July 9-11, 2021
UPRISE! Educational Sessions | BDSM Track
Behind the Mind of Service; Serving You serves Me | Friday/1:15 - 2:45 pm
Presenter | Meeka Amarillo-Roja
Session Description | What is service? What do we get out of service? Why do we do what we do? It goes beyond a pat on the head and gold stars. This class will delve into the pit of various different types of service. We will discuss some concrete benefits to serving others. Unveil the “unseen” results of service and what may drive some of us to go the extra miles and miles and miles. We will discuss the psychological risks and benefits. When this trek is over we will hopefully be more aware of our internal missions and also be better givers and receivers of service going forward.
Presenter Bio | Meeka Amarillo-Roja is a Social Worker, Medical Case Manager, and Notary Public with over 15 years of experience in health care, mental health, women services, substance abuse and end of life planning and coordination, with bereavement and grief support from geriatrics to neonates. Having always been a nurturer by nature the helping profession was, is and forever will be her comfort zone.
Meeka currently identifies as a cis gendered female, hetero-flexible, poly-amorous, owned submissive, Leatherwoman, sado-masochistic, little with big Mommy tendencies who enjoys the ability to Top when able. She believes “There is an opportunity to learn in every situation. Even the small things can bring about big growth and change.” - Meeka Amarillo-Roja
Diversity and Inclusion in my Leather Journey | Friday/3:00 - 4:30 pm
Presenter | Sir Khiki
Session Description | Discussion of my Leather journey and Leather history as it relates to BIPoC and BIPoC Issues.
Presenter Bio | Sir Khiki has been in the Leather Community for over 25 years and has been honored to count among their roles; titleholder, organizational leader, Owner, brother, sister, friend, mentor, fetish performer, and Atlanta Eagle DJ. Let's see what the next 25 bring!
I Got This Flogger, Now What? | Friday/4:45 - 6:15 pm
Presenter | Leather Redux (LR)
Session Description | Floggers have been around since antiquity but how do we use them safely, take care of them, or more importantly, sanitize them in these COVID times?
Let Leather Redux show you how to utilize that kinky tool you just got at the last in-person event or online.
Bring your floggers and let's flog together!
Presenter Bio | Leather Redux (LR) is a just your friendly old school, neighborhood dominant leather lesbian from the 90s. She is probably the most romantic sadist you will ever know. She left kink for a bit and came back which is what "redux" means - - a return or rebirth. She has come back to kink and is not turning back.
As part of the Leather tradition, service to the community is important to her and she does this by sharing and educating people where she can.
She has taught classes such as Flogging 101, Fisting 101 and Meditation for Kinky Peeps. She has always known the deep connection between BDSM and spirituality and that we are all really here to heal and empower ourselves.
Spaces and Places | Saturday/10:00 - 11:30 am
Presenter | Sir Thaddeus Twist
Session Description | How to get out of your own way to expand yourself within the community productively.
Our Community is ever-moving, shifting and growing. Whatever your interests, however you identify, there is more than one place for you. Why limit ourselves to only one category or space?
Presenter Bio | Sir Thaddeus Twist is a Central Texas based Poly Het Leather Master who participated in the kink/BDSM scene for years prior to joining the Leather community in 2016. He is passionate about being a constructive force in the Texas Leather and kink communities bringing transparency, integrity and selfless service as his core values. As a member of the Genus Indigo Leather family, Head of the House of Twisted Creations, current arbitrator for GWNN (Austin) and co-host on a new and up-and-coming podcast, Twisted Villain Talk where he discusses various kink oriented topics.
Non-Binary P.O.C. and The Community | Saturday/11:45 am - 1:15 pm
Presenter | Mx Idris Dior Onyx
Session Description | A day in the life of a Non Binary POC
— Mental Health
— Drug Abuse
— Housing
— And more
To bring awareness to the non- binary lifestyle of the POC Community. Bring awareness to the day-to-day struggles that a non-binary POC individual faces. How we as a community can pull together to support.
Presenter Bio | I am at 40-year-old non-binary gender bending individual. Is how I choose to identify gender wise and I am a non-by pansexual individual. Is how I choose to identify sexually. I have had a long hard road with ups and downs and turnarounds to become the individual that a lot of you see before you today it is just my mission with the platforms that I have been given to help inform and educate not only the POC human community but all communities on how to love and support individuals such as myself.
From Chinadoll to Dragon Lady | Saturday/2:15 - 3:45 pm
Presenter | Badschoolgirl
Session Description | I will be talking about how I started my journey from a submissive to dominant asian woman in the kink/leather community in Canada. What it means for an person who is a visible minority to operate in pre-dominately white space.
Presenter Bio | I have been involved in the kink/leather community over 25 years. I competed for Central Canada Olympus leather and Ottawa Bootblack. I was Ms CCOL 2011 and first runner up for OBB 2014. I was the first woman who became a full member of the Ottawa Knights. I started a Ling's knitting project 2012 to help titleholders to raise funds. My husband and I became the first married couple to hold a regional title at the same time.
Managing multiple identity when one is Leather and one is Disability | Saturday/4:00 - 5:30 pm
Presenter | MzHydra
Session Description | We all have multiple identities to "manage". All of our identities are important because it’s who we are and continue to aspire to be. But, there are times when we have to navigate who we are in a world that doesn’t want us to bring our whole selves to the table. This workshop is about managing several identities that go against the grain of society, kink, and Leather. It’s interactive, informative, and believe it or not FUN.
Presenter Bio | MzHydra is a proud member of Black FemDoms of Atlanta (BFD) Women in Leather Atlanta (WiLA), MAsT Atlanta Central and the curator of Kink City Connections on Clubhouse. She has been in the Kink and Leather community for over 7 years. It was over 20 years ago when Charone decided to make human rights her religion. Since then she focused on everything from disability rights to the rights of people living in poverty.