On Your Block - Installment #4
An interview with Aric Wilson,
Mr. SoCal Leather 2019
by Eric Crow
(Aric wears the Leather, it doesn't wear him.)
In January, Aric Wilson became the current Mr. SoCal Leather and went on to place first runner up at Los Angeles Mr. Leather in March. I met him in person backstage while volunteering, and he had a way about him, a certain glow, that spoke beyond words. We all saw that glow later on during the physique section, sporting that barely there singlet. All that...personality...gave us all our life that night. As for the person wearing the singlet, it's been fun getting to know him online and in person, and to hear him speak, you wouldn't know that he's a relative newcomer to the scene--"just over a year and change," he says. There are echoes of his journey in my own, and I think that's what drew me to him.
Aric is a member of Onyx SoCal-SW, and goes by the name Puck Onyx. When I asked why, his answer came quick. "Coz hockey pucks are tough, resilient, they get knocked around, they will mess you up if you get hit by one, and they're always aiming for a goal." Quite an apt description, wouldn't you say? And if you've spent any time with him, you might conjure up comparisons to Shakespeare's Puck from "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Those of you who know him well know that mix of impishness and innocence that you see when you look in his eyes or feel when you sit next to him, as was my pleasure to do when we rode down to San Diego for the LALC bar crawl. I was curious. I had questions. He had answers.
(You there...his eyes are up here)
NH4F: What was your first kinky experience, how did it happen and how did it rewire you?
Aric: Aside from being a regular player in the gym shower and the occasional bathhouse visit was when I was 26. A young man I was topping asked me to combine some yellow hanky and navy blue hanky action. I thought it was an odd request, but clearly my mind was open to it and I let it happen. However, my kink frequency didn't change until much later in life. I didn't seek it out, but occasional situations would come up and I would gladly participate.
NH4F: When did you first realize you were kinky/non-vanilla? Tell some details of the process that lead to the magic moment of coming out?
Aric: The first time I watched a kink video and realized that I was aroused af over something that I thought I should be ashamed of (for the record, it was a hot yellow hanky scene). I later experienced the red hanky with a neighbor when I was around 30. Outside of that and attending Folsom, however, I didn’t know what kink really was or how to express it.
Eventually I found myself learning reiki and applying it to my life. I learned to throw down my walls, be vulnerable and take in who I was. That allowed me to be proud to be kinky, explore leather and be who I am today.
(Stopping to smell the flowers)
NH4F: Tell me about your Leather interests? What colors do you flag? Is there a hanky color you're thinking about exploring?
Aric: Red, red and did I mention red? It is my favorite and to me, fisting has given me some of the most intimate experiences I've ever had with other men. The trust, connection and exploration of a person's insides is pretty deep, no pun intended. I also flag magenta, black, yellow, white, light and navy blue. I am interested in exploring gray a lot more.
(Aric with his LAL classmates and Onyx brothers)
NH4F: Who are you out to about your Leather/kinky side? Who are you not out to?
Aric: I am reasonably open about my activities. I have family and friends on Facebook that I have known long before my journey into leather/kink spaces. However, I do keep my personal and professional life separate.
Aric: I am reasonably open about my activities. I have family and friends on Facebook that I have known long before my journey into leather/kink spaces. However, I do keep my personal and professional life separate.
(Prescient moment at a San Francisco street festival)
NH4F: What is your platform as Mr. SoCal Leather? How much money do you hope to raise, and for which charities?
Aric: I pledged to be a title holder that strived to be inclusive and promote sex positivity, create spaces for all within the community to come together as much as possible. I would like to focus on two charities this year. The first which is underway focuses on the Los Angeles Food Bank because access to healthy food is a problem for so many in our community at large and it disproportionately impacts persons of color and LGBT individuals. However, since hunger impacts everyone I wanted to help an organization that extends beyond the LGBTQ+ space. I will pivot towards another organization later this year that benefits our community and supports LGBT specific issues.
(Aric at the "Morning of Giving" event)
NH4F: Do you have any upcoming events/fundraisers?
Aric: I am in planning for a mysterious event that will play into voyeuristic fantasies, to be held at the Bullet Bar in North Hollywood in August 10. This is a collaborative effort with Francisco Perales, Mr Sanctuary Leather 2019 and is an idea spun from Elliot Musgrave, Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2019, and Ponylee Estrange, one of the main producers of Cruise LA, a monthly event held at the Los Angeles Eagle.
Beyond our bar spaces, I have three events planned for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. One already happened in June. Money is not the only way to give--time also has value. As a combination of money and time through community contributions, I am seeking to raise a total of $5K during my title year. I think this is a lofty goal to srive for, and even if I don't make all of it, I will give it my all. As a goal $1k per organization I see as attainable goals.
(Aric with Paco Joyce at the LALC Bar Crawl in June)
NH4F: Imagine yourself on the night of your step-aside as Mr. SoCal Leather? What did you do and what how did you make the Leather community better?
Aric: While my year is half over, I have begun to look that far ahead actually. I hope that I am able to say that I stuck to what I included in my speeches during my feeder contest and at LAL, with regard to the promotion of sex positivity, inclusion and creation of welcoming spaces for everyone. I think I am on my way to accomplishing that. I also feel that I am trying to show that community giving is important, regardless of who your neighbor is. Hence why I have chosen a non-LGBT organization to focus my efforts on the first half of the year. The other half will be for the LGBT community.
(At The Assembly for LAL)
https://www.onyxsw.com
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Los Angeles Regional Food Bank:
https://www.lafoodbank.org
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Los Angeles Leather Pride article about Mr. SoCal Leather https://losangelesleatherpride.com/aric-wilson-mr-socal-leather-2019
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Find New Horizons For Fifty here:
("love yourself in your lists")
Instagram: newhorizonsforfifty
Look for NH4F in the Leather Journal.
Happy Dore Alley 2019!!!
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