If one has never been to Chicago, one is very lucky indeed to be invited for the first time to the Windy City during the annual extravaganza that is International Mr. Leather.  I, Daniel, was just such a fortunate fellow last Memorial Day Weekend, when I suddenly found myself amongst thousands of leather folk of all ages, races, genders, orientations, and proclivities for the thirty-second installment of this yearly leather family reunion.  Since almost every IML event takes place at the host hotel—which this year was the Hyatt Regency Chicago, mere steps from Chicago’s famed Loop—I ended up not seeing much more of the city than a tad of nearby Michigan Avenue and a few busy blocks of Boystown.  Still, it’s a trip I’ll never, ever forget. 

Full Disclosure #1:  Leather, to me, is wearing a nice pair of kid gloves while walking down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in January.  Full Disclosure #2:  My chief role at IML 32 was to man a booth at the infamous Leather Market (the main daytime attraction, held on four consecutive afternoons during the weekend), where my partner in crime, Steve Kleine, and I launched a new herbal sexual enhancement pill called ManCaps.  But more on that later.

Since a guy has to look the part in these parts, I’d gone to see my Palm Springs pal Paul to borrow some fixings prior to my departure for the Midwest.  Nothing too elaborate.  Just a leather vest and pants, plus a simple harness.  I already had the black boots, the Levis, and the black or white tees and tanks.  Wrist- and armbands I’d purchased new from local merchants Gear and Tuff Stuff.  I was all set and ready to go!

After my flight touched down at O’Hare International Airport on Thursday night, I made my way to the hotel, which was closed to outside guests, as it remained all weekend, the better to permit all of us to let our leather hair down.  If I felt a tad nervous about “passing” as a leather guy, any anxiety flew out the revolving door the minute my booted foot stepped inside the Hyatt.  If there’s one thing I learned at IML about the leather community, it’s that its members take “live and let live” seriously.  As I made my way to the bar amid a throng thick with of hundreds upon hundreds of guys in all kinds of get-ups, the sense of being not only accepted but embraced was palpable.  I was here, in gear, and I was a brother, no questions asked.

Over the next three nights, I sampled the various goings-on at the hotel.  Friday included the “IML Opening Ceremonies” (where more than 60 contestants from dozens of countries around the world were introduced alongside the contest’s judges), “Woof Camp” (an affair for human “pups,” “dogs,” “handlers,” and friends), “Gear Blast IML” (a feast for guys into sports, protective, rubber, leather, lycra, and other types of paraphernalia), the “Uniform Party” (you guessed it, for the cop and military set), and a silent auction where attendees bid on erotic artwork and unique contemporary fetish gear to benefit Chicago’s Leather Archives and Museum.

Saturday night’s offerings included the “IML Pecs and Personality Contest” (where contestants were judged on appearance and stage presence), the “BLUF Social Gathering” (sponsored by the international society of men into breeches, leather, and uniforms), and “The Texas Party Deep in the Heart of Leather” (a fundraiser for Hearing From the Heart hosted by Mr. Texas Leather/International Mr. Leather 2009 Jeffrey Payne and Mr. Texas Leather 2010 Jack Duke).

Sunday night was all about the “International Mr. Leather Contest” held at the nearby Congress Theater (where Tyler McCormick, Mr. Rio Grande, won International Mr. Leather 2010, with First Runner-Up going to Mr. San Francisco Leather Lance Holman, and Second Runner-Up going to the aforementioned Jack Duke).  Immediately following was the “IML Victory Party” at the House of Blues, where DJ Matthew Harvat spun until dawn.

As much fun as I had running around and dancing all night all weekend long with my brethren in chaps, collars, harnesses, jocks, and boots made of leather and latex—not to mention my personal favorites, the plushies and furries in playful animal costumes—my best one-on-one moments came during the day at the Leather Market.  A gathering of hundreds of vendors from around the world, all of whom display their wares for potential customers (21 years of age or older, please) who pay a five-dollar entry fee that goes directly to benefit Chicago’s Leather Archives and Museum, the Leather Market was mobbed from Friday to Monday.

For sale was everything from condoms and lubes to toys, restraints, porn, piercings and other jewelry, boots, candles, erotic artwork and literature, and all manner of attire.  Sex and sensuality filled the air as masseurs offered inexpensive rubdowns, bondage aficionados presented shameless demonstrations, and the big guns like Manhunt, Cheap Lubes, Recon, Gay Mart, Folsom Street Events, and Canadian retailer Priape all had a strong presence.

In the midst of this consumerama, Steve and I did our best to spread the good word about ManCaps, an herbal supplement that provides all the benefits of prescriptives like Cialis and Viagra without the unwanted side effects.  At $2.50 per pill, ManCaps are also by far the least expensive alternative.

I’m happy to report we were a hit!  After all, who couldn’t use a better boner?  We humbly predict that ManCaps are going to be huge (pun entirely intended).  And when our little blue-and-white capsules are a household name, we’ll look back and fondly remember that it all began with a unforgettable weekend spent in leather.

www.IMRL.com

 Photography by DavidALeePhotography.com