Apologies for the late one! I have been helping my boyfriend (dyke) move in with me all day. Anyway, let’s get to it!

Well, okay, firstly: please make-out not directly in front of the bar where staff are serving drinks or otherwise trying to do their jobs at Game Over. You can make-out basically anywhere else in the venue, on the mezzanine, at the tables, while arm wrestling, getting your boots blacked, in the street – just not at the actual bar. The staff do not love it when you get in the way of people trying to order drinks. Please keep the staff on our good side because we get away with so much shit in there. (And I know most of you are chill, and I love you and I thank you.)

Also, if you can, please donate to our pal Levi’s gofundme here to help support Crybaby Hairclub after the recent fire.

Upcoming Events

Bootblack Social / Stand Management Workshop

Our next bootblack social is on Wednesday 18th March, at Adrian’s on Victoria Road (G42 8RW) from 7pm till late. This one will include a workshop and discussion circle about running a bootblack stand, managing a queue, and everything beyond actually working on the boots. No experience necessary and no kit needed. If you do want a short tutorial on bootblacking basics, myself and Bootblack Rowan will be there with our kits to show you after the workshop, so just ask!

Danse Macabre

The next Danse Macabre is running Saturday 21st March, at Flying Duck (G2 3AU) from 11pm till real late. For those not in the know, this is Glasgow’s premier goth/italo/disco club night. Get your tickets here!

Bar Night

Our April bar night is going to be Wednesday 1st April, at Game Over on Drury Street (G2 5AA) from 7pm till 11:30pm(ish). Same deal as usual! Remember to bring cash for bootblacking tips (£5 for the basic stuff; £10 for more involved care).

Becoming Archived

There is an event by the Lesbian Snapshot Collective at GWL that just seems cool as hell, so we’re pointing it out to y’all now. This will be on Saturday 9th May, at Glasgow Women’s Library (G40 1BP) from 2pm till 4pm. Tickets & info are here.

Leatherdykes Recommend…

Across the Acheron, by Monique Wittig (Milo)

“So I’m still not sure I fully understand everything that went on in this book, but it was a good and enjoyable read. It’s about being a lesbian and struggling to aid and intervene in the lives of heterosexual women because you simply live so apart from everything they are doing, and both of you know that. But it’s written in the manner of Dante’s Divine Comedy and frames the rituals of heterosexuality in an exaggerated, Atwood-esque way. It’s angry, overly self-aware but unapologetic, and captures the kaleidoscopic insanity I feel trying to find a way through all of this bullshit.”

Leatherfolk, by Mark Thompson (Bootblack Rowan)

“Widely considered essential reading for anyone interested in leather culture or history. Includes essays from famous leatherdykes as well as leathermen, from different but overlapping scenes with a lot of cross-influence. Some history, some spirituality essays (which I skipped), some personal perspectives or SM reputation laundering (in the case of Carol Truscott’s essay, which is part 101-level how-to and part “this is the polite way we talk about things”). Pat Califia’s essay is essentially a how-to on how to be a decent bottom as well as a look at lesbian cruising. A terminology note: a lot of the writers came on the scene in or before the 80s, when “SM” could mean either D/s scene-based play or full-blown M/s relationships (in a culture where that was a very common relationship style) interchangeably (unhelpfully, they also sometimes mean scene-based top/bottom play with no power exchange). This is almost never explicated unless someone is specifically writing about the difference between a “slave” and a “submissive”, which nobody wants to do because we’d already been having that argument for decades by the time this book came out.”

Blog

We’ve been up to a lot these past two weeks! Good lord! Firstly, shout out to DykeHouse Press for their zine launch, which our own Photographer Rowan presented at. You can pick up Leatherdyke Love Letters at Category Is, Good Press, and probably also other places but those are the two bookshops I go to.

Also, shout out to Glasgow Sunflowers for collaborating with us on a leathercare session for all their baseball gloves. I had a great time chatting about the Cubs and the 2016 world series and Bootblack Rowan had a great time trying to keep us focused enough to actually run the workshop.

Also also, shout out to Leathermen Scotland who we actually made the time to meet at their monthly Glasgow meet up, which is the second Sunday of every month, at the Gallery Bar on Brunswick Street (G1 1TB) from 3pm till 6pm. The vibe was very different to what we’ve got going (a lot more leather; a lot less making out), but the crowd was welcoming and friendly and they’re open to everyone if you want to check out what the boys are up to.

Also also also, I have a note that just reads “bootblacking” with no context for what I’m supposed to write about here. Shout out to the concept of bootblacking, I guess. Potentially I meant to shout out Astrid Bvtch Boots for winning Bootblack Europe 2026! So, shout out to her for that! (Congrats for real also x.)

As always, I love you and I want it to be actually spring with leaves on the trees and flowers in bloom and for us to see each other with all the colour the world has to offer.

With a pint of ice cream and a head full of thoughts,
yr girl, yvette, for Glasgow Leatherdykes