International Mr. Leather: Gaining a greater appreciation for boys, girls of leather world

To say that I was intimidated attending International Mr. Leather 2010 would be the understatement of the year. While I can certainly appreciate the various fetish cliques of the gay community, actually being surrounded by a mass of leather-clad boys was an entirely different experience.

When I arrived at the IML Contest, sans leather but with notebook in tow, I was immediately greeted by a burly guy sporting a leather thong and a leather harness and a group of guys in bottomless leather chaps giving me the what-do-you-think-you're-doing-here-look. I was then hustled to the ticket desk and given a questionnaire as if I were an Ellis Island immigrant begging to be let into America. After I made it through my interrogation, I wondered, what gives? For a community that advocates celebrating diversity, IML seemed to be quite unwelcoming to a person that is curious about the leather community but not necessarily a part of it (maybe if I had worn my leather bracelet I would have been welcomed with big bear hugs?).

Despite the shaky start to the evening, I was convinced the leather world was actually more welcoming than meets the eye and there was much to learn from the evening. Entering Congress Theater's main concert room, I realized that the theme of this year's IML competition, A Leather Odyssey, was actually quite fitting. The entire room, pulsing with trance music from the DJ Ted Eliel, was filled with an array of characters, some from this world, and some definitely not. Following the theme of this year's competition, many of the rubber fetishists at IML dressed like space travelers straight from the movies, well sort of. A Space Odyssey definitely got an update as many contestants wore space suits in tight rubber form. On the leather side, men wearing leather kilts without underwear seemed to be a trend (obviously a highlight of the evening) and the women of leather represented in form-fitting dresses.

After eying all of the IML fashions and witnessing a man getting flogged 10 feet away from me, I decided it was time to take my seat for the show. At first, the competition seemed just like Ms. American only with leather (what would Carrie Prejean say?). Contestants are judged by their stage appearance, personality, speech, and overall presentation, and are eliminated down from 52 contestants, to 20, and then to the finalists. Unlike Ms. Prejean, however, these men actually had inspiring and eloquent messages and really seemed to convey a sense of community.

Men and women from all over the globe come to this event because of the sense of comradery they feel.  The folks of IML may have seemed intimidating and exclusionary at first (a guy with arms literally the size of my head was sitting next to me in a leather vest during the show), but what the contestants proved is that this entire process is about community building. After experiencing my first IML I may not be rushing to a store buy a leather harness, but I did gain a far greater appreciation for the boys and girls of the leather world.

Photos by D.F. Mickley