08/19/2026
♥️Thank you OYK
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: August 2026 General Business Meeting
For generations, BIPOC women have been expected to be strong—strong enough to hold families together, to hold communities together, and to carry burdens that were never meant to be carried alone.
We have been expected to endure what others cannot; to put the needs of others before our own; to show up when we are hurting; and to keep going when we are tired.
We have become really good at saying “I’ve got it”, while at the same time fighting to survive.
As BIPOC women in Leather, we bring that same conditioning with us.
We volunteer, organize, mentor, teach, and lead. We step up and fill in the gaps. We are the ones who make it shake in this community. We are the ones who keep giving because we know how to give, even when we are running low ourselves. We are the ones who keep showing up, sometimes long after we are tired.
This begs the questions:
What happens when the people who have always been expected to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders are never given permission to put it down? Moreover, who is caring for the people who are doing the caring?
Community care is more than just checking on someone after they have fallen apart. It is paying attention before they get there. It is asking, “How are you?” and being willing to stay around long enough to hear the real answer. It is our willingness to say, “I’ve got your back” and mean it. It is recognizing that sometimes the person who is always giving needs permission to receive.
That is the kind of siblinghood I want us to continue to build in LgOC. One where we not only celebrate one another’s accomplishments, but also notice one another’s humanity. Where we don’t just stand beside each other when the lights are on, but remain present when things get dark.
Community care is not something we should have to find time for. It is how we practice the values we already claim. Community care IS service. It IS respect. It IS honor. It IS integrity. It IS loyalty. It IS duty.
If we want a Leather community where BIPOC women can thrive, then we have to build more spaces where they are cared for. Where they can contribute without being consumed, and can rest without feeling guilty.
We cannot build sustainable community by constantly asking people to give more. We build it by creating a culture where giving and receiving are both acts of service.
Not only should we be asking “What do you bring to this community?”, but we should also be asking “What does this community need to give back to you?” and “What can we take off of your plate?”
So I want to challenge each of us to look around.
Look at the people beside you. Look at the people who are always there. The ones who check on everyone else. The ones who sit in silence. The ones who say, “I’m good.”
Check on them anyway.
Make the call. Send the message. Pull up a chair. Offer the help. Hold space. And when you need care yourself, please let someone give it to you.
At the end of the day, community is not defined by how many people are in the room, but what happens between us while we are there.
THAT is our work.
Not someday. Not when we have more time. Not when someone finally breaks down.
NOW.
-OYK
