Welcome back to the newsletter. If you weren’t up to anything last night, then allow me to be here with you now, sharing all the leatherdyke goodness going on in Glasgow.

Upcoming Events

Bootblack Social / Buffing Workshop

Our next bootblack social is on Wednesday 18th February, at Adrian’s on Victoria Road (G42 8RW) from 7pm till late as well. This marks the start of our “Bootblack Curriculum”, which is going to be a series of workshops for new and ongoing bootblacks every month till October. No experience necessary, and we have kit (plus some boots) to spare, so if you’re interested in getting that perfect mirror shine, come along. Bootblack Rowan and myself will be running this one from 7:30–8:30pm.

THAG Fundraiser Gig

Some more shameless cross-promotion for y’all. Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow are putting on a gig Monday 2nd March, at Stereo on Renfield Lane (G2 5AR). Tickets are £10–15 and available here. Money goes to getting trans people blood tests, plus the bands seem cool (more details on the ticket page).

Bar Night

Our March bar night is going to be on Wednesday 4th March, at Game Over on Drury Street (G2 5AA) from 7pm till 11:30pm(ish). Same deal as usual! Remember to bring cash for bootblacking and zines and crap (if you want bootblacking or zines or crap x).

Leatherdyke Love Letters Launch

Our pals at DykeHouse Press are doing a zine launch for their Leatherdyke Love Letters on Friday 6th March, at Category Is on Alison Street (G42 8NN) from 7pm. Our own Photographer Rowan will be giving a talk on queer publishing from ~1980–2000.

Glasgow Solidarity Pride Fundraiser Pub Quiz

Even MORE shameless cross-promotion! Wow! Glasgow Solidarity Pride (which I am co-organising) is doing a pub quiz (which I am hosting) on Thursday 12th March, at Stereo on Renfield Lane (G2 5AR). Tickets are PWYC (recommended £6–10) available here. The funds are to secure a venue for an anti-corporate Pride hub this summer (if you went to the NPiG Pride hub last year, it’s gonna be like that). Follow the insta here if that sounds like your thing.

Leatherdykes Recommend…

I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES, by Backxwash (Synthie)

“It's in this sense that a little bit of pain is a good thing.
A wounded anger, justified. Choking on church ash. Revenge killing your dad except your dad is god.
Recommended Song: I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES”
Album Link

Coldness & Cruelty, by Gilles Deleuze (Yvette)

As far as I’m aware, Deleuze wasn’t a leatherdyke. But! here we have an essay which distinguishes Sadism & Masochism and critiques the idea of a “sadomasochistic entity” which seems leatherdyke adjacent to me. The Zone Books edition (simply titled Masochism) has both the Deleuze essay and Venus in Furs by Sacher-Masoch, the latter of which I haven’t finished yet but it’s hot so far!

Blog

Honestly, not a tonne has happened since the last blog post. ANTI-PROTOCOL has been redrafted so Bootblack Rowan & I are just waiting for some last bits of feedback before proofreading, typesetting, and going to print. It will not be available by the bootblack social, alas, but I promise I’ll get it out by the March dyke night lol. Initial run will only be of 20 priced £5–10, so, show up early if you’re aching for it (or DM/email to reserve a copy or smthn).

The as-yet-untitled Glasgow Leatherzine is almost there. I think there’s only one photoshoot left to do and that’s going to be pornography of me, face fully visible, because as Photographer Rowan put it, “you have the least prospects of any of us.” Great! That should be out soonish also, priced £5–10 as well. Announcements on that closer to the time.

There’s also more to dykery than bootblacking and zines (which I often forget). The weather has been awful of late but as we move into spring we’ll maybe start thinking of a one-off (or couple one-offs) we can do more outdoors, whether that’s a picnic, cigar social, or hanging out at the dyke cruising zone (even though it was inaugurated by our arch-rivals, the Glasgow Fraternity of Leatherdykes (xoxo)). As always, if you, dear reader, are organising something leather/dyke-y and want us to collab in whatever capacity, don’t hesitate to ask!

As always, I love you (sans commitment).

With the kind of morning haze you get from drinking too much coffee and not enough water,
yr girl, yvette, for Glasgow Leatherdykes