Judy Tallwing McCarthey

Judy Tallwing McCarthey (also known as Judy Tallwing, born Judy Browning in 1945 in Arizona) is a leatherwoman  and artist.

Early life
She attended American Indian boarding school and Catholic girls' school.

Involvement in leather culture
In 1987 she became the first International Ms. Leather.

That same year, she was the leather community's keynote speaker at the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

From 1988 to 1992 she was co-chair of the National Leather Association.

In 2020 she became the first woman of color given the Leather Leadership Award at the Creating Change conference.

At one point, she operated the fetish clothing manufacturer Mr. S Leather, founded by Alan Selby.

Awards and Honors

 * 1989 – Woman of the Year award, shared with Shan Carr, as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.
 * 1996 and 2001 – Forebear Award, as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.
 * 2003 – Lifetime Achievement Award, as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.
 * 2020 – Leather Leadership Award, given at the Creating Change conference.

A video of her speech at International Ms. Leather in 1987 is shown in the exhibition “A Room of Her Own” at the Leather Archives & Museum.

Art
Her art is in the American Visionary Art Museum.

Personal life
She is of African, Apache, and Tewa descent.

She has six children.

She is openly lesbian and involved in BDSM.