The Leather Community Outreach Project (Leather COP) is a peer led campaign dedicated to serving community development and safer sex education needs of the gay, male leather communities throughout New England.

Leather COP's goal is to increase knowledge of HIV/STD transmission and strengthen access to HIV/STD screening and services related to both prevention and treatment. This will be achieved through education forums, online resources, and printed material dissemination.

Recent reports show that gay and bisexual men in Massachusetts make up nearly 40% of all new HIV infections. These rates are twenty five times higher than heterosexual counterparts. In addition, a recent survey in Boston showed that only 18% of MSM (men who have sex with men) had ever participated in intervention for preventing HIV infection. New infection trends have not changed in since the mid 1990's, which in fact, indicate an increase in MSM infections.

With these alarming statistics, there is a clear need to re-examine HIV and STD prevention in the MSM community. Public funding sources significantly limit the message and visual impact/appearance of prevention outreach materials. Prevention materials seldom address the specific needs and fall short of providing culturally competent (visual/content) safer sex messages for the MSM leather community.

As a partnership fortified between local leather community figureheads and The MALE Center (Boston's only community resource and wellness center related to gay and bisexual men's health) Leather COP will be implemented in stages with outreach materials being produced and distributed throughout the Boston and greater New England region beginning in the fall of 2009.

A three stage approach has been initiated to develop, collect and disseminate information to the community through print materials (booklets, bar posters, etc.), web content & face to face interactions with a trained outreach teams.

Starting in October of 2008, the New England leather community mobilized to support the initiative through a series of charity events including:

Full Kit Gear Night - Ramrod Boston (raffles and a portion of the door cover donated to Leather COP throughout 2009)

Haunted Duplex IV, Halloween Charity Dance (10/31/09 - Ramrod Boston)

Haunted Duplex III, 2008

XXX-MAS (2008)

Leather COP will continue fundraising efforts through flea market tables, bar events and raffles to raise the needed funds to produce and distribute materials.

Want to help? Drop a line: MrBostonLthr2008@aol.com

Thank you for your support!