It was at Living In Leather XIII held in Dallas that the idea of a NLA Chapter for those of us living in OKC was discussed and acted on. There were only 4 of us at that initial discussion and soon more joined us. We held initial planning meetings at Diversity Coffee Shop and hashed out By-Laws which we adopted in January 99. NLA-OKC became an official NLA-I local chapter on April 27, 1999 with an official communication from the NLA-I VP May 1, 1999.

From the very beginning, the direction the chapter took was based on NLA-I's STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: A diverse group of individuals devoted to Education, Political activism, Fund raising and a support network for those of the Leather/SM/Fetish community. Welcoming those of color, gender dysphoria, deaf and others who have been poorly represented or discriminated against in community. There were walking tours in search of pervertables. There were many needs in our community that we tried to address like The Winds House. We tried to be seen in the community participating in Gay Pride 99 and every year since that time.

We had help from NLA-Dallas in our first year with informal presentations that the club members were able to become educated on some aspects of the community.

We continue to support community outreach, Domestic Violence Project and to keep abreast of political activites. We have presented talks at Oklahoma State University.

Our annual event Tribal Fire is the only event of its kind in Oklahoma that presents educational sessions for the very beginner to the advanced player in BDSM. For more information see www.tribalfireokc.com.

See NLA-I's web site for up to date and complete versions of publications mentioned above.