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Bvtch Boots, London (2026)

30/04/2026

IMsLBB 2026: My Speech.

Here's a recording of my speech from IMsLBB, as part of my run for International Ms Bootblack. The very beginning is cut off, but I added that part into the captions. Here's the full transcript:

---

I had to pretend to be a man to safely travel here and stand on this stage tonight. I haven't been a man--haven't lied to myself about being one--in over nine years. But to be here right now, I had to lie again.

And I know for many people, even that wouldn't be enough. People who aren't white, who don't hold privileged passports from privileged countries, who face even greater barriers just to exist, let alone travel.

But my being here doesn't mean I'm free from harm. Even in Leather spaces, I have faced derision as a Butch Trans Woman. Because for me, it's never been as simple as "masc" or "fem." I may be "masculine" presenting, but that masculinity exists within my womanhood.

I often work in men's spaces--where femmes would be barred at the door--but no matter how Butch I am, I'm still treated like a woman.

Even in spaces like this, I can feel caught in-between. Too "fem" for some boys and f@gs, too "masc" for some women and d¥kes. And what that mirrors is something deeper; the way the world treats me as not "woman" enough, while also rejecting me as a man. I'm stripped of my humanity.

And I'm white; this is even worse for black and brown folks, whose bodies are masculinized by white supremacy regardless of how they show up, Trans OR Cis. If this is what it's like for me, then what must it be like for them?

So I stand here as a trans woman--all the more Woman for my Butchness--in a world that's increasingly more dangerous for trans women, especially those of us who don't or can't conform. I stand here, on this international stage, and hope that other transfems out there, regardless of how Butch or Femme they are, see me and know that they belong here too.

**e

30/04/2026

POST-MORTEM: IMsLBB 2026, Part One.

Four years ago, my ex showed me a documentary called BloodSisters. If you're not familiar, it's follows a few notable figures in the 1990's San Francisco Leatherd**e scene. Skeeter Barker's knifeplay monologue at the end of the film--a monologue that brought me to tears--was the precise moment I knew this was what I needed my life to be.

That same ex taught me how to bootblack, a tradition that has gone on to define my place in Leather and how I relate to others. It led to my election as UK Bootblack at the end of 2024, gave me the drive to co-found the London Leatherd**es, and pushed me into Bootblack Europe in 2024 and 2026.

Last weekend, I went to the USA. I've been working class for much of my life, and I've been on benefits for the last few years; America was always this impossible place to me. But with the overwhelming support of my community I got to fly out to New Jersey and compete for the International Ms Bootblack title.

IMsBB didn't exist when BloodSisters was made. But IMsL and the event surrounding them both did; being there felt like a waking dream. I was blown away by the kindness, excitement, and mutual respect that I felt there; from new faces, familiar contemporaries, and people who I have looked up to since I came into Leatherd**ehood.

American Leatherd**e culture is what made my heart sing and gave me purpose four years ago. If all I brought home was a chance to exist in it, even for a moment, that alone would have been life-changing. But I returned as the first International Ms Bootblack to live outside of North America. It's an honour to represent that milestone in the history of this title, and it's a privilege to call myself a part of that lineage.

I'm taking time to rest, to celebrate, and to reflect on my journey, and all the people who helped me get here. I'll be making another post shortly, giving specific thanks to everyone who played a part in one of the most profound weekends of my life. I'll see you in Chicago in three weeks for IML; there's a certain contest making a comeback, and I'm very interested in witnessing that return in the flesh.

**e

23/03/2026

TEASER: Just finished filming a blindfolded bootblacking tutorial with my bestie. There's even a two-camera setup. Thanks for being my glamorous, silent assistant, .

You'll get the chance to check it out if you're attending .mslbb, in-person or online. So, stay tuned for that.

**e

19/03/2026

EVENT UPDATE: Astrid's IMsBB Fundraiser RAFFLE and Jockstrap Auction.

Hey everyone! Here's some more info about the rescheduled fundraiser night for my .mslbb travel fund. We'll be at from 7PM, and wrapping up at around 8:30PM.

Instead of going for auctions for every prize, we're switching over to a RAFFLE SYSTEM. Hopefully this makes it more accessible for some of you to get involved, and it means some of the prizes will have opportunities for multiple winners!

Tickets will be £2 each, £20 for Boots to Balls, £30 for Boots to Breasts (you'll get as many raffle tickets as are measured from the floor up to those two body parts!). We'll be selling tickets for around an hour from 7PM, and the winners for each prize will be announced from around 8PM.

The jockstrap auction will still be an auction (I've put a lot of work into that thing) and we'll be holding it after all the raffle prizes have been given out.

Lots of love to everyone who tried coming out yesterday, especially to those of you who said you'll be coming tomorrow night too! Hopefully we'll get to see more of you there too.

**e

18/03/2026

RESCHEDULED: Astrid's IMsBB Travel Fundraiser Auction.

Due to unforseen circumstances, we've had to reschedule the auction fundraiser. There were considerable delays to the event happening prior, but we have been offered a new date: 7PM ON FRIDAY THE 20TH.

Many apologies to everyone who came out for it tonight; we'll be giving it another go in a little under 48 hours! Lots of love to all, and we'll see you in a couple of days.

**e

13/03/2026

PHOTO REEL: Girlfriend Appreciation Post.

The phenomenal has already taken some of my favourite photos of myself, and now they've also taken some of my favourite photos of .3_tt_uc.3.exe and I together.

Being able to wrap up both working the bootblack stand at by shining my Femme's latex for her was really special. With how locked in I had to be on the contest, and how hard she worked to make sure I was getting all my basic needs met, sharing this moment of intimacy and care was the perfect way to reconnect and wind down from the intensity of it all.

I think she's the most beautiful, most delightful, most incredible creature on the planet. It's such a gift to be able to share my life with her. Love you, Lett.

**e

11/03/2026

POST-MORTEM: Darklands 2026, Bootblack Europe Contest.

In early 2024, I ran for Bootblack Europe on a whim. I didn't actually know much about the title, nor about , nor about the state of the broader Leather and Fe**sh community. I was a legally-homeless butch d**e trans woman who hadn't touched a pair of boots in months, stuck in a deep depression, off the back of an abusive relationship and struggling to heal.

If it weren't for telling me about the contest, and covering both our accommodations, it wouldn't have gone on to be what it was for me; a profound experience which fundamentally altered the course of my life.

I feel like I've come full-circle, in a way; that first time running for BBE was my entry point into the international Leather scene. With how much a part of that community I am now, I feel more ready than I ever have to take on a responsibility like the BBE title; it's only appropriate, then, that this is the time that I won; and I couldn't be more grateful for the trust in that.

I often describe wearing Leather as like wearing armour; that isn't just a physical thing. Every time I wear Leather, I feel held by the friends and loved ones who wearing that Leather connect me to. When I wear this sash, the 7th person to do so, I feel held by a community so much bigger than that.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to and , to for all the work you've done before me, to all of my incredible judges, to everyone who worked tirlessly to make the contest and the stand run as smoothly as it could, and to every friend both new and old; whether I had the pleasure of caring for your gear, or we were simply able to enjoy some time together over the weekend, you all made it so special.

And thank you to my dear sweet Femme, , for being the most delightful creature on the planet, and for going above and beyond to keep me fed, watered, and generally alive throughout it all. I love you more than I could ever put into words.

More photos and words coming soon, so stay tuned. Love you all.

**e

08/12/2025

POST-MORTEM: UK Bootblack 2025 Contest.

Hey everyone. It's been approximately 25 hours since I stepped down as the reigning UK Bootblack titleholder, handing the sash I've stewarded over the last year down to my incredible successor, .

When the title of UK Bootblack 2024 was awarded to me last November, it was off the back of one of the hardest years of my life. I'd separated from found family, I was barely two weeks into having been homeless for a few months, and for a while, it felt like the friends that kept me going were on hospice care duty.

That's really dark, but I say it so you know that when I tell you becoming UK Bootblack saved my life, I mean it very genuinely. It was a reminder of what matters most to me, it renewed my sense of purpose, and it gave me a responsibility to myself to fulfill it.

When I started my title year, there wasn't an out-and-proud Leatherd**e scene in the UK, and there hadn't been in a long time. One of my proudest achievements in my time with the sash was helping to found **es, for which I am it's President. Other Leatherd**e clubs have been popping up all over the country since, like **es and a few others. And all the way, we've been supported by all the fantastic guys in the Leathermen community.

, you're incredible, and you've more than earned the title of UK Bootblack 2025. Going into your title year, you have an opportunity that I didn't have when I started; there's an even wider Leather community out there in this country now, and you get a chance to go out there and champion the whole lot of them from day one. And whatever you do, wherever you go, I know you have what it takes to do that.

, you're phenomenal, you're a good friend, and I knew you were going to do amazing things off the back of this experience. I can't wait to see what those things are going to be.

Bvtch Boots

30/04/2026

30/04/2026

23/03/2026

19/03/2026

18/03/2026

13/03/2026

11/03/2026

08/12/2025

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