Jason Elliott’s first piece of leather was a Christmas present from his mother.

“I didn’t own a stitch of leather when I was asked to judge [the Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest] as a novice in 2022,” recalls the Chesapeake, Virginia native. “So, for Christmas in December 2021, my mom gave me a plain black leather uniform shirt. I still have that shirt.”

As of last January, he had a sash to go with it, after winning the Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2025 title.

Elliott’s first MAL came six years earlier, in 2019. A man he had been chatting with online invited him to have cocktails “at this leather thing in D.C.,” Elliott recalls. “I showed up at the Hyatt, walked in the front door, looked out over a sea of Leathermen, and I knew I was home. That was my very first time at MAL, and I knew then I would be going there for the rest of my life.”

There is an indisputable brightness to Elliott, who smiles often and broadly and breaks into tears almost as frequently. “I’m a crier,” he says during our Zoom interview after one particular memory brings on the waterworks. “I cry a lot. I’m sorry, I should have said that at the beginning.”

It’s endearing, really, to see the more emotional side of a Leatherman. Elliott has poured that same emotion into his professional life as a sexual health educator who, until recently, worked in communications at a government health agency. “My job was eliminated two weeks after I won Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather last January,” he says, a casualty of the new administration’s ruthless funding cuts.

“I have been applying for jobs,” he says. “Hundreds of jobs. It has been devastating. It’s been discouraging. It’s been depressing. It also opened the door for me to say yes to almost every single invitation to go to a Leather event this year — and that has been amazing.” He estimates he appeared as Mr. MAL 2025 at 99 events throughout the year. Still, he says, “I would love a paycheck, I’m not going to lie.”

Elliott also keeps himself busy as the executive director of Out and About, an “LGBTQ+ empowerment organization” in Charlottesville that he started in 2023. “We host year-round events for the LGBTQ community here in Charlottesville. We raise money, buy HIV test kits, and then give them out for free around the community. Last year, we were the only organization doing that in all of Charlottesville.”

The organization emphasizes gathering and connection. “We get together,” he says. “We might also go hiking or support a local LGBTQ-owned coffee shop. Our motto is creating community and forging family. It’s the idea that when we get out and about together, we learn the different aspects of who we are.”

Elliott, who also holds the title Mr. Virginia Leather 2024, doesn’t remember what happened at the end of last year’s Mr. MAL contest. He was convinced he had blown his contestant interview, and went into the stage portion “not thinking I’d even podium.” But when longtime emcee Frank Nowicki called his name as the winner, “I blacked out. I did not hear anyone cheering. I didn’t see anyone standing up, nothing. I vaguely remember somebody giving me the medallion and putting the sash on.”

He’s looking forward to this weekend’s event, where he will serve as head judge for Sunday’s contest.

“It’s going to be so good to have a new sash son,” he says. “Somebody that I can love and be there for and support. And it’s going to be amazing to see everybody from literally around the world. MAL is always a good time to explore, to experience new things. And as I’ve said to probably hundreds of people in the last two months who are anxious about their first time at MAL, ‘I had a first time at MAL too.'”

METRO WEEKLY: Let’s start with your early years.

JASON ELLIOTT: I’m a Virginia boy, through and through, born and raised in the Hampton Roads area in Chesapeake. I’m one of four kids, and was born into a pretty conservative, really religious family — faith and spirituality and church and religion were a big part of my growing up. I actually planned to go into the ministry. That’s what I felt like my calling was.

MW: What denomination, may I ask?

ELLIOTT: We were independent fundamental Baptists. So, no shorts, no tank tops, no pants on the girls, no jewelry on the guys. There were very strict rules. I think that’s probably the nicest way to say that.

When I came out, the short of the long is that I was asked not to come back and participate in any of the church functions. That was a huge turning point for me because I was grappling with this new identity as a primarily gay man, and I was losing this really important identity of a person of faith.

MW: I can’t begin to imagine the inner-conflict you encountered at the time.

ELLIOTT: It was one of the most conflicting things I have ever felt because two things were true — I was a man of faith and I was also a man who felt an attraction to other men. And what gay culture had taught me is that if you’re going to be gay, you can’t be a Christian. And Christianity very clearly told me that if you’re going to be a Christian, you can’t be in the LGBTQ+ community.

MW: Can you pinpoint what sparked your attraction to men?

ELLIOTT: I can’t pinpoint a time when that decision was made. I can pinpoint a time when I decided to live with it. But as far as feeling that attraction, it’s as natural for me as the day I was born.

MW: So when did you decide to embrace it?

ELLIOTT: I was about 19 when I, through a series of unfortunate events, came out to my family. I was dating somebody. And, obviously, my family had all the suspicions. They knew this person — he was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday. I told him, “When you visit, I am not holding your hand. I’m not touching you. I’m not kissing you. We’re not sleeping in the same bed. Do not act like you are my boyfriend because you are not my boyfriend.” I laid down some very firm rules. On Black Friday, we all went shopping. It was just him and me driving to meet my siblings at the store. When we got to the store, I caved to his incessant begging for just a little peck in the parking lot. It was quick, just like that. But I did not know that my siblings were already there, and they saw it from across the parking lot.

Seventy-two hours later, it was a conversation to be had with everyone at that point because we’re a Southern family, we talk about each other. And they took it on themselves to make sure that my mom knew.

MW: How did she take it?

ELLIOTT: God bless my mom. I could not have a more perfect mom than the one I have. Her immediate response to me was, “I have been taught that this is wrong — I don’t believe that this is what the Bible says we should do with our lives. But I also believe God makes no mistakes. And so, this is not a chance for me to tell you that you’re wrong. This is a chance for you to teach me how to be right. Teach me how to keep loving you the way that I do.” That changed my life. I brag on my mom all the time for being my most perfect ally.

MW: Do you recall your first sexual experience with a man? Did you feel relief that it finally happened?

ELLIOTT: No, relief was nowhere on the docket. I felt paranoid. I felt guilty. I felt ashamed. I felt scared. I was confused. I mean, aside from that, the experience with him was wonderful — he was very present for someone who was exploring for the first time physically with somebody. That was lovely. Everything else was terrifying.

MW: The aftermath, so to speak.

ELLIOTT: Yep, the aftermath. That’s a good word for it. So, I didn’t know him in person. It had been an online interaction for a very long time. I was about 19. I was passing through his state and was like, “I’m going to be really close to where you live and would love to meet you in person.” I stayed overnight.

The next morning, I remember waking up, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, my throat is scratchy, and it’s hard for me to breathe. My eyes are swollen. I’m itchy.” My first thought was, “I have AIDS. Because I indulged, I’m going to die.” And this is coming from a point where I didn’t know anything about HIV at the time. I just knew that it’s what gay people got, and they died from it.

I can vividly remember being in that bed on that morning, hearing him in the kitchen, making his coffee or whatever, and thinking, “Was that worth dying for?” And I don’t think that that should be our first thought when we have had an encounter with somebody of that level of intimacy and excitement and joy and expression.

I walked out of the bedroom and saw five long-haired cats. I didn’t know about them because they were already all in bed by the time that I got there the night before. And I’m allergic to cats. So, it wasn’t AIDS, it was allergies.

I think back on that quite often. How many times do we jump right to the worst-case scenario when it might actually be the door opening up to one of the best things that ever happened in our lives? So that was my first real encounter, and it was just laced with stress and anxiety and guilt and secrecy. It took quite a while for me to get to a point where I could be open, but also enjoy who I am.

MW: You’re clearly at that point now.

ELLIOTT: I am very much at that point now. If anything, being a Leather title holder will push you into being a lot more comfortable.

MW: You’ve been one of the most active Mr. MALs in terms of being present at as many events as possible. I don’t think that anyone’s been to as many as you have.

ELLIOTT: [Laughs.] If someone claimed to have been to as many events as I have this year, I would ask them to prove me wrong.

MW: How many have you been to?

ELLIOTT: It has been 78 events totaling 99 appearances.

MW: Holy cow.

ELLIOTT: Yeah, I have packed it in. There was one weekend where I was in Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., and Virginia in the same 5-day span. I said yes to everything. There were, I believe, two events that I said no to, and it was just because I was already on the road somewhere else. It’s been a busy year.

MW: What’s been the most memorable thing about being Mr. MAL 2025?

ELLIOTT: Oh, my gosh. The coolest thing for me has been seeing the passion and the excitement in different areas and communities. Leading the World Pride parade’s Leather contingent was phenomenal. On my Facebook page, I have a picture of me waving the Leather Pride Flag in the parade. That was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

And also just learning a lot of our history. I’ve been able to meet so many people who said, “Oh my gosh, I competed for Mr. MAL back in the day.” “Wait, you did? No way.” Walking through the streets of Wilton Manors in Florida, being yelled at from across the street because they’re like, “Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather’s in the house!” My friends were like, “Do you know them?” I’d never seen them before in my life. They just knew I was Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather.

I also got to take a European tour and got to see what Leather is like in London, England. I went to Munich in Germany, and even met a former Mr. Austrian Leather in Austria. Their culture is different. Even things like how we take off our covers here — or that we call them a cover and they just call them a hat or a cap. We have different traditions, and it has been so good for me to get out of my bubble of what I have always thought or seen Leather to be and actually understand the beauty of our community because of its range and its diversity. It’s been so cool, so cool.

MW: Can you discuss any specific differences in how various communities honor their Leather traditions?

ELLIOTT: There is a clear difference, aesthetically and historically, between European Leather and American Leather. But I think the one common thread is that we’re at a place in Leather where some people are saying, “Trash the old guard. It’s time for the new guard.” And then some people are saying, “Screw this new guard stuff, the old guard is our foundation.” There’s a tug of war over “Who are we as a Leather community?” I don’t know that we’ll ever find everybody being in agreement over if it’s okay to wear colored leather if you’re not flagging, or it’s okay to touch the brim of your cover. Or, yes, we can have non-biological males in Leather spaces.

Some of these things I don’t think will ever be resolved. What I have seen this year, in my 34,000-plus miles of traveling, is that people are in leather because they are passionate, because they feel sexy, and because they want to be part of our family. And that, for me, transcends all else. We all get to make up our own rules. There are standards, there are stereotypes, there are traditions. But when it comes to how we express ourselves and especially what makes us feel sexy, what makes us feel empowered, that’s where we have to focus right now.

There are so many efforts right now against various factions of the LGBTQ+ community. In the Leather community, I have seen so many body shapes, body sizes, skin colors, ages, and backgrounds. That makes us strong against anybody who is trying to take us down. And so, for me, it’s that moment of sexy. When somebody feels sexy, that is undeniable. When they feel powerful, that is undeniable. And if putting on a harness makes you feel that way, then put on that fricking harness. If wearing a bar vest makes you feel like you’re putting on your suit of armor, wear that bar vest every single day. Leather is about the heart. Our Pride flag even has a giant heart on it.

That tells us right there that the heart of what we do is more important than how we do it. And this idea that you have to fit a stereotype or that you have to look a certain way or you have to do things a certain way, forget about it. Love each other, laugh, have a good time, and express yourself. And when your heart is big and bold, like the big, bold Leather Pride Flag, that’s when we’re doing it right.

MW: So, what’s next for you?

ELLIOTT: [Laughs.] Sleeping. I’m going to sleep. I’m going to rest. I’m going to see the inside of my apartment that I’m paying a mortgage on. In the short run, I have declined any invitations to judge or emcee in January, February, and March. I want to get my life back in order. My plants miss me. I need to spend some quality time watering them, but also I have a job hunt going on, so I’ve got to really put the pedal to the metal with that. I’ve got to reevaluate my life. But in the long run, I will never not be Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2025.

This has been a year to earn the right to serve this community for the rest of my life. Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather has opened the door for me to understand why I’m passionate about this community and what I want to do in it. I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet. I hope that I will be emceeing Mid-Atlantic Leather one day. That’s a specific goal. I hope that people will still bring me out to host their events and to sing for them, but I know no matter where it is or in what capacity, this is truly just the foundation of building a lifetime in the Leather community, for which I am very thankful.

Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend is Jan. 16 to 19 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave. NW. Jason Elliott is the Head Judge at the Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2026 Contest, Sunday, Jan. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Hyatt Ballroom. The event is nearly sold out but weekend passes may be still available for purchase at the door or by visiting leatherweekend.org.

A version of this interview appears in the Centaur MC’s Official Guide to Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend 2026. Reprinted with permission. Click here to read a digital version of the guide.