According to a new exposé from Out, an LA-based cofounder of the Tom of Finland foundation and International Mr. Leather judge has been removed from his IML seat due to his alleged penchant for wearing Nazi regalia.
Durk Dehner was recently called out by International Mr. Leather’s executive director David Ronneberg in a Facebook post for photos in which Dehner appeared to wear certain Nazi symbols, such as swastikas and “Nazi Eagle” symbols.
Ronneberg wasn’t the only one to bring up Dehner’s troubling relationship to Nazi symbology. One man in the leather scene, crowned as Mr. Bullet Leather 2024, also posted about Dehner with accompanying images.
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“I love that one of the judges this year for International Mr. Leather, Inc. enjoys wearing N*zi regalia,” he wrote. “A huge part of the LA leather community has been keeping this under wraps for far too long and so have many others. Why would anyone feel safe running for a contest if he’s a judge?”
Another person in the leather scene explained in a separate post that Dehner is “why I don’t go to the Tom House anymore,” referring to the LA residence of the gay erotic artist Tom of Finland, which now operates as the Tom of Finland archive and museum, as well as offering residencies for artists and creators.
Dehner has since been removed from the International Mr. Leather website.
