To Be or Not to Be... a Titleholder

For those of you involved in the Leather Lifestyle, you are probably familiar with "Titleholders". The importance of titles and titleholders is a bone of contention amongst many in the community. To some, titleholders are ultra-fuckable Superstars, great leaders, voices of a generation... Others view titles and titleholders with much distaste. Sour grapes? Acting out against this weird hierarchy of "authority"? Well, when you see how many titleholders demand special treatment because of the bright red, white, and blue studded piece of cow draped over their shouler, you might get tired of titleholders, too. but we are not all bad. Seriously.

I have held two titles in the Leather Titleholder system; the regional title of Great Lakes Bootblack and the international title of Int'l Ms. Bootblack. Both title years are over and have been carried on by others. i don't even sign my e-mails with my titles anymore. As i said to someone over this past weekend (this past weekend was International Ms. Leather, where i won IMsBB back in 2004), i am well aware that my title doesn't mean squat outside this weird and isolated environment known as the Leather Community. It doesn't mean a damn thing when i'm at my day job, hanging out with my cats, or sitting on the toilet...

Recently someone on their Live Journal made a snide comment about titleholders and how titleholders don't respect NON-titleholders (which, as i mentioned before, is a common sentiment). Further details of that conversation are irrelevant, so i shan't mention that entry any further. But mentioning it at all is a reference to why i'm thinking about all this right now...

Now, i didn't "grow up" in the Leather Community so i haven't been surrounded by the supposed "greatness" of titles and titleholders even though yes, i did compete for a bootblack title at my first opportunity. But i'm not so sure that i would do it again if i had the opportunity...

Reasons to NOT run for a title:

Cost. travel is expensive. Even with travel funds (which are limited) travel funds don't cover food, beer, donations to other charities, more food, more beer... etc. and all that is much more expensive than staying home.

Travel. Traveling can be exhausting, which is only ONE reason to not like travel. There are lots of people that are just not able to travel because of work, school, having to care for loved ones (pets, family members in questionable health...) fears of flying, lack of vehicle...

Need for anonymity. If you have a job that would fire you for finding out about your private life, you SURE can't put yourself in the public eye by becoming a titleholder.

Community needs at home. You don't need to be a titleholder to do good things for your community, and if you are NEEDED in your immediate local community, taking on a national/international title might take you away from the people that need you the most.

There are a lot of people who have never been, are not currently, and never will be "titleholders" who do a LOT for the community in the ways that they have chosen (and for them, their chosen ways are more effective for them than BEING a "titleholder".) And, you don't have to be a Mama Reinhardt EITHER to be important, valuable, and respected.

A Titleholder who looks down his/her nose at others who are NOT titleholders... well, they don't deserve their title.