Adult performer Max Konnor said he was racially profiled and asked to leave NYC‘s longtime west village leather shop The Leather Man over the weekend.
Said Konnor on Twitter: “Guys, I just experienced racism full force. The owner of @LeatherManNYC just kicked me out after coming in trying to get an outfit made for the @GayVN awards. Please let them know that this behavior will not stand. Do not support this company. Send them a message.”
https://twitter.com/maxkonnorxxx/status/1071522573857501184
Said Konnor in a video posted to Twitter: “Racism. I just basically got kicked out of a store because of the color of my skin. If you guys ever come to New York or if you frequent this place, please let them know how you feel.”
Konnor told AVN that “after consulting with the leather maker and being advised the store would not be able to order the specific items he wanted” the white store owner rushed him and a friend out of the store while telling them he didn't have time to watch them: “I went back upstairs because the leather shop is downstairs and the owner comes up to us and says, ‘Guys, we don't have time to watch customers who aren't buying anything.' Then he stood there looking at us for like a minute and basically went in for the kill. He didn't care what we had to say. We were the only African Americans in the store. He told us he didn't have time to watch us—well no one asked you to watch us. We came in for a specific reason. It was the way that he approached us. After we left, the other patrons left, too. It's horrible. I've never felt like this in my life. I'm literally still shaking.”
Konnor said that another employee followed them out of the Christopher Street store and apologized for the owner.
https://twitter.com/maxkonnorxxx/status/1072389829890052096
The Leather Man also released a statement on Monday:
A number of rumors and misinformation about a supposedly racist incident taking place in our shop have been making the rounds on social media. They are, of course, untrue.
The Leather Man was founded in 1965, a period in American history where the Civil Rights Movement was just gaining traction and the Gay Rights Movement was barely in its infancy. In this pre-Stonewall era, being gay, let alone being a Leather Man could result in arrest, persecution, and discrimination. Civil liberties and the right to openly be who you are have been principles The Leather Man has upheld throughout the decades.
The Leather Man has a long history of employing women, people of color, and transgendered individuals in both sales and management positions. Throughout the worst of the AIDS epidemic, many HIV positive individuals found both employment and a safe home at The Leather Man when confronted by fear and discrimination elsewhere. As an institution, we take our role in the wider community very seriously.
We are deeply saddened that the specific interaction in question was, in any fashion, construed to have any racial overtones. This was a matter of implementing a shop policy with regard to custom work and alterations, and the disagreement was in no way based on the individuals being men of color.
We do utilize a buzzer system during busy times to allow our sales staff to adequately serve our customers individual needs, and it was not the case that any specific customers were ever locked out of the premises.
We regret that any customer would leave the store with such feelings but we hope that our five decades of commitment to progressive social values represents The Leather Man's commitment to being a welcoming place for all.
Konnor is a a 2019 nominee for GayVN Performer of the Year.
