Southeast Leatherfest (SELF): Major US Southeast Leather & BDSM Event

SouthEast LeatherFest (SELF) is an annual adult fetish event for BDSM, leather, and kink communities based in the U.S. Southeast, centered in Georgia, with related regional and smaller events through the year. Held in June in Atlanta, it combines title contests, dense education, social programming, and charity. For leather history, SELF is the Southeast’s major multi-gender, multi-orientation gathering—built to put straight and LGBTQIA+ kinksters in the same weekend when that was still rare in the region.

Origins: Jack Stice and a New Regional Model

SELF began in 1995, founded by Jack Stice, International Master 1995. It was conceived as a BDSM and Master/slave event open to all sections of the SM communities, with leather as a highlight. Modeled partly on International Mr. Leather and Drummer-style title culture, SELF added classes to the contest-and-bar model. The first format was about 2.5 days: a Friday bar crawl and Saturday classes. From the start it aimed to be one of the largest sex- and BDSM-education events in the Southeast, openly supporting underground kink, fetish, BDSM, sex-positive, Master/slave, and D/s communities.

Historically, Atlanta and the region had events for gay men; SELF was the first local weekend to bring straight and LGBTQIA+ communities together to work side by side at a BDSM/Master-slave scale event. That crossover identity remains part of its reputation. The festival is charitable: roughly $290,000+ has gone to charities and scholarships over the years, including the Leather Archives & Museum, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Carter/Johnson Library, and others. The Jack Stice Memorial Community Service Award is given annually in the founder’s honor.

Education, Titles, and Growth Under Catherine Gross

SELF runs classes by nationally known educators, multiple spokesperson contests, and social activities built for community and pride. Title names associated with the event include Mr. SouthEast LeatherFest, Ms. SouthEast LeatherFest, SouthEast LeatherFest boy, Southeast Bootblack, Southeast Person of Leather, and SouthEast Master/slave. Historically the weekend also hosted the International Master and slave contest until 2001, plus earlier Drummer and regional leather titles. Full historical title lists are maintained on the event’s contest history pages.

Lady Catherine G. (Catherine Gross) has worked on the event in various roles since the 1990s and has produced SELF since 2004. Under her leadership educational and social offerings expanded. As of 2023, SELF offered 200+ educational and social opportunities over four days, with attendance around 850+ people and growing. SELF is owned and produced by Catherine Gross and administered by a volunteer board each year.

A mini-grant program launched in 2007 to fund speakers and educators for local groups that could not otherwise afford them; that program closed in 2011. SELF was nominated for the Pantheon of Leather “Large Event of the Year” in 2005–2007—peer recognition among major U.S. leather weekends. In 2014, SELF became the first leather contest in the country to include a portion of digital voting by weekend participants in each title contest; that hybrid judging continues. The event has long supported the Leather Archives & Museum’s global leather, fetish, and SM collecting mission across orientations and genders.

Recent Titleholders (Selected)

2024: Mr SELF — Sir Andrew; Ms SELF — Sabrina Hypnotica; SouthEast BootBlack — Keriis; SouthEast Master/slave — Master Aaron and slave jennie.

2023: Mr SELF — MaxInLeather; Ms SELF — Scarlett Rose; SouthEast BootBlack — Apollo; SouthEast Person of Leather — Mara; SouthEast Master/slave — Master Varii and slave neill.

2022: Mr SELF — MaxInLeather; Ms SELF — Ms. Mia Rose; SouthEast BootBlack — Apollo; SouthEast Master/slave — Master Varii and slave neill.

2019–2021 period: Ms SELF — Choc Trei (stepped down 31 December 2020); Southeast BootBlack — Mycalyne; SouthEast Person of Color — Idris Dior; SouthEast Leather Fest boy — Quazi; SouthEast Master/slave — Sir Luke and His victor.

2018: Mr SELF — Sir Bradford; Ms SELF — Choc Trei; SouthEast BootBlack — Tidbit; SouthEast Person of Leather — Iamar Kinhawk; SouthEast Leather boy — Quazi; SouthEast Master/slave — Master Blue and slave Sheri.

2017: Ms SELF — Tig; SouthEast BootBlack — Coco; SouthEast Person of Leather — ABizzy; SouthEast Master/slave — Master IceDog and slave Ravyn.

2016: Ms SELF — Tig; Mr SELF — Timothy Lee; Southeast BootBlack — Ms Tori; SouthEast Person of Leather — ABizzy; SouthEast Master/slave — Master Bella and slave Rooks.

2015: Ms SELF — Jennifer Deese; Mr SELF — Timothy Lee; Southeast BootBlack — Friday; SouthEast Person of Leather — Autumn East.

2014: Ms SELF — slave Pat; Southeast Master/slave — Kevin & slave Feyrie.

2013: Mr SELF — Optimus; Ms SELF — Flossie; SE BootBlack — Madeline Sparkles; SouthEast Leather Fest boy — boy River.

2012: Mr SELF — OB; SouthEast Leather Fest boy — boy Andy.

2011: Mr SELF — Ejay; Ms SELF — Angel Propps; SE BootBlack — boy Dave; SE Master/slave — Master Dan and slave Melissa.

2010: Mr SELF — Phantom Blue; Ms SELF — Amber; SE BootBlack — Margaret; SE Master/slave — Master Rick and slave Gypsie.

2009: Mr SELF — Nefarious; Ms SELF — Miss Rae; SE BootBlack — Margaret; SE Master/slave — Master Tom and slave Linda.

2008: Mr SELF — Henry Loyd; Ms SELF — Miss Bettie; SE BootBlack — Girl Commando/boy Andy.

2007: Ms SELF — Solitaire; SouthEast BootBlack — Q; SouthEast Master/slave — Sir Top and slave Bonnie.

2006: International Master/slave — Mistress Suzan and slave Ziggy; Ms SELF — Solitaire; Mr SELF — Matthew Cary.

2005: SouthEast Master/slave — Master Tom and slave Linda; SouthEast LeatherFest Boy — Boy Tala.

2004: Ms SELF — Girl Kim; SouthEast Leather Fest Boy — Grant Lam.

2003: SouthEast Leather Sir — Richard Gray; SouthEast Leatherboy — Michael Waugh; Ms Leather Pride — JD.

2002: International Master/slave — Master Scott and Slavette; Ms Leather Pride — Chance; SouthEast Leather Sir — John Derrek; SouthEast Leatherboy — John Mark.

2001: International Master/slave — Master Jim and slave Marshal; SouthEast Mr Drummer — Daryl Fox; SouthEast Drummer Boy — Paul Ferreira; Ms Leather Pride — Chance.

2000: International Master/slave — Steve Sampson and Kirk; SouthEast Mr Drummer — Larry Cottrill; SouthEast Drummer Boy — Bruce Tidwell; Ms Leather Pride — Samantha Claar.

1999: International Master/slave — Khiki Cavannarro and Samantha; Ms Leather Pride — Paula Smith; SouthEast Mr Drummer — Shawn Couch; SouthEast Drummer boy — Boy Chris.

1998: Ms Leather Pride — Sybil King; SouthEast Mr Drummer — Tom Stice; SouthEast Drummer boy — Gregory Kornman.

1997: SouthEast Mr Drummer — Martin Ellis; Ms Leather Pride — Victoria Gayton (Ameritus Award); SouthEast Drummer boy — Boy Von Sumrall; Mr. Georgia Leather — Joseph Blair; Ms. Georgia Leather — Miss Patt.

1996: SouthEast Mr Drummer — Bob Jacobs Harris; SouthEast Drummer boy — Rory Teasdale; Mr. Georgia Leather — Leonard Sewell; Ms. Georgia Leather — Khiki Cavannarro.

1995: SouthEast Mr Drummer — Ricardo A M Ware; SouthEast Drummer boy — Patrick Langone.

Earlier Southeast leather and Drummer-related titles associated with the regional scene include winners such as Kevin Drewery, Dale Calloway, Darryl Flick, Barry Bishop, Owen Griswold, Bart Girton, Eric Hayes, Wes Decker, MP Breslin, Vance Reger, Chuck Higgins, Diane Suissa, Bernhard Zinkgraf, and Michael Feinstein in the early 1990s—showing how SELF sat on top of an existing contest culture as it reinvented the regional weekend.

Why SELF Matters

SELF is education-heavy leather weekend culture with real charity dollars, hybrid digital contest voting pioneered in 2014, and a producer lineage from Jack Stice’s founding vision through Catherine Gross’s long production run. It is not only a title circuit stop; it is the Southeast’s flagship multi-community BDSM and leather conference model—bar crawl roots, classroom density, Master/slave and bootblack pageantry, and a paper trail of service awards and archive support. For bdsmwild readers mapping U.S. leather events, Atlanta in June and the SELF title names are essential markers on the calendar.