When I first got into Leather some 20 years ago, I was just out of the U.S. Air Force, feeling lost, feeling very much alone, and starting a slow, hard downward spiral over the course of the following year. At that point, I had an admiration for Leather but didn’t understand how it worked. I knew I loved wearing it but what did it mean or take to become the men I saw in the books and photos I”d grown up with? In November 2007, I entered recovery after pulling myself apart one drink at a time over the course of 14 months. I was brought to my first meeting and I stepped onto the long road of rebuilding my life. Until that point, I’d fervently spent the past year systematically deconstructing myself. It was in those dark first days that I understood how Leather could help me: It would serve as armor while I reluctantly worked to rebuild a Life.

A year or so after entering recovery, I attended a retreat for LGBTQ+ Veterans north of San Francisco and that happened to occur during SF Pride. Coincidence? I don’t think so. After engaging in the hard work of trying to heal from our respective traumas, we piled into a van and began the trek into the city. I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t care, I was numb, dissociated. There was one solace I took and it was from the company in that van.

The man who saved my life was there along with the first genderqueer person I’d ever met, gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. I was quiet and enjoyed the energy as we drove up from Sausalito and curved through the hill to emerge to the glorious view of the Golden Gate Bridge. To this day, that little trip is a defining moment of my queer life. As we drove across the bridge, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” began to play on the radio and we sang it as if our lives depended on it, a motley crew of queer Veterans belting out the anthem. Times were vastly different then and Ms. Gaynor had not yet capitulated to the current regime. Shy as I was, I took part and began to feel, for the first time, that perhaps I’d be alright after all.

It was during that time that I began wearing a Leather bar vest, not regularly but when I was in gay spaces. You can read more about the start of my Leather Journey and recovery in my Serenity & Leather series. It was also during that time that I heard about the Mister Bolt Leather Contest in Sacramento, California. At the time, I was living north of Sacramento in a horrid, little apartment with too much sun and a gorgeous view of a parking lot where mattresses were often discarded. I was curious but felt I was too far away to be a part a of the Community.

I sat in my apartment thinking, “Someday, I want to run for Mister Bolt…but HOW do you get ready for something like that? What does it take?” I’d read Leather History, about audacious queer folx stepping up in Leather and serving their Communities. These folx did the work of leading and always looked fooken sexy doing it. My Leather image today is informed by black-and-white photos of the Leather Community in the 1970s and 1980s, not so much by Tom of Finland. Personally, ToF is great for fantasy, but it was the REAL flesh-and-blood folx who donned their gear and rocked it that helped me craft my Leather Self. I wanted to be like them but…HOW? How do you become gregarious, fearless, giving, and keep looking hot doing it?

Well, now I know and it look nearly 20 years to find my answer.

I had to live.

Authentically.

Today, I’m finally ready to take that step and am announcing my candidacy to become the next Mister Bolt Leather. I’d filled out the application and turned it in last week. I waited a week and a half so as to let the newness of it fade to let me do the work of preparing for this announcement.

Am I nervous? Yes. Am I scared? No. Am I ready?

Hell yes!

There’s a lot that has to happen between now and the contest weekend slated for April 24th to 26th. I’ll be working on gathering items for my raffle basket and posting more on my socials. Stay tuned.

If you are available for the contest weekend, your attendance would be greatly appreciated. Consider this your official invitation to gear up and come out to cheer all the contestants on. This being my first time competing for a title, I could use all the support you are willing to give. If we haven’t met yet, feel free to find me at any of my upcoming appearances leading up to the contest weekend:

• Saturday, March 21st: The 15 Association’s From Samplers to Scenes Play Party – I’ll be serving samplers of impact & sensation play for the curious before engaging in regular scenes.
• Friday, March 27th: Boyce Avenue Live in Concert
• Saturday, March 28th: BLUFSF Social – Dinner in Old Sacramento – Gear up and join BLUFSF as we gather for dinner at La Terraza Concina y Cantina in Old Sacramento. This is ticketed event w/ $35 price point. An informal cigar social will follow at the Bolt after dinner.
• Wednesday, April 1st: Monthly MAsT Sacramento Meeting
  Attendance requires vetting if you are interested in attending.
• Saturday, April 4th: BLUFSF CUERO – April Edition
  Join BLUFSF as we host a raffle auction fundraiser for PFLAG Sacramento; learn about joining BLUF and have your BLUF app photos taken. This will be held at the Bolt.
• Friday, April 10th: BLUFSF HARD – April Edition
  BLUFSF HARD’s monthly nights are held on the 2nd Friday at the SF Eagle; we usually try to grab dinner in SoMa before heading over for the night. This is a great event to meet/greet folx in the SF Leather Community.
• Friday-Saturday, April 18th-19th: The 15 Association’s Associates Weekend – Attendance is tentative; however, I will likely be there doing Dom things.
• Wednesday, April 22nd: BLUFSF Social – Dinner Before MBL Weekend – Contestants and the public are invited to join BLUFSF for dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Lavender Heights, Sacramento.
• Friday-Sunday, April 24th-26th: Mr. Bolt Leather 2027 Contest Weekend – The weekend starts with a Meet & Greet on Friday, the contest on Saturday, and the Victory Party on Sunday.

I’m looking forward to the process and the contest and I will try to include you in the journey as much as possible Either way, thank you for coming with me this far and for your support as I run for the title of Mister Bolt Leather 2027!

Stay safe, make it hot, and find your joy.

Yours In Leather,
SIR Aaron Wolf