International Mr. Leather
International Mr. Leather #29 was held in 2007
NicknameIML
StatusActive
Genre
FrequencyAnnually, Memorial Day weekend
Location(s)Chicago, Illinois
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1979 (1979)

International Mr. Leather (IML) is a multi-day conference and competition celebrating the leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM communities. Originally established in 1979, IML is held annually in Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend, drawing participants from around the world.

Events include speakers, socials, themed dance parties and a leather market. IML contestants qualify for the competition either by winning a lower-level feeder competition of a bar, local or regional leather contest, or by being sponsored by a leather-related bar, business, club, or organization.

History

The forerunner of the competition was the 1970s "Mr. Gold Coast" bar contest held at Chicago's Gold Coast leather bar, owned by Chuck Renslow and his then-partner, Dom Orejudos. The "Mr. Gold Coast" contest became one of the bar's most popular promotions causing the need to locate the competition to a larger venue in 1979, upon which the title was changed to International Mr. Leather.

In 1984 Ron Moore became the first black man to win International Mr. Leather.[1] In 1997, his sister Genelle Moore won International Ms. Leather, which made them the first siblings to hold international leather titles.[2][3]

Competing in the 1986 International Mr. Leather contest inspired Steve Maidhof to organize a conference for members of the growing S&M, leather, and fetish community, which would focus on education and political activism. To host this conference, named Living in Leather, Maidhof recruited several friends and leading members of Seattle's leather community including: Cookie Andrews-Hunt, Wayne Gloege, Billy Jefferson, Jan Lyon, George Nelson, and Vik Stump. Together, they formed the National Leather Association (NLA), which officially incorporated in the summer of 1986. In October, they hosted the first Living in Leather (LIL) conference.[4]

The leather pride flag was designed by Tony DeBlase, and he first presented the design at the IML competition on May 28, 1989.[5]

The International Mr. Bootblack (IMrBB)[6] competition was added to the IML program in 1993. At its inception in 1993, the competition was properly titled the International Bootblack Competition, and both men and women were allowed to compete. In 1998, it was announced that the competition would be changed to the International Mr. Bootblack Competition and that a separate competition solely for women would be held at International Ms. Leather. This change was made largely because it was commonly held that women had a significant disadvantage competing for ballots from the mostly gay male IML attendees, who often base their bootblack selection at least partly on their sexual attraction to the bootblack. Since 1999, competitors for IMrBB are restricted to persons over the age of 21 who can provide a valid government-issued form of identification that identifies them as male.

In 1995, “Chuck Renslow – IML” was one of the recipients of the International Deaf Leather Recognition Award.[7]

In 1999 IML received the Business of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.[8]

In 2007 and 2012 IML received the Large Event of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.[8]

In May 2009 it was announced that IML proceeds would be placed in a trust to benefit the Leather Archives and Museum.[9] The Leather Archives and Museum holds the records of the IML.[10]

IML established in July 2009 the policy that IML Leather Market participation would exclude "any entity which promotes barebacking or distributes/sells any merchandise tending to promote or advocate barebacking."

In 2010 IML was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.[11]

Also in 2010, Tyler McCormick became the first openly transgender man, the first wheelchair user, and the first person from New Mexico to win International Mr. Leather.[12]

Starting in 2013, the International Mr. Bootblack (IMrBB) contest in the IML program has implemented a judging system to select the winner. Contestants are evaluated by a panel of judges on the basis of their technical bootblacking skills, how they present themselves on stage and in public and what they say in an interview with the judges. Ballot voting still makes up a percentage of the contestant's total score.

In 2018, IML was inducted into the Leather Hall of Fame during Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend 2018.[13][14]

In 2019, Jack Thompson became the first openly transgender person of color to win International Mr. Leather. His win also made it the first time black men won consecutive International Mr. Leather titles.[15][16]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant shutdowns and cancellations of large gatherings throughout the world, in-person IML events in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled. IML resumed in May 2022.[17]

IML contest criteria

Preliminary round

Contest finalists are selected following:

  1. A preliminary interview with each of the nine judges, up to 8 minutes in length, are held in private (60% of the preliminary score).
  2. Stage presence and personality at a Saturday "Pecs and Personality" event (40% of the preliminary score).

The judge's highest and lowest scores for each contestant on each criterion are dropped, and the contestant's remaining seven scores are tallied to determine the 20 contestants with the highest combined scores to proceed as finalists at the Sunday IML contest event. The only time that the dropped scores are included in the tally is when there is a tie for the 20th place; the contestants in question have their dropped scores included in the tally but if the stalemate continues then each of the nine judges must vote for only one of the two contestants. Preliminary judging scores are not carried forward. There are also two tally masters.

Final round

Each of the 20 finalists is judged at the Sunday IML contest on a scale from 0 to 100 in the following order:

  1. Leather image (up to 40 points).
  2. Presentation skills that include a contestant speech (up to 40 points).
  3. Physical appearance (up to 20 points).

The highest and lowest scores for each finalist are dropped, the remaining seven scores are added together, and the top three scores designate the second runner-up, first runner-up, and winner, International Mr. Leather. A tie for the title is resolved by adding to the tally the dropped scores of the two contestants; if the stalemate continues then each of the nine judges must vote for only one of the contestants in question.

IML contest winners

The following is a table of IML contest winners:

IML Year IML winner Winner's preliminary title or sponsor Winner's city Field of contestants Contest's Location and Host Hotel
1979David KlossMr. Leather BrigSan Francisco, California12 men from 6 U.S. statesGrand Ballroom of the Radisson Hotel
1980Patrick BrooksMr. Leather AustraliaSydney, Australia18 men from 7 U.S. states and AustraliaGrand Ballroom of the Radisson Hotel
1981Marty KikerSponsored by The Brig & The PhoenixSan Francisco, California36 men from 3 countries incl. 11 U.S. statesPark West
1982Luke DanielMr. DrummerSan Francisco, California46 men from 14 U.S. states and CanadaPark West
1983Coulter ThomasMr. Texas LeatherHouston, Texas44 men from 15 U.S. states and CanadaPark West & Allerton Hotel
1984Ron MooreMr. Leather ColoradoDenver, Colorado30 men from 14 U.S. states and AustraliaPark West & Allerton Hotel
1985Patrick TonerMr. Chaps San FranciscoSan Francisco, California27 men from 3 countries incl. 14 U.S. statesPark West & Allerton Hotel
1986Scott TuckerMr. Philadelphia LeatherPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania28 men from 14 U.S. statesPark West & Lake Shore Hotel
1987Thomas KaraschMr. Leather EuropeHamburg, Germany31 men from 3 countries incl. 14 U.S. statesPark West & Days Inn
1988Michael PereyraMr. Leather San DiegoSan Diego, California42 men from 3 countries incl. 20 U.S. statesClubland at The Vic Theatre & Executive House Hotel
1989Guy BaldwinMr. National Leather AssociationLos Angeles, California48 men from 22 U.S. states and CanadaClubland at The Vic Theatre & Executive House Hotel
1990Mark RyanMr. Boston LeatherBoston, Massachusetts42 men from 3 countries incl. 22 U.S. statesClubland at The Vic Theatre
1991D CannonMr. CC (of Palm Springs)Los Angeles , California50 men from 3 countries incl. 24 U.S. statesClubland at The Vic Theatre & Executive House Hotel
1992Lenny BrobergMr. San Francisco LeatherSan Francisco, California56 men from 22 U.S. states and CanadaAragon Ballroom & Executive House Hotel
1993Henri ten HaveSponsored by Motor Sportclub Amsterdam (MSA)Amsterdam, Netherlands51 men from 5 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesAragon Ballroom & Congress Plaza Hotel
1994Jeff TuckerMr. San Jose LeatherSan Jose, California49 men from 5 countries incl. 21 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
1995Larry EverettMr. Oklahoma LeatherCollinsville, Oklahoma50 men from 6 countries incl. 26 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Hyatt Regency Chicago
1996Joe GallagherMr. Leather New YorkNew York, New York49 men from 6 countries incl. 25 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
1997Kevin CwaynaMr. Minnesota LeatherMinneapolis, Minnesota53 men from 5 countries incl. 24 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
1998Tony MillsMr. Mid-Atlantic LeatherWashington, D.C.62 men from 7 countries incl. 24 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
1999Bruce ChopnikMr. Rocky Mountain LeatherDenver, Colorado52 men from 5 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
2000Mike TaylorMr. Heartland LeatherColumbus & Cincinnati, Ohio60 men from 7 countries incl. 25 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
2001Stefan MüllerBavarian Mr. LeatherMunich, Germany63 men from 7 countries incl. 27 U.S. statesCongress Theater & The Palmer House Hilton
2002Stephen WeberMr. Texas LeatherDallas, Texas66 men from 7 countries incl. 28 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Hyatt Regency Chicago
2003John PendalMr. HoistLondon, United Kingdom58 men from 5 countries incl. 25 U.S. statesCongress Theater & The Palmer House Hilton
2004Jason HendrixMr. D.C. Eagle 2004Washington, D.C.58 men from 5 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesCongress Theater & Hyatt Regency Chicago
2005Michael EgdesMr. RamrodFort Lauderdale, Florida52 men from 6 countries incl. 25 U.S. statesNavy Pier Skyline Stage & Hyatt Regency Chicago
2006Bo LadashevskaMr. Leather Montreal 2006Montreal, Quebec, Canada51 men from 5 countries incl. 18 U.S. statesChicago Theatre & The Palmer House Hilton Hotel
2007Mikel GerleMr. Los Angeles Leather 2007Los Angeles, California53 men from 5 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesChicago Theatre & The Palmer House Hilton
2008Gary IrizaMr. Palm Springs Leather 2008Palm Springs, California51 men from 6 countries incl. 21 U.S. statesHyatt Regency Chicago
2009Jeffrey PayneMr. Texas Leather 2009Dallas, Texas54 menHilton Chicago
2010Tyler McCormickMr. Rio Grande Leather 2010Albuquerque, New Mexico52 menCongress Theater & Hyatt Regency Chicago
2011Eric GuttierezMr. Leather Europe 2011Paris, France53 menHarris Theater & Hyatt Regency Chicago
2012Woody WoodruffMr. Michigan Leather 2012Waterford, Michigan49 menHarris Theater & Hyatt Regency Chicago
2013Andy CrossMr. San Francisco Leather 2013San Francisco, California51 menHarris Theater & Marriott Michigan Ave. Chicago
2014Ramien PierreMr. D.C. Eagle 2014Washington, D.C.46 men from 5 countriesHarris Theater & Marriott Michigan Ave. Chicago
2015Patrick SmithMr. Los Angeles Leather 2015Los Angeles, California52 men from 8 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesPark West and Harris Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
2016David "Tigger" BaileyMr. New Jersey Leather 2016Howell, New Jersey59 men from 7 countries incl. 25 U.S. statesPark West and Harris Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
2017Ralph BruneauMr. GNI (Gay Naturists International) Leather 2016Los Angeles, California63 men from 13 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesAuditorium Theatre & Congress Plaza Hotel
2018James LeeMr. Kentucky Leather 2017Lexington, Kentucky71 men from 15 countries incl. 27 U.S. statesAuditorium Theatre & Congress Plaza Hotel
2019Jack ThompsonLeatherman of Color 2019Baltimore, Maryland68 men from 15 countries incl. 26 U.S. states and Puerto RicoAuditorium Theatre & Congress Plaza Hotel
2020Contest cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021
2022Gael Leung Chong WoMr. Leather Belgium 2020/2021Ghent, Belgium60 men from 11 countries incl. 23 U.S. statesArie Crown Theater & Congress Plaza Hotel
2023Marcus BarelaEagle LA Mr. Leather 2023Los Angeles, California54 men from 10 countries incl. 21 U.S. statesAuditorium Theatre & Congress Plaza Hotel

International Mr. Bootblack Competition

The International Mr. Bootblack (IMrBB) Competition runs throughout the IML weekend. Contestants are given a location in the IML Leather Market at which they perform bootblacking services. Weekend ticket package holders (as well as judges, contestants, and vendors) are each provided with a bootblack ballot which is redeemable for one shine by the bootblack of the voter's choice. Bootblacks are free to shine the boots of any person, regardless of whether that person has a ballot, although it is made clear that the ballots are the means by which the winner will be determined. Tipping is not required, but is quite common.

The bootblack contestants work during the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of IML during the time that the Leather Market is open, a total of approximately 20 hours over three days. In previous years, the bootblacks were allowed to shine boots and collect tickets at all times during the weekend. Since 2001, the bootblack contestants have established a gentlemen's agreement at the start of the weekend that they will not shine boots or accept ballots except during the established competition hours. This agreement was conceived to give the contestants the freedom to take time to enjoy the weekend without feeling the pressure to always be bootblacking.

At its inception in 1993, the competition was properly titled the International Bootblack Competition, and both men and women were allowed to compete. In 1998, it was announced that the competition would be changed to the International Mr. Bootblack Competition and that a separate competition solely for women would be held at International Ms. Leather. This change was made largely because it was commonly held that women had a significant disadvantage competing for ballots from the mostly gay male IML attendees, who often base their bootblack selection at least partly on their sexual attraction to the bootblack. Since 1999, competitors for IMrBB are restricted to persons over the age of 21 who can provide a valid government-issued form of identification that identifies them as male.

The winner of the International Mr. Bootblack Competition is announced (along with the first and second runners-up and the winner of the Brotherhood Award, on which the IMrBB competitors vote and which is roughly analogous to the Miss Congeniality Award from various traditional beauty contests) at the Sunday contest, immediately following the announcement of the top 20 IML finalists.

In recent years, largely because of coordination of the contest by David Hawks, International Mr. Bootblack 2000, the Bootblack Competition has begun to develop adjunct activities. An IMrBB party is held in a hotel function room on Saturday night, offering food, music, and a silent auction, the proceeds of which go to the travel fund of the winner. Likewise, during the competition hours in the Leather Market, volunteers man a table to answer questions and sell IMrBB Travel Fund pins, which also adds to the travel fund. These sources of revenue have provided the various titleholders with significantly more money to aid their travel to distant events during their title years. The money is controlled by the contest coordinator, and any access to the funds must be accompanied by proof of the travel outlay.

Starting in 2013, the IMrBB contest has implemented a judging system to select the winner. Contestants are evaluated by a panel of judges on the basis of their technical bootblacking skills, how they present themselves on stage and in public and what they say in an interview with the judges. Ballot voting still makes up a percentage of the contestant's total score.

IMrBB contest winners

The following is a table of IMrBB contest winners:

Date IMrBB winner Winner's preliminary title or sponsor Winner's city Number of contestants
1993David MorganDC EagleWashington, D.C. ?
1994William Shields, Jr.Chicago Eagle & Chicago Hellfire ClubChicago, Illinois ?
1995Tim CousinsDC EagleWashington, D.C. ?
1996Todd NelsonThe CuffSeattle, Washington ?
1997DrillerSF Eagle & Daddy's BarSan Francisco, California ?
1998Matthew DuncanCentaur MCWashington, D.C. ?
1999Robert EhrlichDC EagleWashington, D.C. ?
2000David HawksMid-Atlantic Bootblack 2000 (Centaur MC)Washington, D.C. ?
2001Paksen BurrellMid-Atlantic Bootblack 2001 (Centaur MC)Washington, D.C. ?
2002Michael LanziniThe LureNew York City, New York ?
2003Richie ChameroyDaddy's Bar & Powerhouse BarSan Francisco, California ?
2004Alan TunstallThe Barracks Bar & Avatar ClubLos Angeles, California8 men
2005BooBooGreat Lakes Leather Alliance & Laws LeatherCleveland, Ohio9 men
2006Benjamin PalmerPumpJack Pub & Priape VancouverVancouver, British Columbia, Canada5 men
2007SpotGreat Lakes Leather AllianceLansing, Michigan5 men
2008BootdogAlameda County Leather CorpsOakland, California5 men
2009McGBootblack Toronto 2009Toronto, Ontario, Canada6 men
2010Tim StarkeyBoston RamrodBoston, Massachusetts5 men
2011Jim DeuderNYC Bootblack Roundtable, The Leather Man NYC & the Eagle NYCNew York City, New York6 men
2012Nick ElliottOregon State Bootblack, 2011Portland, Oregon2 men
2013Sammy SkloverOregon State Bootblack, 2012Portland, Oregon3 men
2014ScoutEros SF & the San Francisco EagleOakland, California7 men
2015Bamm-BammInternational Leatherboy 2012, SF EagleSan Francisco, California6 men
2016Erick JosephAlaska State BootblackAnchorage, Alaska ?
2017Ryan "Pawlish" Garner-CarpenterIndependent CandidateCincinnati, Ohio3 men
2018Lucky RebelMr. Oregon State Leather 2016Portland, Oregon ?
2019Kriszly de HondMr. Puppy Europe 2015, XXXLeather's House BootblackZaandam, Netherlands4 men
2020Contest cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021
2022Alistair LeatherHiraethBootblack Europe 2020Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom3 men
2023Contest cancelled due to staff resignation[18]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Bean, Joseph W. (2004). International Mr. Leather: 25 Years of Champions. International Mr. Leather, Inc. and The Leather Archives and Museum (1st ed.). Las Vegas: Nazca Plains. ISBN 1-887895-38-8.
  2. ^ Davolt, Robert (2003). Painfully Obvious: An Irreverent & Unauthorized Manual for Leather/SM. cover design by Steve Diet Goedde. Los Angeles: Daedalus Publishing. p. 212. ISBN 1-881943-19-4.
  3. ^ International Mr. Leather, Inc. "Contestant Application" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2005-12-21.
  4. ^ "Leather Archives & Museum Announcement". Twitter. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  5. ^ "IML Makes History". Will Clark World. 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  6. ^ International Mr. Leather, Inc. "Official IML Scoring Procedure". Archived from the original on 2005-12-22. Retrieved 2005-12-21.
  7. ^ International Mr. Leather, Inc. "IML 2004". Archived from the original on 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2005-12-18.
  8. ^ International Mr. Leather, Inc. (2005-05-30). Michael Egdes Named International Mr. Leather 2005 Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago. (Microsoft Word). Press release. Archived from the original on 2005-12-23. Retrieved 2005-12-19.
  9. ^ "International Mr. Leather – Bootblack Contest". Archived from the original on 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
  10. ^ "International Mr. Leather – Past Bootblack Winners". Archived from the original on 2006-03-24. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
  11. ^ International Mr. Leather, Inc. (2007-05-27). Mikel Gerle Named International Mr. Leather 2007. (Microsoft Word). Press release. Archived from the original on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
  12. ^ "International Mr. Bootblack 2013 Press Release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-19. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  13. ^ Source for 1979 to 2003: Bean, Joseph W. (2004). International Mr. Leather: 25 Years of Champions. International Mr. Leather, Inc. and The Leather Archives and Museum (1st ed.). Las Vegas: Nazca Plains. ISBN 1-887895-38-8.
  14. ^ Source for 2004 to 2008: "International Mr. Leather - History". Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-03-15.

References

  1. "Displaying items by tag: International Leather". The Leather Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  2. "Cuir Underground". www.black-rose.com.
  3. "Leather Archives & Museum". Twitter. 23 May 2020. Retrieved 28 Aug 2022.
  4. "Finding Aid to the National Leather Association Collection of Records". Leather Archives and Museum. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  5. "Leather History Timeline". Leather Archives & Museum. Archived from the original on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  6. "Bootblacking or how to love your leather boots". lustmoments. December 24, 2018.
  7. "International Deaf Leather | AWARDS". July 4, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Pantheon of Leather Awards All Time Recipients - The Leather Journal". www.theleatherjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  9. "Leather Archives & Museum Announcement". Twitter. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  10. "KANE, "DRUMMER," AND DEBLASE — Rick Storer, Leather Archives & Museum — San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group". Sfldg.org. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  11. "Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
  12. "Tyler McCormick, International Mr. Leather 2010 - Leatherati Online". Leatherati.com. 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  13. "CLAW". Clawinfo.org. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  14. "> Home". Leatherhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  15. "Jack Thompson Is the First Trans POC to Win International Mr. Leather". www.out.com. May 26, 2019.
  16. Rhodes, Dave. "Jack Thompson is the first Trans POC to win IML title - The Leather Journal". www.theleatherjournal.com.
  17. "Event Schedule". International Mr. Leather. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  18. "Bootblack Contest". International Mr. Leather, Inc. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
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