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Tom of Finland co-founder dropped from judging post in wake of Nazi photo scandal

The decision to distance itself from Dehner has come after old photos circulated of him donning attire featuring the swastika and the Nazi eagle symbols

By Gary Grimes

Derk Dehner and the International Mr. Leather logo
Derk Dehner and the International Mr. Leather logo (Image: TalkArt/X/International Mr. Leather, Inc./Facebook)

Durk Dehner, a co-founder of the Tom of Finland Company and Foundation, has been dropped as a judge at the International Mr. Leather competition in light of a scandal surrounding photos of him wearing Nazi regalia.

The decision to distance itself from Dehner has come after social media posts by Pup Diego Onyx, who was crowed Mr. Bullet Leather in 2024, began to circulate which included old photos of the businessman donning attire which featured the swastika and the Nazi eagle symbols.

As the posts gained traction online, Dehner was removed from his position as a judge for the upcoming competition. In a statement posted on the IML Facebook page the company’s executive director David Ronneberg said that he was “very angry” at the recent evidence which “clearly indicates [Dehner] is not fit to be part of our organisation.”

He elaborated saying: “Hate has no place at IML. Period, full stop. Anyone who wears hate-based imagery or symbols, whether Nazi regalia or a fucking MAGA hat – has NO place at the table, NO voice in the conversation, and can fuck right off.

“There is no grey area here,” he went on to say.

Following the decision, the Tom of Finland Foundation, which aims to celebrate and preserve the homoerotic art of artist Touko Valio Laaksonen (known as Tom of Finland), also took to social media, sharing a statement on Instagram which reads: “Tom of Finland Foundation unequivocally condemns all racism and hatred, and all symbols that are used to convey such views.

“As a Foundation, we hold ourselves to the highest standard of inclusivity, equity, and respect for all individuals, and we reject any content or behavior that runs counter to these principles.”

In a subsequent post on Instagram, Onyx wrote: “It really shouldn’t take younger trans POC people in the leather community to do the work that an organization as big as IML should be doing itself. Durk was removed as a judge this morning after the post blew up. Do better everyone.”