Last night I had the honor of attending the Coronation of the Imperial Court of Arizona. When I moved to Arizona in 2004, I had never heard of Imperial Court. It is an International non-for-profit organization striving to unite the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bi-Sexual and Heterosexual communities through charitable fundraising events to meet the needs of all. I have not heard of any other organization that unites all these communities like this. The Court holds fundraising events, raising lots and lots of money for charities. The Imperial Court of Arizona raised over $23,000 in Reign IX (the one that just finished). Over the years that I have lived in Phoenix, I began to hear about the Court as people I respected became Monarchs and continued their work for the community. The past year, I began to support the Court in small ways, attending shows when I could. I began to make friends with members of the Court, and learned so much more about the organization. Just as the leather community has its fair share of drama, so does the Court, however, what I saw was all drama was put aside when it came time to raise money for charity. That says a lot, so I wanted to learn more. I began to get to know some of the members, and started becoming close to a few.
After winning my own title, I knew that even though Coronation was not a 'leather' event, it was a community event, and one thing my producer, Daddy Mark, wants his titleholders to do is support the organizations in our community. So, plans were made to attend Coronation. I found out that it was a formal affair....black tie you could say. Oh crap, I no longer had my evening gowns....and no money to or time to get one. After some investigation, I was told that I could wear my formal leathers....so pull out the skirt and corset. Uh Oh, totally spaced out the fact that I had been losing weight...skirt is now too large....can make it work since I am wearing a corset. Yikes, the corset that i just bought at SWLC 2014 and have only worn it 3 times is now too big. Can't win for losing. We make it work as I am at the hotel with no way home. What I forgot to take into account was the time....got dressed at 330pm, finally got home at 1145pm. And eating in a corset? Not a good idea. But I looked good, felt good, and had my title vest so representing...all is good. And I finally got to give slave tabitha arie, IMsBB 2015 a hug!!!!
Went downstairs and oh my goodness! Everywhere I looked I saw crowns...small crowns, medium crowns, and large crowns. And when I say large crowns, I mean large...not sure how those queens held their heads up. Being a femme, I was in heaven....so many beautiful gowns. Lots of sequins and rhinestones. I honestly felt under dressed. I got to meet people from all over, and had the opportunity to share with some people about bootblacking. Apparently, Arizona is lucky in that so many of the members of the Court are Leather; which means the others aren't always familiar with what we do.
The highlight of my evening was having the honor of dressing NikkiStarr, one of the Aspirants to Empress. The dress she wore was suppose to be my wedding dress, but when I couldn't afford to pay for the alterations, I sold it to NikkiStarr for Coronation. She wore it so much better than I ever could. When I walked out of the dressing room, I knew how mothers must feel when they get their daughters dressed for a wedding. NikkiStarr has become a dear friend, someone i can talk to about anything. I know she has my back....and I have hers.
Finally, 6 hours after the evening began, they are ready to announce the new Monarchs. There is a group of us standing together very nervous and the doors open. In walks the new Emperor, Steve Marino. We are excited! When Bill Mitchell walks in with the new Empress, I was devastated as it was not my friend...it was Olivia Gardens. Yes, I cried, my heart breaking for NikkiStarr and her family. I know what it is to work hard for a title and not win it. I've been there twice. Thankfully, Cub G was there next to me and he helped me get it together. They brought NikkiStarr in, and I was so proud of her. She walked so regally, a smile on her face and she was beautiful. At this point, I was exhausted and was beginning to feel sick to my stomach from being in the corset for so long and my feet throbbed. I said my goodbyes, and Sir Joe brought me home.
I do not know of any other group of ALL volunteers that bring together every aspect of the community..gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexuals..to raise money for charitable organizations. They have raised money for HIV/AIDS, Paws for Patriots, Hospice, Children, etc. They work hard to make their community a better place, and have an amazing impact on their world. This is definitely an organization that I endorse and I encourage everyone to consider becoming involved in some way, even if it is just attending an event.
