Bootblacks connect the leather community to its roots – its lust for leather, the queer intimacies and archives forged through revered objects, its commitments to mutual aid, and the scent of Huberd’s in a dark, crowded basement. As an intergenerational practice passed on through mentorship, most bootblacks carry on the legacies of those who came before them; legacies they massage into the leathers of those lucky enough to take a seat on their stands. In this conversation moderated by Tina Horn, Daijah Flames (NEBB 2024), Q (IMsBB 2008, SELFBB 2007), Rocket, and Tamara Santibañez will discuss bootblacking as a practice of leather care, leather community, and leathersex.
This event is followed by KINK OUT INCARNATE from 4-10 pm.
To purchase tickets for INCARNATE, CLICK HERE
Reverence panel participants:
Daijah Flames (pronounced Day-Jah) is a gender expansive Afro-Latina leather middle, service cat, and feral feline based in NY. Daijah is Northeast Bootblack 2025, a full member of Onyx Pearls NY NE and in service to House of Kush She has bootblacked and taught bootblacking at spaces such as Folsom Street East, Submit NYC, Low Key Kink, Sanctuary Events, IMsLBB, SheMagik Events, The ColosseumNY, NJ Leather Family Beer Bust, Westcoast Bound, SPLF, South West M/s, Northeast Pet and Handler 2024, KinkOut Events, and Obscenity NYC.
Tina Horn is a writer, educatrix, and award winning pornographer. She is the author of Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink.
Q first encountered bootblacking while attending his very first leather event, Together in Leather in 2005. His next exposure to bootblacking at Frolicon 2006 started Q on his journey to learn more regarding this art. Q was honored to receive the title of International Ms Bootblack 2008.
Rocket is a transsexual wizard and hedonist who lives in a trans commune in the Hudson Valley. They have been in the leather scene for 15 years and learned to bootblack from the tranimals at Switch and TOFcon, and they are begrudgingly beginning to identify as Old Guard. By day, Rocket is probably your lawyer, and by night, they write surrealist spells to bring down the empire, glue rhinestones to things, create anarchist Jewish ritual, and teach about ancestor veneration, bootblacking, and transformative justice at places like the Queer Porn Film Festival, Yale Divinity School, and the American Bar Association.
Tamara Santibañez is an interdisciplinary artist and oral historian based in Brooklyn, New York.
ACCESS AND SAFETY
BY ATTENDING ANY PART OF THIS EVENT, YOU AGREE TO FOLLOW OUR FULL ACCESS & SAFETY GUIDE. READ IT HERE
Our Safety Monitors will be wearing red bands; get their attention if your need support
We’d strongly prefer everyone to wear a mask indoors (grab one at the door or from our team); encourage masking outdoors; and encourage testing before and after the event as well (we have free tests available!); the HVAC system has Merv-13 filters; AIR NYC purifiers will be indoors
TV Eye’s main entrance has 1 step to enter the building; we have a clear flat path for wheeled mobility devices via the side gate; the venue is all one level thereafter
Main restroom (off the front bar) has one ADA-compliant stall; all restrooms are gender-neutral
There are benches and picnic tables all around the backyard. There are booths and banquettes throughout the indoor space. Seat numbers for the 4-10pm indoor performances depend on the given room; we can supply extra seats if needed.
ASL interpreters will be present for the Bootblacking Panel
The indoor space is air conditioned; the backyard is an open-air smoking area.
You will be in a space where photography and video recording will occur. Don’t take photos or videos of anyone without their consent, including those in the background.
Other accessibility adjustments could be possible - please email us (kinkoutevents@gmail.com) if you have specific questions/requirements and we will do our best to assist and make your experience better.
This is a 21+ event