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Community Spotlight: Vee Ro aka Vanilla Rose

Lady Sa'Vage 1 year ago

Community Spotlight: Vee Ro aka Vanilla Rose

I had the esteemed pleasure of spending a couple of hours fellowshipping over the internet highways of Google Meets with someone who's an advocate for historical preservation and educating the masses. I have to admit, I have been stalking her for a while, and it was a pure joy just sitting and chatting it up with her. How can you not follow a force to be reckoned with when their service in the community speaks for itself? She likes to say she's comfortable in the shadows, but her energy shines so bright that being in the shadows just isn't possible.

Vee Ro, aka Vanilla Rose, identifies as a baby girl and brat. She has been a patched member of the Fort Worth Leather Corp. since 2019. She was a Founding Board Member and President of OPLSW (Onyx Pearls Lustre Southwest) in 2020. Although she is no longer a part of the chapter, she still considers herself an Onyx Pearl. “Once a Pearl, Always a Pearl,” according to Mama Vi. Vee thinks of all Men of Onyx and other Onyx Pearls as her siblings if they agree to the title. She became a Full Member of Leather girls Of Color in 2021.

Vee is unowned and supports the House of Bear, where she was gifted a House Vest in 2022 and a Service Collar in 2023 for being the in-service submissive and princess to Master Dee Bear, the HoH of the House of Bear. Throughout her journey, not only has she made her way into Leather, but she has become affiliated with other organizations and Houses as a friend, sibling, and Tribe Member, including:

House of Chaos
The Mythos Leather Family
Central Texas Darkside

When Vee and I started to discuss the "community," we covered how people forget that there are still those in alternative lifestyles who cannot be out and in the open as they wish. As children, we have a certain amount of autonomy our parents grant. As adults, people act as if they must be privy to what you are doing or who you are with. This is incorrect because we live as consenting adults who allow certain intimacies in our lives. This is where secrecy vs. privacy comes into play.

Vee, like many others, believes that capitalism and social media have gotten out of hand within these lifestyle streets. She goes on to say that we have a lot of community members who need help, but the community doesn't help. We are groups of "outlaws" created to help our communities. Yet, we have contest Title Holders having to raise their travel money. At the same time, new conferences or events hold yet another title contest or keep having the same presenters present the same presentations over and over. The title contests have turned into a popularity contest, and people who've only been in the community for a minute and haven't done anything in the community are winning titles or being "Covered" as Masters.

Within these alternate lifestyle choices as adults, we must understand safety out here is essential. That includes your personal safety. She takes the intimacy of a dynamic to heart, and If you can't feel safe with your Dtype, you shouldn't be with that Dtype. The same goes for Dtypes.

Because Vee always wants to uplift, educate, and spotlight the BIPoC people in the collective communities. When she first started, she didn't see many of "us" (POC) "out there." When she found an online group with "us," she asked questions and created a list so others could find it. She wants to see more non-Black people of the Global Majority seen! Vee feels that information should always be passed on to others willing to learn.

Vee's advice to a younger Vee would be to "embrace your queerness sooner ."She can say that she hasn't had any scary experiences in the community like many others have.
Advice to those interested or learning about the Leather Culture should start with the Carter/Johnson Leather Library.

Those who helped guide and educate her are those she would recommend to others getting their feet wet in this alternative lifestyle we call Leather. The Houses she serves, the Original Pearls, and those she's mentioned during this interview, she says, are the ones who keep her in her Intentional Community.

Mia Rose of Latinos in Leather
Ms. Jay Iron Of House of Iron
Da Atua of House of Kush
April (Asian Pasifika Representing in Leather
Lady D's Conversations with Lady D
Judy Tallwing McCarthy
Hardy Haberman and Race Bannion
Be The Difference Munch (Lady Sa'Vage)
MsD Dom
POCKLE
Master Guy "The Dark Lair Alternative L/S Support and Education for People of Color