So you want to know who I am and where I came from.  Ill warn you, like most people, its a fairly long story.  Ill try to leave out the boring stuff.

I was born in the Bronx, and lived there till I was about 10 years old.  In kindergarten is when I first started showing signs of being different.  When all the kids drew pictures of what they wanted to be when they grew up, I drew a picture of a man pushing a hot dog cart.  I wonder what Fraud would have said to that.

I went to catholic school from 1st grade to 5th.  I was an alter boy and a class clown.  Again, I continued to show signs of being different.  In second grade, my mom got a call from the school.  They were concerned about me.  When she went in to talk to the principal, she was a bit shocked to see a picture I had drawn (I enjoy drawing) of jesus on the cross.  The disturbing part was he was taking a piss.

Finally my dad decided he wanted to give myself and my sister a better life so we moved upstate to a small town called Wolcott.  I grew up and graduated high school, went through a huge experimental stage with drugs, however one of the things that saved me, was the trust of a local shop keeper and eventually my coming out.

The shop keeper gave me credit for being intelligent, put a lot of faith in me, and knew that I could do the job that she paid me to do.  Eventually when the store closed, I was hired by another local business owner who just happened to be the dad of what would be my best friend growing up.  He passed away in 2002 and thats where my contact with my high school friends became minimal.  It was kind of like letting go of a chapter of my life.

I came out and moved to Rochester, NY where I lived for about 11 years.  I had my first boyfriend where I learned what alcoholism really was, and really went through a lot.  We are still good friends and Ill always feel great love for him.  

After that relationship I started working at a local gay bar that had been around about 25 years.  The bar, Tara, was a mix of all types.  It helped me grow out of who I was, and into a person that was popular, well liked, and sociable.  I worked there for about 7 years.  Through those years, I met many great and wonderful people.  I also helped organize the very first Christmas in July which became an annual fund raiser because of the extreme success of the first one.  

Tara was known for its back deck, stiff cocktails, and diversity.  It was also known as the old mans bar which I appreciated, since they were the ones paving the way, giving me great advise on life, and also very generous when it came to tipping.  

In October of 2003, is when I did drag for the first time.  A local drag club, Muthers, started an annual event the year before, in which it would bring local bartenders, and bar employees from around the city, to do drag one night.  Because this was just after 911, and there wasn't any advertising for the event, Carlos/Naomi was going to cancel it.  We convinced him to do it anyway, and between myself and another, we had the place packed with people and raked in close to $2,000.  

After being there 11 years, and always feeling I was made for something larger, I met Josh, who was unsure of where he was going in life.  He was 22, and still exploring himself.  He was very much interested in leather, and while he wanted to explore his dominant side (which he had been doing since 16), I was looking to explore my submissive side and my kinks.  At 33, I was still afraid of people finding out, although I had come out more than I realized already.  Although many people knew of my interest in watersports, diapers, puppy play, leather, bondage, etc... I still felt like I was hiding it.  Josh taught me it was ok to be who I was, and also taught me to stop being afraid.  He also decided he wanted to move back to the bay area which is where he grew up.  Being I was ready to leave Rochester, I moved too.

I arrived in San Francisco June 1st of 2004.  Josh pursued his training in massage therapy about 5 hours north so I was forced to go out, make friends and try to make my way.  I sold everything I owned, gave up my popularity, and suddenly was that guy in the corner who didn't know a soul.  I was the person that I used to talk to because no one else was talking to them.  I enjoy being the one who can walk up to someone and say hello.

Finally around February of 2005, I decided I wanted to get involved more with the leather community here.  I met some great people such as Daddy Tony Koaster (aka Sister Gladys), and realized how many people in the leather community here work hard for each other.  They seem to stand out higher than many.  I not only envied them, and what they were doing, but decided that was a direction I wanted to take.  I went to my first IML that May, and ran for SF Leather Daddys boy in September.

I lost the first one which had 5 contestants.  I wasnt even runner up but hey, it was my first contest. After many people complimented me and told me they were proud, I ran again the following year. Irony had it that out of 2 of us, I again would lose the victory.  I feel today that it was for the best because I finally did some soul searching and realized this wasnt the title for me.

I identify as a switch, and not as a boy.  It took many years to realize that I could identify with more than just one thing.  I thought if I wanted to make a difference, like the people I admired, I had to be strictly a leatherman because it was about identity.  This is where the Mr Hayes Valley Leather title seemed to fit me better.

I won Mr Hayes Valley Leather on March 8th, 2008.  I am the 7th title holder among some great men who preceded me.  The title is a bar level title but there were 4 of us up there.  I stuck with a theme that I hold really close to me now.  Searching so long to find my identity and looking for a single label that made me who I am.  I realized there are just too many things inside me that make my identity and although identity is one word, it is made up of many.  

The bar is Marlenas which has always had a welcoming feel to it from the first time I walked in.  I admired the fact that they host the Imperial Council and the drag shows that are here, are a cut above most which is what I was used to seeing in Rochester.  I also found that leathermen and drag mixed together which surprised me.  Several identities being together, women, men, drag, leather, straight, gay, etc....  Being that I belong to so many communities, the title is perfect.