Dear Queeroes,

I am writing today to let you know that I will not be producing and hosting my party POW! The Superhero Fetish Meetup at IML 2020, and I want to tell you why I made this decision. IML has been a wonderful space for me as a kinky person, and also as a book author and artist. I first had an author table at IML at the Marriott in 2013 thanks to the wonderful support of the Leather Archives and Museum. Year by year, I came back to IML with new volumes of my series to sell and autograph. In 2014, I kicked off POW! The Superhero Fetish Meetup at IML and MAL as a grassroots event to build community. At the time, I wanted to bring together gay, queer, trans and gender-non-conforming male identified folks to celebrate their passion for remixing classic leather, kink, and superhero fetish. And guess what? The party grew, and grew. As of last year, the party draws about 200 attendees in fantastic kinky cosplays that make it the world’s largest superhero fetish event, by my estimate.

Starting in 2016, The Superhero Fetish Meetup was added to the IML lineup and official schedule, which blew my mind, and also help extend the reach of the event. As you can see by photos on my Instagram, you can see how each year the party grew in attendance and fun.

Fall 2019 has just begun, and I have decided to not continue POW! The Superhero Fetish Meetup. It’s of course not easy to make this decision, but it comes from very positive reasons.

My brand of kinky and queer superhero books is expanding, and I never expected to have such a popular book series that delights gay and queer men. In fact, I am releasing a fifth How to Kill a Superhero book in 2020. As an author, I am grateful my readers have come this far in the journey.

As my book series has gained more reach around the world, the scope of the community building that’s part of the superhero and spandex fetish community has also inspired me to go into new directions with the events I curate. Nowadays, my book readers and community members include more trans, queer and non-binary folks, women and people of color than ever before, and it’s thanks to their feedback that I am moving into new virtual and physical spaces that celebrate who they are. That means that I will be organizing new events and meetups in the near future that align with the needs of my readers and fans. This includes more international events in Mexico, the UK, the European Union and Asia, as well as an expansion of my online communities, such as the one in my Discord community (which you can join when you subscribe to my free newsletter). It also will include more inclusive and safer spaces that align to the needs of my community.

I want to stress that the IML organizers have always been professional, generous, organized, and great friends. I am in awe of how much they accomplish year by year, and their legacy can never be forgotten. I will always enjoy visiting IML as a spectator and supporter of its efforts in the LGBTQ community and worldwide kink populations. I send out a huge blast of gratitude and joy to them as I move into a new chapter of this story.

I Will Not Be Continuing My Superhero Fetish Meetup at IML 2020