It began with a need. Not the need to dress the part, but the need to express myself while dressing the part. It’s one thing to just do what is expected of you, and another to aim to be more than that.

Taking the Top Off isn’t about just being yourself though, it is about escaping the limits that were placed upon you by those around you. It is about reaching upwards, while forces aim to keep you down.

We exist to give the oppressed masses a voice and a space to be their excellent selves, with an emphasis on the men in black families. We acknowledge the forces that have sought to use, abuse, hang, limit, jail, imprison, undermine, drug, and abandon us. We support the men who are trying to overcome themselves to reach be the forces they need to be. We support those who support the men as well.