Chicago gay leather

SPONSORSHIP
OPPORTUNITIES

IML

4422 N. Ravenswood Ave

Chicago, IL 60640

IML-Info@imrl.com

Proceeds from International Mr. Leather benefits the Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M)

International Mr. Leather, International Mr. Bootblack, the Wingman logo, and “IML” are all trademarks or registered trademarks of International Mr. Leather, Inc., or The Renslow Charitable Foundation used under the terms of a licencing deal, all rights reserved.

INTERNATIONAL MR. LEATHER

ORGANIZATION | Inducted 2010

Founded in 1979, International Mr. Leather (IML) is one of the oldest LGBT institutions in Chicago and the United States. For more than three decades, IML has made far-reaching contributions in Chicago’s gay business, entertainment, health, and tourism arenas. Named “the granddaddy of all leather events” by San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter, IML brings thousands of gay men to Chicago annually on Memorial Day weekend. In recent years, the event has also been attracting women and people of all sexual orientations to its festivities. This homegrown contest has brought people from around the world to Chicago over the years.

IML was founded by Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos, both of whom are previous inductees into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Often led by the commitment and passion of its titleholders, IML has, over the years, confronted and publicly addressed issues such as AIDS, racism, sexism (and other forms of discrimination), addiction and recovery, crystal meth, and bare-backing. The IML stage has been shared by various races, religions, and nationalities, with contestants representing gay, non-gay,

THE LEATHER ARCHIVES AND MUSEUM

ORGANIZATION | Inducted 2017

The world well-known Leather Archives and Museum was formed in 1991 by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase and was incorporated by the state of Illinois the matching year. From the onset, the LA&M has been safeguarding the history of the fetish collective, remaining the only institution in the nation dedicated to the compilation, preservation, maintenance, and access to alternative sex culture.

Prior to 1995, the museum existed primarily as an expanding collection which was displayed periodically. In 1996, a storefront location was opened on North Clark, but the volume of donations soon outgrew the space. In 1999, the Leather Archives and Museum opened in Rogers Park and since then thousands own made LA&M a tourist destination.
The preservation of leather fetish history has been a motivating force of the LA&M from the start. During the AIDS crisis, amazing pieces of history were being missing along with lives. Securing and sustaining the artifacts and memory of the decimated leather/kink people was crucial. Countless items, relevant in telling the sexual history of so many, were creature discarded – artwork, b

Join us for an historical exploration of Chicago’s leather community and culture with Gary Wasdin, Executive Director of The Leather Archives & Museum. Chicago sat at the epicenter of the leather subculture’s emergence in the 1950’s including one of the first gay, leather bars in America – The Gold Coast. Leading into the 1960’s, Chicago was place to many publishers of the beefcake photography magazines which served as media communication hubs for leather subculture; and the city’s place in the society of leather and desire was cemented with the creation of the International Mr. Leather competition in the 1970’s.

Gary Wasdin is the Executive Director of the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago. He has over thirty years of senior management exposure in libraries, where he has focused on making collections and services more inclusive and accessible.

The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is a Chicago society archives, library, and museum founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991 in response to the AIDS crisis, during which the leather and fetish communities' history was frequently lost or intentionally suppressed and discarded. LA&M’s mission is to produce leather, kink,