Interview with Donald Palmore

 

 
Lady Justice:  Who are you?  Please describe yourself in 30 words or less. J

 

Donald:  I am an honest, hard working, creative, imaginative, giving, caring, and loving gay leather male.  
 
Lady Justice:  When did you first realize you were interested in leather and/or BDSM and/or fetish?  And how? 

 

Donald:  The first realization was when I was a child.  I loved coming home from school and watching Batman and Robin be tied up by whatever villain was on that week.  Then years later I got an erection watching one of the Lethal Weapon movies when Mel Gibson was in the shower scene and they were running water over him and hitting him with the electric prod.  I realized then I was wired different, but did not know what to do with those feelings.  That was my introduction to BDSM. 
It was not until years later when my best friend and I were exploring the leather scene that I knew I had found my family. We had gone to a couple leather bars, but it was at the Folsom Street Fair that I was in heaven.  It was then I realized I needed to find a local leather BDSM family.  The sights and sounds had me hooked.   
 
Lady Justice:  Do you have any hobbies? 

 

Donald:  I enjoy weight lifting, traveling, yard work, cooking and am avid fame of the television show 24, Lost and the Golden Girls. 
 
Lady Justice:  What is your favorite quote? 

 

Donald:  Do unto others as you would like to be treated. 
  
Lady Justice:  How long have you been involved in the leather community? 

 

Donald:  I have been involved with the leather community for about ten years. 
 
Lady Justice:  Do you feel there is anything vital missing from today’s leather community?

 

Donald:  I would say two things are on the verge of missing.  One is the personal connection of leather folks especially in less densely populated areas.  People have attempted to use the Internet for that personal connection and it is not nor will never be the same.  Leather people need to continue to have a common ground for gathering, exploration, and play.  The other would be the loss of our history.  The Leather Archives and Museum does a great job of preserving our history, but they can only preserve what is given to them.  We all need to ensure that leather events, personal histories, or c ommunity events are remembered, even if you think they are too small or insignificant.  You never know what event is going to be a turning point for someone else’s life. 
 
Lady Justice:  What is your definition of a “leatherman”?  What are his responsibilities? 

 

Donald:  A leather person is one that one that leads an honest, respectful, truthful life that is congruent with his/her values and allows himself/herself to fulfill his/her BDSM activities within acceptable practices, (wow how textbook).  His/Her responsibility is to reach out and teach or model their life and activities for and to others. 
 
Lady Justice:  Which roles in the Leather BDSM lifestyle do you fit?  How do the following words compare to you:  Master, slave, dominant, submissive, sadist, masochist, Daddy, etc…

 

 Donald:  Well definitely Daddy, after that it might be wide open.  I find great pleasure in showing other the ropes, introducing them to the lifestyle, and helping them find their way.  After that, I have a split personality.  I have never felt comfortable with Master or slave, but have tendencies for both dominant and submissive.   

 

Lady Justice:  What keeps you passionate about the leather community? 

 

Donald:  Well I started out many years ago, wanting to build a strong leather community in Louisville.  After winning the Mr. Louisville Drummer contest, and then visiting other cities on leather runs, it became apparent, that we needed something or someone to start building a leather community here.  When I started out, I was working with the gay community, and progress was slow.  Thank god the pansexual community was growing and hosting parties.  I found great strength in their community and kept thinking there is no reason that the gay community cannot learn from them, and work with them. 
Well, ten years later, I am still working for more growth.  I have seen progress, and there have been many first steps, but I still see a lot of Stand and Model instead of S&M.  I still see a lot of potential in Louisville’s gay community, but it has not been realized yet.  That hope keeps me driven.  One day, people we realize that Louisville is a hot bed for leather.  
  
Lady Justice:  What organizations do you belong?  Are you an officer of any of these groups?

 

Donald:  I am a founding member of the Louisville Traiblazers, and this is my third year as President.  I am an associate member of the Nashville Conductors, Columbus Centurions, Atlanta Panthers, and Lexington Lyons.  I am currently the secretary for MACC, the Mid America Conference of Clubs.  Also this year is my second year as the director of the Bourbon Bowl, t he gay bowling tournament held in Louisville, KY. 
 
Lady Justice:  Please tell us about more about your leather club.  Why do you think leather back patch clubs are important?

 

Donald:  The Trailblazers started three years ago with some people that were unhappy with the present club in town.  We wanted a fresh start, and wanted to be totally accepting of anyone that was interested in being involved within the leather community.  Those visions lead us to the creation of the Louisville Trailblazers.  I think patch clubs are very important since they provide many traditions to its members.  There is structure for membership, comradeship within the membership, common goals within fundraising, and wonderful friendships that will develop.  The people that I have met through patch clubs have become very important people in my life that I would have missed out as a God Damn Independent, GDI. 
 
Lady Justice:  What is your fondest memory while you were wearing leather over the years?

 

Donald:  Walking through the Connection dressed in full leather and holding Chris’ hand, and parting the sea like I was Moses out of the Old Testament. 
 
Lady Justice:  Please tell us about your experience being Mr. Mid-States.  How has it been for you?  

 

Donald:  My experience has been wonderful.  When I won=2 0the contest, my only goal was to have a good time with the title, and I did.  I had not been to CLAW or MAL until this year, and had a blast at both of those events.  I wanted to do some fundraisers in other towns, since I had a regional title.  Holding fundraisers in different cities can be a challenge especially with getting raffle items, and doing all the coordination, but with the help of friends everything fell into place.  And with the support of the community I was raise more money than I ever thought I could.  All of the support I have gotten from the whole pansexual community have been wonderful, and very reaffirming.  It has been a wonderful year, and one that I will not forget.   
 
 Lady Justice:  If you would, share with us your experience about competing at IML.  What would you have liked to know before the competition that you know now?  

 

Donald:  Competing for IML was a blast.  The opportunity to meet 50 other wonderful guys from all over the world was a wonderful experience.  It was not like we were competing, but getting to know each other.  I did not feel a cutthroat climate, but rather a brotherhood was building.  That is an experience that I had not expected. 
They told us it was the ride of your life, and I believe that.  I was standing there as 19 of the top 20 had be called, and I was all ready to go find a se at in the audience to watch the rest of the contest. Then I was called as the 20th finalist, my heart was in my throat, and I could not believe what I heard.  My heart went racing, and my whole body felt like it was shaking.  That is a moment, I will never forget.
 
Lady Justice:  What is your platform in your role as a titleholder? 

 

Donald:  It is two fold.  First, we must continue to reach out to our next generation, and teach them not only our play, but also our rituals and traditions.  Then it is an election year, we MUST all get out and vote for whomever you believe is the best candidate.  Do more than vote; get involved in their campaign to ensure them success.  If they win, then you also win. 
 
Lady Justice:  How does your boy feel about your active travel schedule as a titleholder? 

 

Donald:  Chris has gotten used to me and me keeping both of us busy.  He complains about it at times, but he has as much fun as I do traveling.  I do wish we had the opportunity to do some non-leather site seeing while on the many trips we take, but right now we cannot find the time for that.  
  
Lady Justice:  Who do you admire in the community?  And, is there anyone in it you like to be for 24 hours and why? 

 

Donald:  My mentors in the l eather community would Ms. Kendra and Ms. Constance.  They are both very dynamic women who have done a lot to inspire me to do all that I do.  Both live the life and walk the walk.  I believe neither has met an obstacle that they could not overcome, and that is very empowering and a great example for me. 

 

Wow, if I could be anyone for 24 hours, it would be Chuck Renslow for 24 doing IML weekend.  I would love to feel the pride and accomplishment of attracting all those leather people to Chicago over Memorial Day Weekend.  I cannot even imagine all the work that goes on to put on the weekend, and I hope he knows the accomplishment he must/should feel.   
 
Lady Justice:  What is your stance on “Old Guard” versus “New Guard” leather protocols and rules?

 

 Donald:  I think the Old Guard has it place in the leather lifestyle still today.  We need shared protocols both as a community as individually.  The Old Guard provided structure, protocols, and discipline, but times have changed and so have people.  Leather people are freer to be themselves and not hide behind a play name or “mask”.  The New Guard definitely challenges some of those old traditions.  We need diverse groups within the leather community; we need diversity in thought, but still need structure and protocols.  Without any structure there would be chaos, and I think that is what the community is experiencing some today. 

 

 
Lady Justice:  Do others outside the leather community know you’re into leather?  If so has that created any difficulty? 

 

Donald:  All of my personal friends know that I am into leather.  In fact, there are times I feel like google.  If they have a question, then they run to me to find out the answer.  Most of the people that I work with also know I am into the leather scene, and they are ok with that. 
 
Lady Justice:  What qualities about yourself do you like the most?   The least? 

 

Donald:  The qualities that I like the best are I am honest, trustworthy, respectful, caring, and a good listener.  Probably least is that I am a perfectionist.  I want it just right, though sometimes, I am not sure what that is. 
 
Lady Justice:  If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?  And if you could change anything about others, what would it be?

 

 Donald:  If I were to change anything, it would probably be to relax more.  I tend to run from one event to another, doing what I can.  I would like to enjoy the journey a bit more.  If I were to change things about others, I wish they had my passion about=2 0the local leather community. 
 
Lady Justice:  What is the last book you read that deals with leather and the last book you read that is a non-leather topic?  Why did you choose those books? 

 

Donald:  The last leather book I read was Soul of a Second Skin: The Journey of a Gay Christian by Hardy Haberman.   I saw this book for the first time at MAL, and had it read by the trip home from MAL.  I am very interested in the spiritual side of leather and also related that to my Christianity upbringing.  It is sometimes a very difficult combination, and I like to hear about other people’s perspectives.  

 

The last non-leather book was Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Challenge.  I went to a three-day leadership class and that was the required reading for the class.  Very interesting book regarding finding your voice and living out your passion whether that is in the work world and your leather life. 

 

Lady Justice:  Tell us more about your lifestyle in the BDSM leather world.  What are you into?  And, what’s the one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done yet?

 

Donald:  I have interest in many areas with the BDSM world.  I like to have a good time, and do not really like to be limited to dominant or submissive.  That deter mination is usually made by a conversation with the other person.  I can do either, but either way, I want it to be a hot scene.  I enjoy water sports, electrical play, wax play, nipple play, cock and ball torture, service, cigars and ass play.  Areas that I have not explored would be rope and bondage.  That is one area that I really want to learn more about. 

 

Lady Justice:  When you flag, which colors do you wear?  Do you wear them on the left or the right?  

 

Donald:  As you can tell by the all my interests, I would have a pocket full of bandanas, if I were to flag.  When I do wear them I wear yellow, light and teal blue in both pockets. 
 
Lady Justice:  Do you have a dungeon or play space?  If you do, tell us about it.  If you don’t, tell us how you would design your dungeon. 

 

Donald:  Presently we do not have a play space in your house, though I hope our next house will.
  
Lady Justice:  Would you like to tell us more about any of your new endeavors? 

 

Donald:  My newest endeavor is BDSMU.  These classes are small group classes to instruct people about the leather and BDSM world.  The classes are meant for individuals that are new or relatively new to the scene that need a good basic understanding of the community.  We go over lots of definitions relationship styles, and play styles.  There is also an opportunity to experience a play scene.  I have completed one set of classes, and it turned out better than I ever expected. 
 
Lady Justice:  Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? 

 

Donald:  I think I have covered everything.  This year as Mr. Mid States has been a wonderful experience.  Representing this area at IML was a great experience, and it has proven to me how important my leather family is to me. 
 
Lady Justice:  Where can we find you online?  Do you have e-mail, business information, or a web site you’d like to share with us? 

 

Donald:  Anyone that wants to contact me can reach me at mrmidstates08@aol.com or my KYDaddy profile on Recon.com.