DIVERSITY LLC Style...

STATEMENT ...some Leather History::
Phil Ross

In August of 1998 I learned of a Leather Leadership Conference being planned for San Francisco in 1999. Since we were living in Guerneville, CA which is 75 miles north of San Francisco, I thought this would be a good opportunity for leather community service in keeping with the philosophy of our Web-site as a medium for The Global Leather Village

We got involved - very involved; first with PR and then with the programming and as a natural progression, with the organizing committee itself. We also mounted two web-sites, one for the public and one for the committee's private use. rodtney handled the outside communications coordination. Inadvertently about halfway through the planning process, in January of 1999, I encountered John Weis, founder of LLC, who was persisting in micro-managing our effort. The issue at the time was the wording of our Press material that identified the community as "Leather/Fetish/SM" John was insisting on an edit to say, "SM/Leather/Fetish"

This prompted a yellow-flag as to exactly who was producing LLC-III. It further brought to light an important philosophical question whether LLC was to be a top down management; or grass-roots leadership organization. A little further along, when we were placing our paid advertising, our committee voted to place a one-month ad in the Leather Journal. As an advertising executive who had worked with David Rhodes in the past, I negotiated the one time insertion.

But unbeknown to us, John Weis took it upon himself to commit us to two (2) insertions. We only learned of this when the invoice arrived. John's reponse was that David needed the money. Clearly not a business decision. This now prompted a red flag. Were we the San Francisco volunteer organizing committee for LLC -III; or were we in fact, "The John Weis Production Crew - out on the West Coast?" At this point I submitted my resignation to Co-Chair Steve Koenig. Steve carried the withdrawal his co-chair, Peter Fisk. Peter called me and asked me to stay on. He assured me that our efforts were for the San Francisco LeatherFetishSM community and that John Weis was NOT in control of our committee. I stayed on in good faith. I also accepted Peter's urging, "to let the National alone until after the conference". I did so. In fact, I have yet to write a single editorial about this maneuvering - until now.

But at the close of LLC-III, it was announced that a National LLC Board of Directors had been formed to Incorporate LLC. John Weis has personally selected the Board. It was also announced that the next LLC would be in D.C. and that board member, Jack McGeorge, would head up the organizing committee. No one questioned this strategy - and no one ever has – other than myself.

At the final meeting of the LLC-III organizing committee, it was voted to repay the seed money received from LLC (funneled through NY-GMSMA by Mr. Weis). This was done. It was also voted to donate all other proceeds directly to DCSMA for the production of LLC-IV. It was specifically entered into the minutes that we wanted to send a message to Mr. Weis that a closed Board was and is, unacceptable.

Meanwhile, John asked SF Co-Chair Steve Koenig to join the Board of Directors; but there has never been an announcement of this fact. The committee voted to 'advise' John that we felt Peter Fisk and all other future chairs of LLC's join the next year's organizing committee to assist in a smooth carry-over from year to year. This did not occur either. In fact, the LLC-2000 committee has failed to work with LLC-III openly in utilizing the resources such as the mailing lists; the sponsor's contacts, and most importantly, the web-site design or content or transitional links. LLC-2000 also failed to carry forward with any of the "Policy Institutes" established in San Francisco. Those "statements" are lost to the community at this point.

In June, two months after LLC-III/SF, I contacted Michelle Buchannan in frustration about bringing inclusion and diversity to the "founding" body for LLC, INC. She lives in New York and said she knew John and would call him. She did. But before doing so we discussed the concept of an "Advisory Council" as an alternative to actually increasing the Board except by the Chair of the Council. Michelle called me back and said she has 'brokered a deal' with John to do just this, establish an Advisory Council. She further stated that he has agreed to allow this new body to pass-on the by-laws before they were submitted into the record. This would assure diversity and inclusion we thought.

I waited, and waited, and waited - until now. Long enough is long enough. I have complied with my colleague's wishes. I have attempted to dialogue with each of the board members. I have worked diligently with other concerned members of our community. I am tenacious; but I am not a zealot. The importance of an open model for an organization that is marketing leadership for our entire community must be out front and open to the entire "Global Leather Village" and beyond into the mainstream.

This is being written just prior to LLC-2000. It is my hope and intention to end my participation within two years of my involvement, five months from now. During this time it is my primary community concern to achieve a democratic process within LLC, INC. I believe in this strongly enough to say that without an open process; the future of the LLC concept will require, and result in, an entirely different organizational model. Politics is not my forte' or passion Human geography is. I do not call myself any sort of political activist. But I have been a life-long cultural activist. Walking the walk in Spirit with my life-partner rodtney ross is for us, more than enough activism into the future of LeatherFetishSM.