On Saturday 17th, I received the Christian Hoffmann Award from London Leathermen. As they describe on their site, it’s for
your unsung heroes, the people who make our London community what it is, to be the recipients of the Christian Hoffman Award – a historic title awarded for exemplary service to the London leather community.
It’s a great honour to receive the award, which was principally for my work on BLUF. You can watch the video below, kindly shot by Ralf from Real Clear Fetish.
And for those who are interested, the main theme of my brief remarks after receiving it is that we can all of us make a difference to our community. This is the text as written - I deviated a little during the actual reading.
First, I want to say what an honour it is to receive this award. It’s quite humbling, and I’m grateful to the committee - and to all those who have helped out on this event.
Secondly, back in 1990 - even before I began my leather journey - when I created the UK’s first internet email list for gay people, I never imagined where that would lead me.
I’ve done, it turns out, quite a few things over the years - running BLUF, campaigning to save Backstreet, and now publishing a zine, amongst them.
Each of those things, I did because I saw a need, and thought I could bring something useful. Whether that was coding, writing, or speaking in front of a planning committee.
Almost all of us can bring something to the table - or even build the table around which others can sit.
Like many others, I’ve sometimes wondered if I really could do those things. I think this award is a sign that I wasn't the imposter I sometimes thought.
And I hope it also shows that any of us can make a difference when we step up. And that’s what builds this wonderful community.
Thank you.