Int'l Little Mister Little at IMsL

The bruises are fading and the cuts are closing up, but the memories of my first full International Ms. Leather (IMsL) weekend will remain with me forever! Being around so many Leather people at one time, and having them be so welcoming was truly a blessing, and I still cannot believe that it was real life! I was such a fanboy the whole weekend!

My internal screaming started when we first arrived. While waiting for the doors for Seduction to open, Mommy and I were looking around to find some friends when I saw Patty, IMsL 2014 getting her boots done by Dara, International Ms. Boot Black (IMsBB) 2014! While a couple of people walked by and snapped pictures there wasn’t a big crowd around them so it was nice and quiet. It felt like the Leather equivalent of watching a church be filled with incense.

Seduction was hot, hot, HOT! It was fun to watch people I know showcase their stuff, and be made to blush and shift in my seat by those I hadn’t seen before. My hands hurt from clapping and my lungs hurt from laughing by the end of it. There was even a surprise appearance from Left Shark, which had me crying by the time the performance was done. It was awesome! We then attended Queer Sphere’s Afterglow Lounge, which had hot dancers and hot attendees, but we only stayed for a while because we had an early start the next day.

Friday was the first full day and I couldn’t wait to get going! Since our hotel reservation started Friday, we got up early, packed the car and headed off! While Mommy went to negotiate with her demo bottom for her fearplay class, I got to unpack the car and head up to our room. I love a challenge, and it was definitely a fun challenge to figure out how to fit all four of our suitcases plus numerous bags onto one of the trolleys and get it all up to our room in one trip. The hardest part was not the bags, though. IMsL, Mommy says, is Leather Christmas, so naturally Leather Santa brought me a gift! However, I was not supposed to open it until Mommy was done with her negotiation lunch, so I had to carry the wrapped present up to our room and stare at it until she was finished.

Remember when I watched Patty and Dara on Thursday? Well, being that I pretty much live on the internet and social media, I of course tweeted about it. While I was in the elevator taking the trolley back to the hotel lobby, someone in sunglasses got into the elevator with me. They did a double-take and asked if I was the one who had tweeted about Patty and Dara yesterday. When I said I was, they reached out their hand, smiled and said, “Hello, I’m Patty.”

I. Almost. Died.

I managed to shake her hand in my dazed state while she thanked me for my kind words. I thanked her for all she had done in her title year, and we both got out and went our separate ways. I was stunned that she recognized me at all, and that she had stopped to say something to me about it. That is just one of the many reasons I admire her and all the work she has done not only during her title year, but even before that. Needless to say I was grinning the rest of the afternoon.

My Leather Christmas present just helped to broaden my grin! Leather Santa apparently heard me whining that Target had been sold out of the Hulkbuster toy from The Avengers for months now, because he got me my very own!

Later on, Mommy made a date with one of our friends to help string me up with needles and thread. I love needles, so taking 80 was a fun journey, but then Mommy followed up with stringing thread around the needles and looping them over a sex swing skeleton so my arms and legs were all being held up slightly by needles and thread. She and our friend started to pluck and pull the strings which quickly brought me to a very happy headspace. Mommy finished by twisting the threads together and making us all friendship bracelets! She was sad that we had missed the opening ceremony, but seeing the bracelets we all three had made from three hours of hard work, I wasn’t sad at all. It was the perfect end to a very good first day at IMsL.

Saturday was All of the Things day. Mommy had a class first thing in the morning, so she had me dress in my Boy Scout uniform while I served her. It was awesome to see everything come together smoothly thanks to the awesome IMsL volunteers, and as usual her fearplay class was full of laughter and screaming. Afterwards, we had a quick costume change for the Mommy Panel by Felice Shays, where my Mommy sat and talked about her own experiences, took questions and gave advice alongside a Mumma and Mommy. I was a little disappointed to hear the Mumma say that she did not “do Littles” because “they are all loud, rambunctious, bratty, and a handful,” but by the awkward silence that filled the room right after she made that statement, I do believe she was proved wrong by all the Littles in that room. Other than that, the panel was excellent. It was very interesting to see how other Mommies handled their partners, how they defined Mommy, and how they came to terms with how they identified. I hope that the panel comes back next year. That room was packed with people who were so curious about a type of play that is not often represented, and I hope they all left with more knowledge, and hungry for even more.

After a bite to eat and a quick nap, it was contest time! Mommy and I got all fancied up and headed down to the ballroom. My breath was taken away by seeing everyone in their Leathers. We were surrounded by so many titleholders older and newer, and so many prominent people in the worldwide community. I saw people I had only ever read about, like Sandy “Mama” Reinhardt, and Daddy Spencer (aka Mr. IMsL)! I met the woman who designed our IMML patches and we traded craft secrets! We also saw our friends, like Siouxsie Q who was seated alongside Midori at the judges table, Ms. SF Sober Leather, and so many more! It was like a gathering of Leather royalty and I couldn’t believe I was sitting among them!

The contest began and from the moment the first Bond song played I was enthralled. [James Bond was the theme of the contest this year.] All of the contestants were amazing in their own right, and I didn’t know about the rest of the ballroom but I had no idea who was going to win! They were all so talented! Of course my heart was captured by Sarge’s fantasy, which was a Disney Princess gangbang in a Disneyland bathroom. I was also really happy about Luca’s fantasy, which also took place in a bathroom but was a bit more serious. It started with Luca, a transwoman, going into the bathroom and someone complaining because Luca is trans. It was lighthearted, and ended with a Canadian Mountie being whipped, but the message rang true, and I was thoroughly impressed. There was also a fantasy of Little Red Riding Hood where the wolf tries to take advantage of Little Red, but Little Red turns the tide and ends up topping the wolf! It was an awesome contest full of amazing and wonderful skits. This little boy was very much in his happy place!

My favorite part, though, had to be the stepping down speech that Dara gave. S/he started out thanking everyone, but then segwayed into how s/he had been told that the IMsBB was not an equal title to the IMsL, and was the lower title. Along with some shouts of, “Fuck that!” and, “No!”, what Dara stated that is simply not true. When s/he said that all Ms. and Mr. titles are service titles, I don’t believe I had ever clapped harder in my life. S/he spoke directly to my service heart, my Leather boy heart, at that moment, and I was taken to my own type of church. I was proud to be part of a community whose leaders take a stand and tell a room full of Leatherfolk that no, service is not taken without fair exchange. Self-care, self-confidence, and the fulfillment of desires and needs must be taken into account as well. S/he told us to recognize that we all bring something to the table in our own ways, and called for us to all “see each other.”

I don’t believe I have ever felt prouder than I did in that moment to be part of this community where we look out for each other. Where we try our best for each other. Where we serve each other in our own unique ways. Where we take these titles and do something with the platforms we have been given. Where we hear the call to action and heed it. It was amazing to be in the presence of so many who felt the same.

The rest of the weekend was full of play, service, and connections. I met with so many people who had never heard of the contest or titles and were so excited to hear that they existed! Titleholders approached me and asked how they could get involved! It was super awesome, and I have a feeling that we’re going to have a lot of competitors this year. I can’t wait to see what they all bring to the table!

International Ms. Leather Convention 2015

Sam Solo, the 2012 Little Mister Little for San Francisco was kind enough to do a write up for his experience at this year's International Ms. Leather Convention in San Jose.

Five days ago I saw a Disney princess gangbang live on stage in the ballroom of a San Jose Hilton. It was everything I dreamed it could be. The gangbangers were cosplay convention level Jasmine, Belle, Cinderella, and Ariel and the gangbangee was the International Miss Leather 2015, aka Sarge. This epic Disney scene (complete with giant foam hitachi!) was for the fantasy section of  Sarge’s run for the title of International Ms. Leather (IMsL). Leather title hopefuls have to perform a skit or display a talent on stage, just like any other pageant, and at IMsL that means presenting a sexual fantasy for an audience of over six-hundred people.  

Sarge’s age play outing turned Disney-fied fuck fest was far and away the best skit at the competition, at least in the mind of this particular adult little boy. It may have been the grandest display of Little pride and inclusion at this year’s competition but it definitely was not the only example. On Saturday I got to attend a panel all about Mommy/Little roleplay, led by Felice Shays with panel members from our local age play community, including the Mommy of Rizzo, the current International Mister Little. Of course my Mommy (aka the best Mommy) made me write her phone number on my boy parts before she let me loose among all those Mommies unattended. The panel had some interesting points but was mostly a mini M/L pride rally. There must have been at least thirty people there for the panel and they all were fired up to be included on the IMsL program. 

There was also class about Littles as service submissives, taught by International Miss Little  that I was not able to attend. I was also really bummed that I forgot my sash from the year I won Little Mister Little San Francisco, especially when I saw that my date, Siouxsie Q, had brought hers. (We won the same year.) I thought Siouxsie being asked to judge the competition was the biggest sign of Littles inclusion, even if it was partly due to her sex workers’ rights advocacy.   

Between the Mommy panel, the Disney orgy, and Siouxsie presiding over the judges table in a tutu and frilly anklets, I was really feeling the age play pride. I decided to spend the last day of the conference bopping around the hotel in my American Girl Doll pajamas. Nina Hartley saw me in the lobby and called me a “cutie patootie,” which was icing on the cupcake of an amazing IMsL conference. If my weekend experience is any indication of the direction of the BDSM community, it looks like we Littles may finally be getting our due!

Interview with Davina Darling

Davina Darling is the producer of the San Francisco Little Miss & Mister Little Contest and this year's International Little Miss & Mister Little Contest. She produces local age play events, was an ABDL model, and is active in the BDSM community at large.

How did the contest come into being? It's a really silly story, really. Siouxsie Q and I were in a pup tent watching Toddlers & Tiaras and we kept talking about how cool it would be to bring something like this to San Francisco. We did our homework and found out nothing like it had ever graced San Francisco, so Little Miss Little was born.

We thought we were being original with the idea. When we Googled the idea to see if we were gonna step on any toes, we saw that it was a thing that was happening in DC. We thought the name was very cute and we got permission to use it for San Francisco. We really thought we were being original. We came up with that exact name!

Has the pageant turned out how you thought it would? And more. beyond my wildest dreams. I thought we could have fun, very casually, and now it’s an International Leather Title. I would say it turned out beyond my wildest expectations ever. We’re finding people who are excited about it.

I feel it’s grown and it means a lot more to people. What started off seeming to be a silly thing for fun has turned into a serious advocacy for our community.

Do you ever miss it being more for fun? I do not. I love the direction it’s taken and giving the community a voice is, I think, its greatest accomplishment ever.

When did you start thinking that the contest should be made into a leather title contest? After the first year. It went so well, our contestants worked really hard. I thought that we wanted to expand and really be something acknowledged by the leather community.

What does the contest aim to do for the age play community? Promote awareness to the [leather] community as a whole. Clear some taboos and misconceptions as well as serve as a basis of education.

Can you please describe your ideal titleholder? In my eyes, they are out and about in their community. They’re not only showing up to events, but participating, hosting, and promoting events. Active in on and offline discussions. Taking initiative to do something that might never have been done before. That’s literally my deal: someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty not to promote themselves, but to promote their community.

What’s your favorite thing about your local community? The excitement around events and ideas. I can literally throw out ideas and generate an entire party based on the enthusiasm. It gives me my fuel to keep going.

How does International Little Miss & Mister Little differentiate from other leather contests? There's not a huge difference really. We judge our contestants on dress, talent, and a pop question.

How did you get involved with the Littles community? PamperedPenny.com. I was dipping my feet into the modeling world and I got contacted by you to appear on your site. And I was like, I’ve never heard of that before. Sounds like fun. And I found it to be quite fun! I creeped you out! And then I felt shamed for it. I dove right in. To the point of creeping out Penny Barber. Sorry about that.

What’s the hardest thing about producing the contest? That not everyone can win! Everyone in the contest is so talented and driven to represent their community that it's so hard picking just one winner. Also, funding and sponsorship. Age play is still such a taboo subject it's hard to find people to help fund the contest, most money does come out of pocket.

In the past, you’ve produced the local Little Miss & Mister Little. What new challenges or perks have you encountered upon going International? International is a much bigger arena. We are following more leather contest rules and the contestants will have more expectations for what they will do for their communities.

Do you ever wish that you could compete? Every single year! The biggest reward for me, though, is knowing that we are bringing this event to a community that never had it before. That's more pride than a title will ever give me.

What advice would you give someone on the fence about entering? Do it! The friends you will make and the service to your community if you win will last a lifetime. Don't be shy. Let your little shine.

Who is eligible to enter? Anyone who considers themselves a "little" and wishes to serve their community.

Have you encountered any opposition on the way? Can you tell us about it? Of course. We've been told that age play is more of a fetish than a leather community. To that I say, look around our community. We've formed discussion groups for age players, scout troops, national conventions, and specialty parties. The littles community is fast-growing and stronger than ever.

There’s been some controversy over the gendering of the titles. Can you tell us about that? There's been controversy. [We,] as producers and judges, have agonized for hours over this. Unfortunately, the original contest was started as a gendered contest and we've tried changing it--with no luck of a new title catching on. We hope [that] with popularity over time, we will be able to get funding and sponsorship to allow us to add more gender neutral titles.  

Are there any contest events coming up? Tons! We are having our ice cream social fundraiser! Our Halloween party! As well as our Registration Meet and Greet. Come out, get more information, and hang out! Check out our website for more info.

How can someone who isn’t involved in the contest help out? Contact us! Show up to events, let us know you want to help out! This is run mostly by volunteers so help is always welcomed.

The contest has a theme this year. How was it chosen and how can contestants help to promote it? The theme this year was chosen by our head judge, Penny Barber, and by our co-producer, Scarlet O’Starlet. We wanted to add a theme that people could work. Contestants can help promote by dressing in theme: Nutcracker, ballerina, etc.

What has been your most successful fundraiser attempt? Just recently, would be our raffle/Halloween party where we did trick-or-treating in the SF Citadel. We had such a large turnout--the largest turnout for any age play party that the Citadel has ever had.

What advice would you give someone starting their own LMML? Patience. Be able to take criticism. And able to listen to others’ ideas.

What is your favorite talent that you’ve seen? Clarinet by far. We had a Little girl in a girlscout uniform come up. She played it like a six-year-old, but a six-year-old who wanted to be good. She really embodied her age. She was dressed perfectly.

What could someone do to help promote the contest? Link our blog, talk about it in your local communities, send people to our site, come to our events, support our events. Tweet. Facebook. Tumble!

How do you choose judges? I choose my judges based on their roles in the age play community as well as their integrity. I want to see people who I would respect judging me. I try to get a well-known educator, top, Mommy, Daddy who is also well-respected in our community.

Who would be your dream judge? Angelina Jolie. She’s, like, the biggest Mommy ever. She could wear her Versace child-print dress. Oh! No! Can I go back? Christopher Malone. Oh my god. He’s such a Daddy. He’s like “I’m gonna protect the children!” and he has, like a broad Daddy chest. Him and Angelina Jolie. For community purposes, not for my own.

Titleholder Responsibilities and Prizes!

The titleholder responsibilities for Little Miss & Mister Little are outlined in the contestant packet, but we wanted to get the out as early as possible so that all the contestants could think about how they might fulfill them and use the accompanying resources to improve and promote our wonderful age play community!

We ask all contestants to keep in mind that we are looking for titleholders who will use the prizes, responsibilities, and associated resources to promote their platform and to benefit the community in general. The contest is a means of rewarding community involvement and providing community leaders with a spotlight that they can use to the advantage of all!

Please note that prizes are not currently finalized and items may be added or substituted!

Prizes:

• Sash
• Medallion
• Patch
• The Age Play and Diaper Fetish Handbook by Penny Barber
• Tea set from Wicked Grounds
• Parasol (for Miss)
• $50 gift card
• Giant bear
• Crown
• Flowers

Responsibilities:

• Take over official Twitter account and live tweet all appearances/events; check in at least once a month
• Attend five leather, age play, or sex positive events, such as the Folsom St. Fair or Pride Parade, in regalia
• Host an age play event or teach an age play class
• Write one article dealing with the age play community to be posted to the official contest blog and/or other age play, SM, or leather publications
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Interview With Susan Wright

Susan Wright is the organizer of the first International Little Miss & Mister Little Pageant. She was kind enough to grant us an interview to help preserve our history.

How did International Little Miss & Mister Little get started? It started as an international contest in Chicago at Kinky Kollege. They have two events each year and we got started at the fall event. I got the idea with my husband, Kelly Beaton. We do littles stuff occasionally, very casually in private--not usually in the community.

I would watch Lolita Wolf, a good friend in New York City, age play at events. I was fascinated by the reaction to her. There would be all this really extreme stuff going on, but a girl sitting in a dress, coloring, was freaking people out. I thought it was really cool.

This was back in 1991, ‘92, ‘93. Being a little was considered to be inappropriate play in public, but people were doing it on their own, even though it’s complete role play and there shouldn’t be a problem with it.

I’m also absolutely fascinated by reality TV, so Toddlers & Tiaras was an influence on the contest. The scene felt about age play the way that most people felt about Toddlers & Tiaras, even though Toddlers & Tiaras was essentially non-consensual with parents dressing up these kids.

Do you prefer it to be called a pageant or a contest? We had the first Little Miss & Mister Little in 2009, as a title holder contest for girls and boys. We wanted to increase visibility and be a symbol of the leather community. We wanted it to be funny, but also hopefully raise visibility of our community.

Lolita Wolf, the first Little Miss Little, did go to IMSL and went up on stage in her sash and competed!

Are you still involved in producing Little Miss & Mister Little? We were living in New York City when I started it. In 2010, we started moving from New York City. I went back to the Floating World and I was the MC and we produced that one. I’ve been in one contest and I’ve been the MC twice - once in Chicago and once at Floating World.

I would be interested in doing it in Phoenix. It’s close enough that we could send the winner to SF for International! When we got started, I did envision that there would be a lot of little local contests.

Do you prefer to see Little Miss & Mister Little as a beauty pageant, a means of rewarding community activism and knowledge, or something else? I see why you started calling it a pageant. In a lot of ways, it’s more pageant-oriented. You don’t have to be a community leader. It really is more about that little at that moment and how they catch that little spirit. It really is how they embody the spirit of the little in that moment.

I like to bring in judges who are not particularly little-friendly. I asked Master Z Dallas and Hardy Haberman, hardcore leathermen, to be judges at the first one. Because part of it is confronting these judgements about littles. At one contest we had Jay Wiseman as a judge, and I do very inappropriate things when I’m an MC, like when I introduced the judges, for example I said Jay Wiseman has a deep, deep, deep, deep, deep love for littles. It kinda freaks the judges out.

But the whole part of starting it was to confront the squick. Rock Cotton, when he won, he is a fit man, and he came out and the judges were turned on by him--and he’s wearing a diaper! For his talent he dripped candle on his diaper, holding himself up by just his arms with the candle on his feet. That’s kind of my aim when I do these things, is to create a safe space for the littles so that they can really express their individuality. We’re confronting your preconceived notions about this.

It’s best to do the jokes with the judges rather than the audience. In all three that I’ve participated in, it started out with a small audience, then more and more people flooded in and stayed to see. Which is why I haven’t rushed to do a contest here in Phoenix. It works better in a big event. They realize, Oh! This is really interesting! The audience doubled during the event. Of course, now the word is getting out.

The best thing about this is that each little brings their own talent, spunk, and style, and it’s completely different every time.

Would you please describe your ideal title holder? I don’t have one! It’s such an individual thing. You could have a title holder who’s role playing 12-years-old or 8-months-old.

That’s why we have a male and a female. We’ve had women compete as boys and men compete as girls. We don’t have one ideal in mind. We just want you to bring the best little that you’ve got and the funnest little that you have inside of you.

I’ve never won. I just wanted to get up and wear a cupcake dress. My first dress took months to create. I got an Indian sari and scrunched up the skirt. It was this glittery thing that, when the lights hit it, it just blinded you. That’s what I love, is to get up there and do that stiff-necked walk like Toddlers & Tiaras.

In the first context, Lolita brought Rita on the stage as her “doll” and they had a tea party and the doll broke a cup so Lolita spanked her doll. I lip-sang the Good Ship Lollipop. It was fun to do it in front of a lot of people who are clapping and excited.

We do an hour beforehand where we show the age play kids the stage, they get to get dressed up, and meet each other.

We had a Mistress show up with her sub and he was not a crossdresser or a little, but he did it because she wanted him to. And he was kind of awkward and kinda leaning to one side in his little heels. And he went up on stage and she would yell “SPARKLE CLARICE!” Then she would draw her finger across his toy’s neck, like she was going to break the toy to punish him! And in the question, he admitted that if he didn’t win he was going to get punished. And the judges were like, well, we’re not going to let you win, because we want to see you get punished! So it carried on to the dungeon later that night, where Clarice did have a scene and got punished!

There has been some controversy over the gendering of the titles. How do you feel about that? We don’t care if you’re male or female. The problem is that you have a sash, so you’d have to be prepared beforehand. My instinct is, sure! Compete as not a Miss and not a Mister and if you win, you’ll be a littles contest winner. We’ll just call it a littles sash and we’ll have Becky create a non-gendered sash. We could make a sash afterwards, if they wanted to. I can see that there wouldn’t be that much demand for it, but I’d hate to exclude a non-gendered little.

How did you work out scoring? We would just score. We had to make a uniform scoring method - 1 to 5 stars with 5 stars being the best you can get in each category. We would just score the whole thing and look, okay, these are the two Misters, which one won? We had a contest where there was only one Mister and of course he won. At Floating World we didn’t have any Misters compete.

What did you wear when you competed? I wore a cupcake dress. My sister made it. She’s a seamstress. She can make a cupcake dress to die for. She already made my wedding dress and had all my measurements, so I knew she was capable.

This is my real sister! I’ve been out since 1991. I have to because I’m the spokesperson for NCSF [the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom], which I founded back in 1997. I get quoted in the media, so it was impossible not to be out with my family. I told my parents, I’m off to compete in this little’s pageant! It’s like Toddlers & Tiaras for adults.

I like being an MC more than a contestant, because I never win. I just want to get up and show off my cute dresses.

What advice would you give the current pageant committee? Stay flexible, because I think that too many rules might kill the spontaneity. And the spontaneity is one of the funnest things. Continue to reach out as wide as you can. The littles need the visibility and a place where they can come and celebrate their littleness. I wanted us to be able to celebrate our little space, however you want to express it.

Were you involved in deciding the format of the pageant? Dress, talent, and question? Yes. We had questions like, “What Sesame Street character does each judge remind you of?” I always try to get the judges involved. I always try to get some incongruous judges. I think the questions can be a lot of fun to put humor in there and get some bizarre questions.

I like questions that are more detailed. “If you were to have a scene tonight in your little persona, what would it be like?” I want to get them to talk. “If you were a bad girl, how would Mommy punish you?” So that they have to tell a little story. I try not to get one-word answers. Prompt the little to tell a story.

I coach the kids, too, in the hour beforehand. I’m always trying to recruit people to compete during the event. I’m dying to have a little crawl to the edge of the stage and cry for thirty seconds as their talent. That loosens everybody up. We had someone come up and show their coloring book. “See? Daddy said I went out the lines here, but I did good here.” I try to keep it accessible.

I wasn’t sure if it was going to go. I sometimes tell people I’m going to be remembered for the Littles contest, not NCSF.

That’s a good way of doing it! We had set up our question section to see if the contestant could talk to the media. I do media training for NCSF. If you’re not completely out and don’t have kids and have no kind of government or job with a moral clause or a family, you can be a media spokesperson. I wouldn’t encourage your average little to talk with the media, especially since it’s so misunderstood.

What prizes were given away at the pageant? Well, the sash, and a medal that I have made. A lot of times people would rather wear the medal around than a sash. It’s about two to three inches across with pink ribbon and roses on the front, then engraved on back is the title.

Do you feel the title holder needs to be a public figure? No, not at all. They can take their sash and go home and we can never hear from them again if they want to. We don’t expect them to get out and represent because there are too many barriers to that. It’s hard enough to get littles out to complete. If we told them they had to do the whole title circuit, too? No.

What titleholder responsibilities, if any, were there? It was Lolita herself who decided that she wanted to go to IMSL and she had the balls to travel all the way with her little dress and her sash. And they let her! You can do anything you want to. If a titleholder wanted to go to every local event and raise money--fabulous. A titleholder can do anything they want to.

When we developed this contest, it was about the moment, then whatever you wanted to make it afterward. They would have little spaces, like coloring rooms, but they were separated from the rest of the event. We wanted to bring non-littles into the little space and de-stigmatize it. So we wanted the contestants to be in the moment, rather than think about the whole titleholder year.

Do you consider “Little” to be a kink, an orientation, an activity, an identity, or something else? Why? I think it can be all of those--it depends on the person. For some people it really is an orientation, because it’s how they express an important part of their sexuality. For some it’s just fun to do. For me it’s more an activity than an identity. Maybe that’s why I have a more lighthearted view of the whole thing. It’s a treasured activity for me. My dynamic with Kelly, he’s more of a Daddy than a Sir or a Dom. He’s a more cherishing, caretaking kind of top. That’s our personal dynamic, which is really important to me. I’m always so serious doing the NCSF stuff. I’m having to deal journalists and professionals all the time. Being little is a way for me to let go of all that. I’m not Susan Wright of NCSF having to answer questions. I can be a little and be a brat. I can’t be a brat as Susan Wright. Just because I’m in little mode, it’s taken in a different way.

What do you consider to be the biggest challenge facing the Littles community? It’s just so underground. We’re not all networked together at all. I think that there’s still some disapproval within the BDSM community for the littles. You’re supposed to accept other peoples’ kinks. We don’t think it’s right that anyone in the kink community should make a little feel bad about what they’re doing. Bizarrely enough, we’re considered to be on the edge, even though we’re not doing anything dangerous.

That’s why, when I’m a judge, I will ride that edge. Do you know AJ from Chicago? We asked her to dress like a guy when she was the MC and she wore a tracking device around her ankle, like she was on probation and she leered at all the littles! We had this role play pedophile MC! I like making it a little inappropriate. Getting people to laugh--this is the spirit in which we’re doing it. We’re not being serious.

But every contest that I’ve done, somebody has complained that they’re not going to come back to the event if they keep doing this contest. I feel like I’ve done my job if that happens. We’ve challenged people’s preconceptions and shown that some people are still very disapproving of this kink.

Which is your favorite way for a Little to code, as in the Hanky Code? I think it’s, like, Hello Kitty barrettes. Little, real kid gear that people wear, like two pony tails on top of their head. I think hair is a great way for littles to flag. You KNOW that person is a little. It’s a universal sign of little.

Was there a resource that you found to be particularly helpful in orchestrating the contest? No, not really. We did it all on our own having watched titleholder contests. I've been a judge in a couple of leather contests as well.

Do you have any ideas to attract more Mister contestants? My way is to go around at the event and talk to everyone. Some of my best Mister candidates happened because I told them it would be fun and they should try it. The winner the first year you wouldn't know to look at him that he had a little in him, and I'm so glad I encouraged him to compete. He had a fabulous time and everyone loved him.