Sydney Leather Community: In Conversation with Sydney Mr. Leather 2024

Timo Rissanen has been part of the leather community since 1993, experiencing both its evolution and his own journey of self-acceptance. After moving back to Australia four years ago, he fully embraced his leather identity, finding liberation in who he is. Now, as a sober, gender-queer leatherman, he proudly represents Sydney’s leather community, offering guidance and advocating for important causes. In this year’s Sydney Leather Week, he was given the title ‘Sydney Mr. Leather 2024’.

In this interview, he reflects on his journey, the significance of his title, and his plans for the year ahead.

How long have you been part of the Sydney Leather community?

I’ve been in and out of the leather Community since 1993 when I went to my first leather party in Finland. Then, every decade or so I would dip in and out of the community. Four years ago when my husband and I moved back to Australia, I simply wanted to be authentic about my leather identity and attraction to leathermen. Getting honest about that during the past four years has been liberating, almost like a second coming out.

What does the title mean to the Sydney Leather Community?

Within a diverse leather community, the titleholder is someone who upholds the values of the brotherhood and leads by example. They are someone that new members of the community can come to for guidance. They are someone who for that year exemplifies the community in some way.

What does the title ‘Sydney Mr. Leather’ mean to you personally?

Being Sydney Mr Leather 2024 is humbling: it is a great honour to represent Sydney Leather Men in this way. I see it as a responsibility to be the best possible representation of the community that I can be. As a sober, gender -queer leatherman I hope to be a resource for other leathermen.

What are your plans for the next 12 months with the title?

To maintain the strong networks between leather communities in Australia. Over the next few months I will visit Meanjin/Brisbane, Naarm/Melbourne and Tarndanya/Adelaide. In the new year I will visit my motherland, Finland, and reconnect with the leathermen there. In May I will be travelling to Chicago for International Mr Leather, and likely visit Los Angeles and New York, too. Also in the new year, I’m really excited for Inquisition and celebrating Mardi Gras with Sydney Leather Men.

We can see you’ve chosen to raise funds for the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation during your reign as Sydney Mr. Leather- what does that charity mean to you and why did you choose it?

When I moved to Sydney in 1996 I was 21. Although it was just at the point when the new combination therapies started to have an impact, in some weeks the Sydney Star Observer would have two full spreads of obituaries of men, some of them my age. 

It was a really dark time for our community. Living here I soon learned about the extraordinary work that the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation was doing with people living with HIV or AIDS. Thankfully we live in a different time now, but it is important to remember that HIV/AIDS is not over, and that there is still stigma and ignorance. 

The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation continues to make a remarkable difference for people in our community. As I see it, the Foundation has a legacy that demands to be honoured and by dedicating half of my title year fundraising to the Foundation is my way of honouring that legacy.

Any final thoughts?

If leather is of interest to you but you find it all a bit intimidating, please come and talk to me. I will be at as many leather and queer events over the next year as I can. To become the leatherman I am today, it took me three decades to ditch a lot of shame about my sexuality. I would love to support others to accomplish that faster!

You can follow Timo (Sydney Mr. Leather 2024) on Instagram @sydneymrleather2024

Photo credit @edgeartphotos

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