My activism started early; I ran for a seat on the Village Council in 1976 (did not win). The following year, after graduating Secondary School, I moved to a nearby small city to work in a Camera Store. In addition to taking in film for processing I helped customers decide which brand of film to use (each brand had its specialty) and offered tips on taking better pictures. Also volunteered at the local Community Theatre group- not to be an actor but to take photos and help with general crew stuff.
I was a volunteer on the GYT Gay Youth Toronto peer-counseling phone line after moving back to Toronto in 1978. After the virus we’ve come to know as HIV erupted in my communities I volunteered with ACT The Aids Committee of Toronto and Casey House, AIDS Hospice. As well as taking my vows (see next section) and working on the MLT Competitions.
I worked at a few different companies in the Art Materials Industry- working retail so that I could have time and energy for community work. And who of us at that time really thought of starting a career or saving for an unlikely retirement? Not to mention supporting artists so I don’t have to risk actually doing my own art (but I digress).
During the early ’80s I, along with my partner at the time, discovered our interest in the leather/ fetish worlds. No reason to go into detail; it has influenced which organizations and charitable causes I support. While living in Toronto I was Chapter President in a local affiliate of an international leather/denim social club.
In 1991 and ’92 I was the Finals Production Director for the community-based organization that ran the MrLeathermanToronto series of contests- selecting our representative to the annual International Mr Leather competition in Chicago while raising funds for local AIDS charities.
The career I started to build after moving to Ohio in 1996 ended in the 2008 depression. I worked a variety of seasonal and part-time work while donating time and energy to central Ohio animal rescues and shelters. That ended with burn-out as I started to process decades of depression and masked trauma.
