults who engage in Safe, Sane, and
Consensual sexual expression and encourage those who fight for the decriminalization
of all sexual acts between consenting adults.
·
To
support individual and organized political activism, visibility, and education to
eradicate stereotypical beliefs, misconceptions, and media misrepresentation
about the Leather/BDSM/Fetish family in the community at large.
·
To
continue providing, through publications, educational material, and
conferences, a forum for the sharing of knowledge, viewpoints and practices of
a diverse network of people.
·
To
promote the success and welfare of individuals, organizations, publications,
and businesses within our community; especially against threats to their
freedom of expression, freedom of the press, rights to free association and
right to equal protection under the law.
·
To
welcome women, people of color, transgender, the deaf, the physically
challenged and others who have traditionally been discriminated against or
poorly represented within the Leather/BDSM/Fetish community.
· To attend, promote and support
fundraising for deserving defense funds, projects, and clubs, organizations,
and/or charities, which have given direct service to the Leather/BDSM/Fetish
community.