On Saturday, Feb. 13, LGBT Detroit presented its second-annual Cold As Hell Winter Pride. A ticketed event highlighting LGBTQ sexual expression in the leather, kink and fetish communities, Cold as Hell was entirely prerecorded. Viewers got the opportunity to learn about the safe execution of various kinks and fetishes from community members in both taped demonstrations and panel discussions.
The film was hosted by performers Sir Oya Ra and Ironman. Sir Oya Ra is the current Mr. Maryland Leather. Hailing from Baltimore, Sir Oya Ra describes himself as a "millennial leather classicist and kink prodigy." He is also the Head-of-Household for the Tribe of Mount Saint Oya. Ironman, also known as Al Davis, is a former Mr. Bulge and a Bulge ambassador from Atlanta.
The two opened the evening, with a flogging demonstration featuring Jerron Totten who by day works as the organizations' social outreach coordinator and legislative advocate.
"I entered the leather/kink community two years ago," Totten said. "For those two years I have been in a daddy/boy power exchange dynamic with Al Davis, who is a returning host of Cold As Hell. I am definitely grateful to work in a space that I can be my complete self. Cold As Hell provides space for Black and Brown leather folx to provide education on the leather/kink community and exhibit their expertise in leather culture."
Totten encourages others interested in the leather/kink community to "start having conversations with your partners. Seek information from those who are already in [the scene] and definitely watch Cold As Hell."
Even two years in, Totten said he has much yet to learn.
"I definitely look forward to expanding my horizons in kink and fetish play. I also want to continue to provide these educational spaces for those who are interested in entering the culture," he said.
In addition to Totten's flogging scene, other kinks and fetishes are, of course, featured. These include sounding, fisting, fire impact and wax play. Participating in these demonstrations, in addition to hosts Sir Oya Ra and Ironman, are Panthro Onyx, S'ango, Travis Jon XXX, Goddess Lakshimi, John Tatum and Kenn Kennedy.
Panel discussions focused on the topics of femmes in leather and dynamics and power exchange.
"This year was amazing," Totten said. "This being our second year doing this particular project, I feel that we have learned so much in one year to be able to produce such quality content. As project coordinator, I am definitely thankful to my team of content developers Anthony Martinez and Chris Sutton of Climax Films. This year we featured leather folx and leather title-holders from across the nation. They worked really hard this year to bring this vision to life. I only see this program expanding from here."
Cold As Hell is available to rent online for $10 for 72 hours, it is available until March 26. To learn more, visit coldashell.org.
