Seeley, Brent - Mr Oregon State Leather 2009

My interest in leather first occurred in my youth, before I’d even hit puberty.  I was raised in a small Maine town where there were no gay bars -- yet seeing an occasional leather jacket on a man or walking by Wilson’s Suede & Leather at the mall captured the epitome of masculinity for me.  As I matured into a gay man, I moved to Seattle where I expected more opportunities to explore what sort of gay life I wanted.  I met my partner Jeff and began adding leather to my wardrobe.  My motorcycle jacket was purchased during a weekend trip to Portland in 1997.
         We felt so welcomed in Portland that we moved here in 2007.  With the friends I met, I was able to open up: exploring, asking questions, and learning new skills.  In this short time I’ve attended some wicked dungeon parties, learned the role of a dungeon monitor, and at an historical gay bar tackled ways of removing 25 years of smoke from mirrors. 
         Despite not having had a community title before, I look forward to a year of active community support.  I’ve never wanted to give back so much to a community as the one here in Oregon.