When I Say Honor, Respect and Integrity

We toss around a lot of words in the Leather community. Many people repeat the same words and phrases but what does that actually mean? What do honor, respect and integrity mean to me?

When I think of the words Honor, Respect and Integrity, many visions come to mind.  I envision a place where I hold myself to, not the standards set by others, but the beliefs I hold sacred within my mind, body and spirit. I show Honor by striving to live my  life gracefully and genuinely.  I show respect by striving to treat myself and others with kindness and gratitude and, by living with Integrity, I do those things because it is authentic to my true self, not because I am trying to be something I am not. To be whole and complete, to live with Honor and Integrity, I must hold myself to a standard that resonates with my authentic self. By living authentically, I show Respect to myself, my community and to those who walked this path before me. I am blessed with my brothers and sisters in leather who, by also living their lives with Integrity, support me as I support them in the journey of self discovery and awareness.