Leather and Love: Inside the Tom of Finland House With Terry Miller

The influence of Tom of Finland is extraordinary. "You can find Tom of Finland drawings in almost every leather bar, and in gay bars all over the world, "said Terry Miller, model, ToF ambassador, and co-founder of the It Gets Better Project (a nonprofit that uplifts and empowers LGBTQ+ youth around the globe). "It was almost like a code -- this is where you're accepted. This is where you'll find a community for yourself."

Related | Tom of Finland Launches Wine Label With Leather-Clad Photoshoot

To commemorate Tom's, what would have been 98th birthday, Terry visited the ToF House, which has served as a safe-haven for LGBTQ+ young people, artists in residence, and for anyone in search of belonging, to give us an inside look into the 35-year old landmark and to chat about the ToF partnership with the It Gets Better Project.

Terry said:

"For years, Tom of Finland's work has served as a means of connecting people and creating a conversation around what it means to be LGBTQ+. In a lot of ways, it's very similar to the It Gets Better Project. Just like it only takes one person to say "have you seen one of these videos" and then you go online and you find thousands of It Gets Better videos -- there are thousands of Tom of Finland pictures and drawings that tell the history of our community."

Watch more from Terry and the Tom of Finland Foundation in this video premiere below. And to learn more about how you can support the partnership between the It Gets Better Project and ToF, click here.