Meet our 2023 Judges!

Gretchen

She/Her

Head Judge

Gretchen is a queer sadomasochist who has been involved with the Kink and Leather community since 2012. Prior to 2012, Gretchen spent her days co-founding a medical non-profit serving the people of Haiti and her nights were spent dancing flamenco. As Alaska State Bootblack 2018 and International Ms Bootblack 2019, she was able to meet people face-to-face just in time for the world to shut down. After the many challenges and losses of the past three years, Gretchen is eager to see how the global community can come together again in service of our way of being, living, loving, and fucking.

Douglas

He/Him

Judge

Douglas Ambrose (he/him) has been active in the kink and leather communities for over ten years, and Bootblacking for 8. He started his leather journey in Denver but his love of leather care did not start until his move to San Francisco. He now resides in Chicago. Douglas has served as Program Chair for San Francisco’s Young Leathermen’s Discussion Group and as Community Bootblack for both the SF Eagle and Mr. S Leather. He joins the ranks of other amazing Bootblack’s during Folsom and Dore, any chance he gets. Douglas was first runner up for IMBB in 2016 and has been on Shine Squad for IML since 2017.

LeatherHiraeth

He/Him

Judge

Alistair LeatherHiraeth is serving as International Mr Bootblack 2022. Hailing from the beautiful west coast of Wales, Alistair is a Trans, polyamorous, leatherman, a bootblack and family Dominant of the UK KRueL Leather Family, and a proud member of both Leathermen Cymru and Msc Belgium. He earned his leathers and the title of leather Sir, from the bottom up, through the family. Passionate about Leather community and history, Alistair’s title goals have been focused on making bootblacking a more visible and accessible kink in the UK, and creating bootblack spaces as a normal part of fetish and leather events. Alistair loves caring for boots and leather and passing on his knowledge to others. He flags Black, Red and Hunter Green on the left, and for his Master only, the same colours on the right. He will also accept bootblack tips in the form of impeccable service and cigars, if you’re a little bit short on cash

Tarna Scyanne

She/Her

Judge

Currently working her way back after a brief sojourn in the wild, Tarna is a queer feminine switch with a love for the written word, a lust for adventure, a sweet cigar and sexy pair of boots. She has been blessed to spend the bulk of her adult life in and around the kink and leather communities. This saucy creature can often be found glittering in darkened corners, flirting by way of dad jokes and engaging in conversation with friends new and old alike.

Girl Amelia

She/They

Judge

Girl Amelia is a Puerto Rican/Japanese femme bootblack in the Leather community. She is the owned and collared girl of Sir Paris, receiving her collar on December 31, 2008. Girl Amelia is part of the Leather pup community as Pup Purple/Pup Horo, a she-wolf. She is also a drag king named Ricardo, who comes out to play at fundraisers as a BDSM top. She is legal counsel to the Leather Heart Foundation, the Carter/Johnson Leather Library,and the Baltimore Playhouse. Girl Amelia has worked as a bootblack at Charm City Fetish Fair; SouthEast Leather Fair; DC Gay Pride Festival; Master/slave Conference; Mr/Ms New Jersey Leather; Philadelphia Leather Pride Night; Santa Saturday; Have a Nasty Christmas; Command MC New Year's Eve Bash; Winter Solstice; Brimstone II; Chesapeake Leather and Pride; Bears, Bikers & Mayhem 2013; and Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. Girl Amelia is the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Community Bootblack and the First Runner-up for International Community Bootblack 2013. Girl Amelia has been a practicing attorney for 30 years and has presented classes at the 2010 -2012 and 2014-2018 MsC (Wills and Advanced Medical Directives); Femme Boot Pride Weekend 2010 (Being a bootblack and the M/s dynamic); Winter Solstice 2010 (Bootblacking 101); Femme Con 2012 (Bootblacking 101); Philadelphia Leather Leadership Conference 2014 and 2015 (Why Bootblacks are Needed at Leather Events and How to Care for Them; Accessibility at Events). She has also taught at Black Rose and various MAsT meetings in Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Girl Amelia is the author of articles for Baltimore OutLoud magazine on topics involving immigration law.

Haley

She/Her

Head Judge

Haley is an indecent indulgent diverse verse and a veritably dapper dyke. She is a self-described leather dyke, who rides the line between Butch and Femme. She originates from California currently hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. She can be found traveling, teaching, and being a bad ass player in the dungeons. Haley is the creator of the Wallflower project, which is dedicated to bringing awareness to those on the fringes as well as those who are seeking space in the community. If you see somone wearing one of the wallflower hankies please take a moment and introduce yourself Some of her favorite things to discuss, demo and teach are fire play, needles/blood play , rough body play, stomping, cigars and electro play. Haley holds the title of International Ms. Leather 2019. She also holds the title of Ms. San Francisco Leather 2018

Jeff Tucker

He/Him

Judge

Jeff is the Contestant Coordinator for International Mr. Leather and was himself IML in 1994 competing as Mr. San Jose Leather 1993. He is also the Den Daddy at IML competition in Chicago over Memorial Day Weekend. As IML he started “Better Together” a campaign asking us to honor the diversity that creates the richness that is our community. He is a youth advocate and volunteers in support services for at risk LGBTQIA youth. A retired corporate business practices director and his own business in landscape design and construction. He lives in the NYC Metro area in Bloomfield, New Jersey where he moved 12 years ago with his husband/boy after living in the San Francisco Bay Area for 30 years. With his first BDSM experience 40 years ago Jeff now enjoys a wide range of kink interests for which he has also been a workshop presenter. While in California Jeff was a cofounder of the Santa Clara County Leather Association, The Brotherhood San Jose (a gay men’s BDSM education and play group) where he led the discussion to include trans men in the group, He also created BDSM Tastings a quarterly workshop series for educating beginners and mentoring advanced players on various kink practices. Jeff is in a triad with his husband of 33 years and their pup of 11years. He has been in polyamorous relationships of one kind or another for over 30 years, He leads discussions on leather families and polyamory to both community organizations and educational institutions. He says “It’s all about authenticity, integrity and humor, oh, and homemade peach cobbler.”

Luck Markstone

He/They

Judge

Luck Markstone (He/They), has been involved in the Leather and Kink community since June 2014. Luck completely invested their passion and time in the community and was crowned “Ms. Iowa Leather 2015” that same year. Luck has judged over 15 competitions throughout the country and Tallymastered for International Mr. Leather/BB 2017. Luck spends the majority of his time teaching and advocating for children through the lens of their many intersecting identities. This Boston Terrier dog flags red, hunter and mint green, yellow, navy blue, light pink, gray, and black on the right; and fuchsia on both.

Madame TNM

She/Her

Judge

Tiona Nekkia McClodden [she/her] is a visual artist, filmmaker, and curator whose work explores and critiques issues at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social commentary. McClodden’s interdisciplinary approach traverses documentary film, experimental video, sculpture, and sound installations. Most recently, her work has explored the themes of re-memory and narrative biomythography. Her works have shown at the Institute of Contemporary Art-Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art (New York); the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) ; the New Museum (New York); Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) – Berlin; MOCA LA; MCA Chicago, and MoMA PS1. Most recently she is the recipient of the 2021-2023 Princeton Arts Fellowship, a Bucksbaum Award for her work in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, a Guggenheim Fellowship in Fine Arts (2019), among others. In 2017-18 she curated A Recollection. + Predicated. as a part of the multi-artist retrospective Julius Eastman: That Which is Fundamental at both the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia and The Kitchen in New York. Her writing has been featured on the Triple Canopy platform, in Artforum, Cultured Magazine, ART 21 Magazine, and many other publications. She is the recipient of a 2021 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant. Tiona lives and works in North Philadelphia, PA and is the Founder + Director of Philadelphia based, Conceptual Fade, a micro-gallery and library space centering Black thought + artistic production.

Jack Thompson

He/Him

Judge

Jack Thompson (He/Him) -- also known as Exile ONYX, is International Mr. Leather 2019! He is a proud biracial, transgender, HIV-positive, Leatherman and wolf. Naturally inclined to serve, Jack has been an active member of the leather community for over 15 years. He is a founding father of ONYX Northwest and current member of ONYX Mid-Atlantic. A Founder of the Rebel Kings of Oakland Drag King troupe, one of the longest running drag shows in the country and a current board member for the Clifton Pleasure Club in Baltimore MD. In 2018, Jack represented Mr. May on the Bare Chest calendar (San Francisco), and is currently Mr. January for the same calendar’s 2022 Alumni Edition. In 2019 he won the title of Leatherman of Color. He was also awarded The Pantheon of Leather’s Man of the Year award, ONYX’s Mufasa’s Lion Strength Award and The Imperial Court’s Marcus Hernandez International Leather Leadership Award. These days you will find him at home with his husbear/Daddy and being of service to his friends and local community. Remember, “If you are enough for you, then you are enough. Period.”

Meet our 2023 Tallies!

Paulie

He/Him

Paulie, as he prefers to be called, has lived in Baltimore, MD for all of his 53 years. He is a kinky, poly, non-monogamous, bisexual, switch serving the LGBTQ+ communities for the past 23 years. Paulie is the proud ‘husboy’ of Sir Rik Newton-Treadway and member of Hooker & Boys. As a member of Hooker & Boys, Paulie is a co-producer of the benefit show, “The Annual 12 Days of Christmas”, coming this December 9th – **plug intended :)**. As a past recipient of the Pantheon of Leather Community Service Mid-Atlantic Regional Award, he has served the communities as producer, host, stage crew, stage manager, tally master, judge, and/or volunteer, for numerous local, regional, national and international Leather contests and events, as well as, several other LGBTQ+ benefits, festivals, contests & events. He is also a founding member of both The Praetorian Guard and the Women of Discipline’s Men’s Auxiliary, a founding associate of the DC boys of Leather and the Leatherboys of Maryland, and an associate of both FIST and COMMAND MC. As a supporter of the Carter/Johnson Leather Library and Collection, Paulie, along with his husband/Sir, Rik, house the Mid-Atlantic Annex of the Carter/Johnson Leather Library and Collection… a regionally based subset of the much more vast collection that is the CJLL. If you want to know more about him… don’t be shy … just ask. Paulie has been a part of the IMsL/IMBB staff, dating back to the Glenda Rider years, and is quite honored to now serve as Tally! He first learned the about tally duties from Daddy Jim Raymond, way back when. He also then learned what NOT to do… like letting it slip out who won before the actual announcement. **Sorry Daddy for throwing you under the bus ;)** Once after completing his tally duties for a contest several years ago, he was asked in passing, “So, did our boy win?”, to which he replied, “I can’t say.” Which was then rebutted with, “But it’s MY contest!” Paulie countered with, “The winner’s name is in the envelope with the MC. You’ll find out when everyone else does. You asked me to tally, and it’s my duty to keep that secret.” “Damn” with a shrug and a smile, was the owner’s only response.

Miss Becca Bee

She/Her

Hi! I'm Becca Bee, and I have become a raccoon over the pandemic! I am a very curious, extroverted femme with a neurospicy brain. I have ME/CFS, which is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, so sometimes I get super overwhelmed and overstimulated and have to go lay down. It's the most boring. I am a Realtor, licensed in the state of Washington, and I can help make connections worldwide if you have real estate needs. I specialize in neurospicy and kinky buyers and sellers and breaking down the process into steps and aiming for mutual understanding of not only what is happening now, but also the next steps that are coming. I've been around the kink scene since 2003, and the leather scene since 2012. Washington State Bootblack 2014, and the heart and soul of IMsLBB 2015.