Metro Weekly

Slave Masters

The 4th annual MASTER/slave conference kicks off this weekend

Organizers of the fourth annual MASTER/slave Conference say they expect more than 300 people to attend this year’s event, which kicks off on Friday, July 27 and wraps up the following Sunday, at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Northwest.

A Northern Virginian man, who is known in the community as ”Master Taino,” and asked that his real name not be used, is the producer of the conference and says it is about education.

”Our main mission is to provide venues for education, and a lot of people are interested in the leather community, and different aspects. This is just one aspect,” he says.

”Twenty or 30 years ago, all this was done in a more underground level,” he adds. ”It was a subculture that people learned about from each other.”

Because of the Internet, Taino says, people who are drawn to it, realize that ”there are people living this, there are people doing it.”

Admission to three-day event, which includes over 45 different workshops, in addition to other programming, costs $140 at the door. A day pass is available for $65 for Friday and Sunday, and $75 for Saturday.

”We try to create a venue where people can learn,” Taino adds. ”It’s good for people with a lot years of experience to learn even more and network, and [also] for people who are just starting the journey.

The Washington Plaza Hotel is located at 10 Thomas Circle, NW. For more information visit www.masterslaveconference.org.

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