Destiny Amber, a Philadelphia resident who grew up in the small town of Pittston, Pennsylvania, may be young but is known to be wise beyond her years. She has already started making her mark in multiple ways, including serving as the current titleholder for Philadelphia Fetish, sharing her graphic design skills with many organizations and events, reading tarot cards for charity, leading the Philadelphia TNG (The Next Generation) a group for kinksters aged 18-35 and their partners, as well as volunteering and collaborating whenever possible. Whether behind a microphone or behind the scenes, Destiny puts her all into whatever she does and brings positive energy to it.

Alex Conley: When and how and did you discover the leather community?

Destiny Amber: I was brought in by a friend to help with some graphic design work for the Leather Leadership Conference when it made its visit to Philadelphia in 2014. I was walking down Broad Street, and a wonderful human (who I went on to learn was Tracy Black) called out to me: “Hello my beautiful leather sister!” Something felt like it kind of… clicked into place with that. I haven’t looked back since.

AC: What is your favorite musical instrument?

DA: The cello. I can listen to Bach’s Cello Suites performed by YoYo Ma on repeat, especially when I’m stressed.

AC: Tell us about a charity that is close to your heart.

DA: The Attic Youth Center in Philadelphia. They provide counseling, health and wellness services, group discussions, encouragement to explore the arts, career counseling… Growing up in the middle of nowhere, I didn’t really have any resources as a young queer kid. The fact that something like that exists here means so very much to me.

AC: What is the accomplishment that has made you the proudest in the leather community?

DA: When I won Philly Fetish. It was such a terrifying thing for me to undertake. You have to go into a competition thinking you have a shot to win, right? Overcoming all of my insecurities, about my body, my experience, and most specifically my age… It took a lot.

AC: What is your favorite drink?

DA: A good cup of Irish Breakfast tea, over-sweetened, no milk, and strong enough to hold its own in a bar fight.

AC: Do you believe in miracles?

DA: I believe that things, both extraordinarily good and horrifically bad, can happen without a rational explanation. So… Yes. I guess I do.

AC: If you could wave a magic wand and change something about the leather community right now, what would it be?

DA: Within our little community, there are a ton of even smaller segments: women, queers, pups, littles, slaves… The list is endless, as are the petty grievances between these groups. So much time is spent on focusing on the differences between all of us, and if I could wave that magic wand, I’d use it to slap everyone collectively upside the head and make them take a look at the simple fact that we are all a part of the same fucked up family and, even if we don’t always get along, we need to accept that we are in this together.

AC: Free-form time! What is a message you would really like to share with all the people reading this?

DA: No matter what tough times are coming our way, no matter how lonely you feel, no matter how dark things get, please remember that there is always someone who cares. As Valerie says in V for Vendetta, “I hope that the world turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may not meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you: I love you.”