July Newsletter: CO, BC, KS, and Australia

Hello beautiful beings,

I find myself so excited today. Not only am I having delicious opportunities in my personal life, but it has been officially announced that I am coming to Melbourne, Australia for Oz Kink Fest in September! You can learn the details of that trip by following the link. It has been over a decade since I last taught down under, and I am delighted to be teaming up with Oz Kink Fest to provide a wide array of classes on kink, trans experience, authority exchange, and more while in Victoria.

But before we get there, I have three North American appearances. This month I’m teaching two classes at Thunder in the Mountains, a 3-day BDSM, leather, and power exchange conference just outside of Denver, Colorado. I went for the first time last year and had a blast, and am glad to be going back. I’ll be rooming with folks I know from Oklahoma who are helping with boot-blacking, so I’m hoping to pick up more skills myself through them. After all, we all get to keep learning. I’ll be doing a closed-session discussion on our Inner Monsters for bottom-identified individuals, as well as an open class for everyone on Objectification for Animists. 

In August, on my way to a family Alaskan cruise, I’m excited to be stopping in Vancouver, British Columbia, to teach for Metro Vancouver Kink (MVK). It’s been a while since I’ve taught for them, and I’m looking forward to finalizing the details. After the cruise, I’ll be flying straight to the Kansas City area for a 3-day bondage and kink campout at Camp Gaea, the 6th Annual RSG Camp. We’ve finally finished the class list, and I am looking forward to this intense lineup that will provide learning opportunities and experiences for a variety of folks – whether you are brand new, or an experienced rope enthusiast. There will even be folks in attendance who are simply there for some kinky camping.

On a personal note, I’m also being really inspired by my adventures in LGBTQ+ community as of late. I missed attending Pride events due to being at various conferences in the past month, but the conversation around how we center underserved populations has been key. I have a few trans men in women’s prisons that I pen pal with, and pride month doesn’t mean much to incarcerated individuals. It’s all well and good that we fly our flags, but I encourage you to look at who isn’t being reached by this message, and what privilege you carry… even as LGBTQ+ people. No Justice, No Pride is doing really important work for incarcerated populations right now, as is TGI Project whose work focuses on trans and non-binary women of color in the prison system. Also consider what other LGBTQ+ intersectional communities are underserved, such as those who have died in detention facilities due to being undocumented, as well as transgender women of color, who continue to be murdered worldwide. We can all help to make the world a better place, and this inspires me to keep going.

What is one thing I am doing? I’m helping out with Knotty Queers July 13^th in Denver, a play party that centers LGBTQ+ experience, providing a safe(r) space for such individuals to explore and delight with other queer folx. No matter their experience. Not many play parties center queer and trans experience, and through sexual liberation we can find a degree of healing. This also pairs up with putting my money where my mouth is, donating as I can, because each of us giving $10 to these organizations (or $500 if your life allows) makes a difference.

Pride month is over, but the work continues. What are you doing to not let the work end? You may no longer fly a pride flag, but you can keep making little changes. Maybe you add your pronouns to your email signatures at work. Perhaps you volunteer at a LBGTQ+ center. What about opening up your home to folx who have been kicked out. Try discussing transgender issues with other cisgender (an individual whose gender assigned at birth aligns with their personal gender identity) people, saving emotional work that often lands on transgender people themselves.

Little things make a difference. You can make a difference.

Yours in passion and soul,

Lee Harrington
http://www.PassionAndSoul.com
(pronouns: he/him/his)

Upcoming appearances:

• Knotty Queers – Denver, CO (July 13, 2019): Helping run special programming at the LGBTQ+ focused play party themed for “summer camp.”
• Thunder in the Mountains – Denver, CO (July 26-28, 2019): Teaching Inner Monsters for Bottoms and Objectification for Animists.
• Metro Vancouver Kink (MVK) – Vancouver, BC (August 23, 2019): Teaching a class.
• 6th Annual RSG Camp – Kansas City Area (September 6-8, 2019): Teaching rope bondage classes for this intimate camping and kink experience.
• Oz Kink Fest – Melbourne, Australia (September 13-23, 2019): Teaching classes at the weekend Intensive experience and throughout the week, as well as appearances at Fetish Expo, Hellfire Resurrection, and more! See the complete class list and events here.
• Approachable Power Exchange Conference (APEx) – Denver, CO (October 11-13, 2019): Teaching (Re)Thinking Gender and Open Hearts, Open Minds.
• Delving Into Power: D/s Intensive Weekend Experience – Billerica, MA (October 25-27, 2019): Running a 3-day immersive power exchange intensive. To register, visit this link. 
• The Center on Colfax– Denver, CO (November 18, 2019): Leading "Discussing Our Past Lives: Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Folks Sharing Techniques About How To Talk About Our Pre-Transition Histories."
• William Blake Lodge Sacred Kink Initiatory Intensive – Greater Washington DC Area (April 17-19, 2020): Facilitating this three-day immersive educational and ritual experience.