PHOTOS: Best NSFW looks from Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend

Spring is in the air in Cleveland, and that means another long weekend of fun at CLAW (Cleveland Leather Awareness Week), the annual convention for leather and fetish fans. The event is run each year in early April by CLAW Corp, a national leather charity that promotes adult interest in leather, fetish, and BDSM activities. CLAW teaches that these kinks are natural and healthy — and promotes attendees learning from each other.

One of the big differences between other leather events and CLAW is that there’s no contest/competition here, so you won’t find people working to achieve titles like “Mr. CLAW.” Fans of CLAW point to this as one of their favorite parts of the event, because it keeps the focus on networking, planned group events, and educational sessions.

As in past years, CLAW featured an extensive vendor mart, where attendees could shop for almost anything they desired: harnesses, jackets, hats, jewelry, poppers, dog masks and tails, butt plugs, whips, St. Andrew’s Crosses, genitalia-shaped candy, dildos, fetish wear, etc. Attendees could take advantage of free STD and HIV testing onsite, learn about the latest research into human sexuality and kinks, or visit the Bondage Barber, who was cutting hair just outside the vendor mart for all to see. Others opted to attend one of the many mixers. We wandered into the Pets and Handlers Mosh and later to a rubber meet-up. There are also cigar socials and a gala dinner.

Getting educated

Education really is serious business at CLAW. Classes range from beginner to advanced. Some discuss community-building. Others are specifically oriented toward teaching practices, from bondage to fisting. 

We attended a thoughtful presentation on “The Power and Philosophy of Promiscuous Living” by Jared Erikson. Erickson discussed the double standards that have existed for ages when people talk about men’s versus women’s sexual escapades, as well as the negativity that is often related to both.

Erickson also discussed sexual attitudes going back through history including how ancient cultures have no differentiation between hetero sex and queer sex. He covered the evolution of problematic sexual “morality” pushed by the Christian church, the scientific study of sexual monogamy (and its rarity), and more.

Fun at CLAW

Fun at CLAW isn’t relegated to the host hotel. Ticket holders can also participate in different activities all close to downtown Cleveland, and free shuttles between venues make it even easier. A signature event is the Horse Market, which is actually run by HorseMarket SF. This hard-core event evokes the famed Fickstutenmarkt party in Berlin. At Horse Market (reserved for male-identified persons), Mares (bottoms) are naked, blindfolded, and on their knees before the Stallions (tops) arrive. It’s not hard to guess what happens next at this gathering.

Other gatherings happened at The Academy, an area dungeon, and Flex, the city’s gay bathhouse. The nearby Leather Stallion Saloon bar was hopping each night and was packed to capacity on Saturday. Both locals and out-of-town CLAW attendees partied together and voted on the best costume, including a firefighter, a Marine in full dress, and plenty of other fun outfits.

Kinky Cleveland

If you’re interested in CLAW, the event generally runs from Thursday through Sunday in April. The charity also will be conducting an LA Leather Getaway this Fall from September 23-26, 2023.