Web Extra: IML 2000 Contestants

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

Boldface = one of the Top 20 Finalists

1. Ric Sullivan * Mr. Northwoods 1999

Sponsor: Argonauts of Wisconsin * Green Bay, WI

2. Bob Guenther * Mr. Maryland Leather 2000

Sponsor: C.O.M.M.A.N.D. MC * Baltimore, MD

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3. Steve Duvall * Mr. Ft. Lauderdale Eagle 2000
Sponsor: Ft. Lauderdale Eagle * Ft. Lauderdale, FL

4. Tony Frazier * Mr. Eagle PDX
Sponsor: The Eagle PDX * Portland, OR

5. Jimmy Lee Murray * Mr. North Atlantic 2000

Sponsor: Utica Tri’s MC / Networth / Positive Action Inc * Utica, NY

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6. Ken Hauan * Mr. 501 Eagle 2000

Sponsor: 501 Eagle Club * Indianapolis, IN

7. T.C. Haskins * Mr. Triangle Denver 1999-2000
Sponsor: Triangle Denver * Denver, CO

8. Gaetan Roberge * Mr. Leather Montreal 2000

Sponsor: Mc. Faucon * Montreal, Quebec Canada

9. Douglas Bedard * Mr. Faultline Leather 2000

Sponsor: Faultline Bar * Los Angeles, CA

10. Todd Crutchfield * Mr. South Texas Leather 2000

Sponsor: Archangel * San Antonio, TX

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11. Ted “Tedbear” Kuehner * Mr. Bullet Leather 2000

Sponsor: Bullet Bar * North Hollywood, CA

12. Buzzy Malinowski * Mr. Baltimore Eagle 2000

Sponsor: Baltimore Eagle * Baltimore, MD

13. Joe Harneft

Sponsor: Lube Ireland * Dublin, Ireland

14. Bruce Dandi Tidwell * Mr. Atlanta Eagle 1999

Sponsor: The Atlanta Eagle * Atlanta, GA

15. Terrell Brown * Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2000

Sponsor: T.U.L.S.A. (Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association) * Tulsa, OK

16. John Rossi * Mr. Leather Western Michigan 2000

Sponsor: Family Wear / Brothers Beta Club * Kalamazoo, MI

17. Peter Wallace * Mr. Leather Europe 1999
Sponsor: Scandinavian Leather Men Oslo * Oslo, Norway

18. David G. * Mr. Iowa Leather

Sponsor: The Blazing Saddle / Corn Haulers L&L Club of Iowa * Des Moines, IA

19. Tim * Rocky Mountain Mr. Leather 1999

Sponsor: Thunder in the Mountains * Denver, CO,

20. Thomas Kahn * Mr. Kentucky Leather 2000

Sponsor: Kentucky Leather Productions / The Phoenix * Lexington, KY

21. Christian Hermann * German Mr. Leather 2000

Sponsor: Berlin Leder und Fetisch E.V. * Berlin, Germany

22. Lee Wheeler * Mr. Michigan Leather 2000
Sponsor: The Back Door at City Limits * Grand Rapids, Ml

23. Earl Thomas * Mr. Suncoast Eagle 2000

Sponsor: Suncoast Resort Hotel * St. Petersburg, FL

24. Mark Cady * Mr. Philadelphia Leather 2000
Sponsor: The Bike Stop * Philadelphia, PA

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25. Todd Leek * Mr. Minneapolis Eagle

Sponsor: Minneapolis Eagle * Minneapolis, MN

PHOTO: 2016.JPG From left: Bob “Puppy” Pedder, Craig West, Jeff Wacha, and Silver Wolf.

26. Bob “Puppy” Pedder * Mr. Boston Leather 2000 (and Second runner-up, IML 2000)
Sponsor: CRC Associates * Boston, MA

27. Craig West * Mr. Oregon Leather

Sponsor: Blackout Leather Productions * Portland, OR

28. Jeff Wacha * Mr. LA Leather 2000
Sponsor: Los Angeles Leather Coalition * Los Angeles, CA

29. Silver Wolf * Mr. Stage Door Leather 2000

Sponsor: Stage Door Lounge / Brotherhood of Bears, Inc. * Dayton, OH

30. Tim Craft * Mr. Wisconsin Leatherman 2000

Sponsor: Wisconsin Leatherman Productions * Milwaukee, WI

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31. Christopher Chaput * Mr. Palm Springs Leather

Sponsor: Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert * Palm Springs, CA

32. John Lait * Mr. BC Leather 99

Sponsor: Q2 Productions * Vancouver, British Columbia

33. Rob Esmonde * Mr. Daddy’s Leather 2000

Sponsor: Daddy’s Bar * San Francisco, CA

34. Bob Hancock * Gotham Leatherman 2000

Sponsor: GMSMA / FETICO FETISH LEATHER * New York, NY

35. Mark lngham * Mr. Alameda County Leather 1999

Sponsor: Alameda County Leather Corps * Castro Valley, CA

PHOTO: 36. Mike Taylor * Mr. Heartland Leather 2000 (and now International Mr. Leather 2000)
Sponsor: Heartland Leather Productions / TriState Leather * Columbus / Cincinnati, OH

37. Gary Vandeventer * Mr. DC Eagle 2000
Sponsor: DC Eagle, Inc. * Washington, DC

38. Ariq Robinson * Mr. Ebony Leather 1999

Sponsor: Cain Berlinger * New York, NY

39. Stan Harrell * Master Of Leather 1999-2000

Sponsor: Leather Alternatives * Houston, TX

40. Terry Brown * Mr. Dixie Belle Leather 2000

Sponsor: DBWarehouse Complex / KC Pioneers / The Leather Shop * Kansas City, MO

41. Anthony Ferdaise * Mr. Padlock 2000

Sponsor: Padlock / Tuff Stuff Leatherware * Phoenix, AZ

42. Ron Grigsby * Santa Clara County Mr. Leather

Sponsor: Santa Clara County Leather Assoc. * San Jose, CA

43. Howard Hao * Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull 2000
Sponsor: The Ottawa Knights * Ottawa, Ontario Canada

44. Robert Goode * Mr. Texas Leather 2000

Sponsor: Dallas Eagle * Dallas, TX

45. Chuck Lance * Mr. Louisiana Leather 2000
Sponsor: The Lords of Leather * New Orleans, LA

46. John Paynenberg * Mr. Leather Holland 1999
Sponsor: Mr. Leather Holland / Club Cockring / Club Trash * Amsterdam, Netherlands

47. Scott Bloom * Mr. Pistons Leather 2000 (and First runner-up, IML 2000)

Sponsor: Pistons, LLC * Long Beach, CA

48. Charly Baker * Seattle Mr. Leather 1999

Sponsor: Generic Leather Productions of Washington * Seattle, WA

49. Randy Bodle * Mr. SLC Leather

Sponsor: Club Blue * Salt Lake City, UT

50. Kevin Clancy * Cell Block / Male Hide Leatherman 2000
Sponsor: Cell Block / Male Hide Leathers * Chicago, IL

51. Wim Clemens * Mr. The Boots 1999
Sponsor: The Boots V.Z.W. / Wessel Armin Hardwear * Antwerp Belgium, Amsterdam Netherlands

52. Tom Simpleman * Mr. Leather Colorado 2000

Sponsor: High Plains Leathers / Pikes Peak Summit Masters * Calahan / Colorado Springs, CO

53. Mark Frazier * Mr. Dallas Leather 2000
Sponsor: Shades of Grey * Dallas, TX

54. Tom Robinson * Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2000

Sponsor: Centaur MC * Washington, DC

55. Gary Hummel * Mr. Missouri Leather 2000

Sponsor: Gateway MC, Inc. / Barbdwyr Leather * St Louis, MO

56. Bruce Saari * Washington State Mr. Leather 1999

Sponsor: Washington State Mr. Leather Organization * Seattle, WA

57. eStevan deCastro * Mr. Leatherman Toronto 2000
Sponsor: Mr. Leatherman Toronto Competition, Inc * Toronto, Ontario, Canada

58. Mark Chipman * Mr. San Diego Leather 2000
Sponsor: Mr. San Diego Leather Contest * San Diego, CA

59. David Daniels * Mr. Detroit Eagle 2000

Sponsor: The Detroit Eagle * Detroit, Ml

60. Lance Gear * Mr. San Francisco Leather 2000
Sponsor: Mr. San Francisco Leather / Titan Media * San Francisco, CA

61. Dwayne Brainerd * Mr. Ozarks Leather 2000

Sponsor: Mr. Ozarks Leather * Republic, MO

62. Bob Miller * Mr. Edge Leather 2000

Sponsor: The Edge Bar * San Francisco, CA

Web Extra: David Hawks wins International Mr. Bootblack 2000

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

PHOTO: 2057.JPG Contestants for International Mr. Bootblack 2000.

PHOTO: 2042.JPG The new International Mr. Bootblack 2000, David Hawks.

This year marked the eighth annual bootblack competition held in conjunction with the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest in Chicago. Until last year the title was International Bootblack and the contest was open to all genders, but with last year’s establishment of the International Ms. Bootblack contest as part of the International Ms. Leather (IMsL) competition, the IML bootblack competition was renamed International Mr. Bootblack.

The presentation of this year’s Bootblack awards was emceed by International Mr. Bootblack 1999 Robert Ehrlich. Before presenting the award he announced that the Mid-Atlantic Bootblack competition (held in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend in January 2000) was the first bootblack contest to combine ballots and judging. (Traditionally bootblack competitions have been based on ballots alone—the winner is the bootblack who shines the most boots and therefore gets the most votes.) For Mid-Atlantic Bootblack 2000 some of the finest bootblacks in the country were judges, including International Mr. Bootblack 1998 Matthew Duncan, International Ms. Bootblack 1999 Leslie Anderson, and Mid-Atlantic Bootblack 1999 Ms. Tracy Black. The judging was done in four categories, including physical skills, social skills, general knowledge and presentation. Ehrlich said the contest was received very well by everyone, most importantly by the bootblack contestants themselves. Ehrlich further stated that starting in 2001, International Mr. Bootblack and International Ms. Bootblack will be incorporating a new system including ballots and judging.

The awards for International Mr. Bootblack 2000 were presented by the first-ever International Ms. Bootblack, Leslie Anderson. The contestants:

Gregory Yort * Decatur, IL

Sponsor: Flashback Lounge

Boo-Boo * Cleveland, OH

Sponsors: Laws Leather / The Tool Shed

David Hawks * Richmond, VA

Sponsors: Centaur MC of Washington, DC / Richmond Leather Club

Gregory Hansord * Taylor, MI

Sponsors: R&R Saloon / Mr. Leather Michigan

Eric Leiff * Philadelphia, PA

Sponsor: Fetishes Boutique

The first award presented was the Bootblack Brotherhood Award; the winner was chosen by the contestants themselves and went to the contestant who best represented the spirit of brotherhood. It was awarded to David Hawks. Presentation of this award was followed by the announcement and presentation of the International Mr. Bootblack awards: second runner-up, Eric Leiff; first runner-up: Boo-Boo; and the new International Mr. Bootblack 2000, David Hawks.

Here’s what Hawks had to say the next day about why he is a bootblack and what he hopes to accomplish with his newly-awarded title:

“I polish boots mainly for myself. It reminds me of my place, and helps keep me in focus on what’s important in life. When I polish boots, people open up to me in a way that they typically don’t when they stand in a bar and stare at each other, wanting to talk but don’t, and I meet people on a deeper level. So in my way, I hope to affect everyone I touch and help them see the important things in life—that all we really have are the people in our lives.

“Traditionally bootblacks are around, but they’ve been little-noticed. We’re in a dark corner of a bar, and we do our thing. [Some] people that get into it get up in our chair and have a good time, and everyone else goes on about their evening. [But] it’s much more than just getting a boot shine. My job is to go out there and try to get people to see that—to stop just walking by, and to actually meet some of us and see what we do and why we do it.

“I have already as Mid-Atlantic Bootblack been doing that. I give demonstrations and lectures and am quite overwhelmed at the number of groups that have come to me wanting [lectures or demonstrations]. The first one that approached me, in all honesty I thought “What a lame evening, they’re going to watch someone polish boots all night.” But they truly enjoyed it, and I was barraged by e-mail. So I will keep personally going out and trying to reach the community. I’m available to anyone who needs me for any event. I never charge for my services.

“That’s what I’m going to do—keep shining boots.”

Web Extra: IML 2000 Second Runner-up Bob “Puppy” Pedder

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

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Bob “Puppy” Pedder comes from the same leather family as new IML Mike Taylor, and Taylor refers to Pedder as his “evil brother.” Pedder is an event marketing specialist and fundraiser by profession, and one of the things he envisions is putting together large fundraisers benefitting both the Leather Archives & Museum and local charities.

Pedder is HIV-positive and legally blind. He gave details on his vision loss at the IML Winners’ Press Conference: “I lost 80% of my vision from CMV (cytomegalovirus) and I’ve been legally blind since October, 1996. A lot of my vision is almost like looking through some of that fog that you saw coming up on the stage at the contest last night. There’s no focus. I can’t tell if a lot of you are wearing a shirt or a t-shirt—I can’t really tell if you’re sticking your tongue out at me.”

At the contest the night before, Pedder started his speech by saying, “I was with Judy Collins a few weeks ago—she sends her best. She was receiving a lifetime achievement award for battling cancer, and I had a chance to talk with her about my battle with AIDS, losing my vision, being a puppy, and coming to Chicago for IML.” Pedder said Collins told him what she enjoyed most about his story was “seeing the pride in your face.” Pedder continued, “Our community has accomplished so much, and we have much to be proud of. And although I can’t see the pride in your face, I feel it. So I’d like to honor that pride by singing a song Judy recorded in 1971. Please hum along.”

He then sang “Amazing Grace”: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound/that saved a wretch like me/I once was lost but now I’m found/Was blind but now I see.” He later told me it was appropriate both literally and metaphorically—it touched not only on his vision loss, but also on “what it’s like to come into the leather community lost, and be taken under someone’s wing or a group of people’s wings.” He also said he very much appreciated “all of the contestants and the folks at IML” being so compassionate and helpful during the weekend.

Pedder said he is also very pleased with the choice of Scott Bloom as first runner-up. Bloom “was one of the first contestants I met at contestant registration, and from the very start he continued to come up to me and remind me who he was. So I got to know him probably a little bit better than a lot of the other contestants.”

There has never been another IML contestant with a vision impairment. Several years ago a vision-impaired contestant from Iowa registered for the contest but wasn’t able to actually come to Chicago to compete.

Web Extra: IML 2000 First Runner-up Scott Bloom

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

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IML 2000 First Runner-up Scott Bloom is a television editor from the Long Beach, CA area. He follows in the footsteps of Sean Reilly, IML 1999 First Runner-up, and Mark Malan, IML 1998 First Runner-up, all of whom were sponsored by Pistons Bar of Long Beach. When I asked him why contestants from Pistons keep doing so well in IML, Bloom attributed it at least partly to the fact that Pistons has a large and very diverse clientele from all areas of the gay, leather and bear communities, and that diversity produces titleholders who are well-rounded and familiar with all areas of the community.

Bloom is involved with Leather Archives & Museum and is working on a documentary history of the motorcycle club to which he belongs. Other than that, when asked about his plans for the coming year, he simply says, “Like I said in my speech last night, I’m gonna work.”

Web Extra: International Mr. Leather 2000 Mike Taylor

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

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Mike Taylor, Mr. Heartland Leather 2000, is the new International Mr. Leather 2000. Taylor is sponsored by Heartland Leather Productions and TriState Leather of Columbus, OH. He is a resident of Cincinnati, OH and works for Procter & Gamble in marketing. He regularly schedules and participates in frequent fundraising events for the Leather Archives & Museum and has helped develop the “S&M Reform School,” a teaching event hosted by the Serpent Bar in Cincinnati that reaches out to those less familiar with leather through live demonstrations and discussions.

Asked about his priorities for the coming year, Taylor responded: “Continuing passing of the knowledge down to the next generation. We’ll use the labels of old guard and new guard, that’s what we’ve chosen, but to continue to figure out ways to make connections through learning, play, training, and through community events like IML—to continue the momentum of bringing all our different groups together.” He also plans to continue to raise funds to pay off the mortgage on the Leather Archives & Museum’s new home.

Taylor is an articulate and passionate speaker, and when asked about reaching out to the broader GLBT communities, his response was quotable: “This community has always been outlaw, and it’s always been a leader. That means it stands alone, and it’s always gonna be that way, and don’t kid yourself. Yes, we will make bonds with our other brothers and sisters, and I hope they sometime realize when the right wing puts us in a camp, it’s not gonna matter if you’re in Banana Republic khakis, or if you’re in leather—we’re all going into the camp.”

The text of the speech Taylor delivered during the IML contest is available on the web at www.LeatherPage.com.

Web Extra: IML 2000, The Dawn of the Leather Millennium

(Leather Life column published on Lavender Magazine website, Issue #132, June 16, 2000)

PHOTO: 1032.JPG IML Founder Chuck Renslow, left, congratulates IML 2000 Mike Taylor, right.

Some things about this year’s 22nd annual International Mr. Leather (IML) contest were the same: It was held in Chicago, as always, on Memorial Day weekend, as always (May 26-29). The host hotel was the Congress, as it has been since 1995 (but as it won’t be for the foreseeable future). The contest itself was held at the same venue as in recent years, the Congress Theater (no relation and no proximity to the Congress Hotel). As it has been from the beginning, IML 2000 was, as contest producer Chuck Renslow put it, “the high holy days of the leather community.”

But, in keeping with the start of the new millennium, some things were profoundly different this year. The heart of the leather flag seemed to be the ruling element of the weekend as feelings, passions and emotions (and hyperbole) ran high. At Sunday night’s contest, IML Chief Judge Thom Dombkowski noted the general discussion about whether the new millennium started on January 1, 2000 or whether it will start on January 1, 2001. He then declared that, as far as he was concerned, “The dawn of the new millennium starts here in this theater, tonight, with us.”

In many ways IML 2000 set records and rose to new levels. There were 62 contestants, the most ever. And this was truly an international contest, with competitors from seven countries. There were five European contestants, including Joe Harnett of Dublin, Ireland, the first Irish leatherman who has ever competed. Howard Hao, Mr. Leather Ottawa-Hull 2000, was born and raised in mainland China. Other firsts included a contestant who is legally blind (Mr. Boston Leather 2000 Bob “Puppy” Pedder, who captured second runner-up honors), and the first self-identified heterosexual man to ever compete at IML (Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2000 Terrell Brown, whose article about the weekend is available on the web at www.LeatherPage.com).

The contestants met the judges (and the audience) for the first time on Friday evening at the Congress Hotel. They were introduced alphabetically by last name and drew numbers that determined their order of appearance during the contest. The judging panel and other dignitaries were also introduced. After that it was time to party, with Boston, Canada, Southern California and Texas hosting organized gatherings.

Early on Saturday morning the judges started the contestant interviews. This year it was a case of so many contestants, so little time—the judges reportedly had only eight minutes to talk to each contestant. But many if not most of the interviews were intense for both judges and contestant, and comments started to circulate around the lobby of the Congress Hotel about how many boxes of Kleenex the judges had gone through. People were starting to realize that this year’s IML was emotionally charged in a way that previous IML contests have not been. (At some point the general leather public may get a chance to see some of the drama that happened during the interviews—this year, for the first time ever, some of the interviews were videotaped for use in an upcoming documentary about the leather community.)

There was plenty to do at IML on Saturday even if you weren’t a judge or a contestant. There was a huge Leather Market with leather vendors from across the country and around the world. There was a Mental Health Professionals Discussion Group and a seminar on Leadership Skills for the Leather Community. There was a Leather in Recovery generic twelve-step meeting, one of seven held during the weekend. The Leather Archives and Museum was open, complete with shuttle-bus service from the Congress Hotel. Saturday afternoon there were organized gatherings of leatherwomen, boys and cigar smokers.

For the contestants, Saturday night’s Physique Prejudging was about showing as much skin, both leather and human, as they were comfortable with. But it was also about showing wit, cleverness and creativity by coming up with a snappy answer to the question asked them by co-emcees Frank Nowicki and Tom Stice. One of the most memorable responses was by Ron Grigsby, Santa Clara County (CA) Mr. Leather, who gave a soulful rendition of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Also notable was contestant Howard Hao, who grew up in mainland China and for whom English is a second language. He joked about all the “leg” metaphors he had heard from people as he got ready for the contest: first his friends, following the old theater superstition, told him to “break a leg,” and when he thought they meant it literally they told him they were just “pulling his leg.” He got a lot of mileage out of this shtick with the audience; little did he know he would get much more mileage out of it the following evening.

PHOTOS: 2083.JPG and 2084.JPG The opening number at the International Mr. Leather Contest.

PHOTO: 2060.JPG All 62 IML contestants on stage at the Congress Theater.

There were over 1800 people at Sunday evening’s contest and show at the Congress Theater. After an opening number by some excellent leather-clad dancers and the introduction of all 62 contestants, the crowd was welcomed by IML Founder and Executive Producer Chuck Renslow. During his speech he presented a Leather Community call to arms, or rather to the polls, to make sure the elected officials who are chosen this year are sympathetic to our needs.

The weekend’s judges were introduced by IML Chief Judge Dombkowski after he confirmed the rumors about the intensity of the interviews: “It’s been another cathartic year on the judging panel . . . We really put [the contestants] through their paces this year. This was probably the first time we didn’t waste a lot of time on leather trivia or history questions. We spent approximately seventeen hours with 62 incredible men, looking into their minds, looking into their hearts, looking into their souls. They all belong here, and they are a credit to all of us.”

Next to speak was Joseph Bean, the executive director of The Leather Archives and Museum (LA&M). In his speech he thanked the community for its support, both in urging people around the world to contribute items to the LA&M (“We have gone from representing about nine countries when I spoke to you last year to more than 30 this year”) and in swiftly making the dream of a larger building for the LA&M a reality (“I announced the capital campaign to buy a building in January, 1998, imagining that it would take you guys ten years to buy us a building. Well, it took you less than a year and a half.”). Current plans call for the mortgage on the new building to be paid by August, 2004; over $3,700 was donated at the contest toward that goal.

Before announcing the twenty finalists, Marcus Hernandez noted that “One of the census items that our Chief Judge asks each contestant before we start the questioning is, ‘How big is your dick?’ I was taking notes, of course, and I want you to look up here—there is 85 feet of dangling meat [on this stage.]” (Tom Stice later asked: “Was that AOL feet? With 62 contestants and 85 feet they’re all over twelve inches.”) The twenty finalists were, as always, greeted with enthusiastic cheers.

While the finalists prepared for the speech and physique segments of the competition, the presentation of the International Mr. Bootblack awards was emceed by International Mr. Bootblack 1999 Robert Ehrlich; the awards themselves were presented by International Ms. Bootblack 1999 Leslie Anderson. David Hawks of Richmond, VA won both the Bootblack Brotherhood Award (selected by the bootblack contestants themselves) and the International Mr. Bootblack 2000 title.

This year’s IML speeches were notable in that they featured quotations from many prominent people, among them George Washington Carver, Hillary Clinton (“It takes a village . . .”), John F. Kennedy (“Ask not . . .”), and George Bernard Shaw. Topics included Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, leadership, education and mentoring. Several contestants related stories about their leather coming-out, and two contestants told stories about being survivors of domestic abuse.

And yet another contestant—this time it was Bob “Puppy” Pedder —was moved to song. Pedder, who is legally blind, talked about a recent meeting with singer Judy Collins and then sang “Amazing Grace,” which Collins recorded in 1971 and which ends with the words “was blind, but now I see.” The audience was overwhelmed.

During his “jock walk” (the physique portion of the competition), Howard Hao tantalized the audience with some tai chi-style moves—but he became so involved in the movements that one of his legs went off the edge of the stage and he nearly fell into the orchestra pit. Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance. Later, when it was time for his speech, he limped on stage with one leg completely stiff. After the audience roared with laughter, he started walking normally and joked again about how his friends had told him to “break a leg” this weekend. Then he got serious:

“I was told I would never make it to the finals of this event. That opinion was based on the fact that I just don’t fit the conventional image of a leatherman . . . I speak with a Chinese accent and was a Red Guard at age 12—trained to lay down my life for the defense of Communism, Joseph Stalin, Mao tse Tung. Yet, here I am. I’m here because I left China for North America, I came out and I was warmly welcomed into this family where I feel free and respected even though I’m different. When we leave here you may not remember me, you may not remember my name, but I hope you remember we are a community which is regarded as a symbol of individuality, diversity, and tolerance. And our community includes all the brothers and sisters regardless of the ethnic backgrounds from which we come.”

PHOTO: 1053.JPG Bruce Chopnik, IML 1999, giving his farewell speech.

With the conclusion of the speech and physique segments of the competition it was time to present IML 1999 Bruce Chopnik for his step-down speech. Chopnik described his title year using metaphors from “The Wizard of Oz”—being caught in the tornado and spinning from controversy to controversy (two of which were the relationship of the Coors Brewing Company to the gay community, and the soul-searching that led to his decision not to participate in the Millennium March on Washington). He told of losing a primary relationship and of being away from home for 43 weekends, but he also told in Oz-like fashion of the many wonderful places he’d been and people he’d met. He introduced the other two members of his “team,” his first runner-up Sean Reilly and his second runner-up Mike Hargiss, who had worked closely with him throughout his title year.

PHOTO: 1051.JPG Bonnie Pointer on stage at IML 2000.

PHOTOS: 1050.JPG and 1046.JPG Jump In! Bonnie Pointer got the IML audience up out of their seats and onto the stage for some dancin.’

International Mr. Leather traditionally features an entertainment segment while the tallymasters total up the scores and determine the winners. This year’s entertainment was improbably-blond disco diva Bonnie Pointer, who wowed the crowd as she sang her classic hits “Heaven Must Have Sent You” and “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch.” She then performed several songs made popular by her sisters’ group The Pointer Sisters: “Jump,” with everyone in the audience yelling “Jump!” and “Jump In!” on cue, and “I’m So Excited,” which brought many audience members (and a few contestants) to the stage to become part of the show.

For an encore Pointer performed her new version of “MacArthur Park,” which features revised lyrics that are less cryptic (no more “love’s hot fevered iron” or “Someone left the cake out in the rain”) and more explicit (she mentioned something about removing her bra and panties and never having gone this far before). It will, no doubt, be coming soon to a dance floor near you.

It must be noted that throughout Pointer’s performance the sign-language interpreters really got into the swing of things and displayed some awesome moves—we should all enjoy our jobs as much as they apparently were. But I pity the poor tallymasters, who had to do all that math in the midst of all that noise.

PHOTO: 1045.JPG IML 2000 First Runner-up Scott Bloom is congratulated by IML 1999 First Runner-up Sean Reilly. Both are from the Long Beach, CA area.

PHOTO: 1044.JPG Mike Taylor hears the news: he’s the new International Mr. Leather.

PHOTO: 1043.JPG Mike Taylor, new International Mr. Leather, hugs his Second Runner-up and “evil brother” Bob “Puppy” Pedder.

PHOTO: 1042.JPG IML 1999 Bruce Chopnik to IML 2000 Mike Taylor: “Come here, you’re gonna need this sash.”

PHOTO: 1037.JPG New International Mr. Leather 2000 Mike Taylor, center, is flanked by First Runner-up Scott Bloom, left, and Second Runner-Up Bob “Puppy” Pedder, right.

Finally, the twenty finalists were brought back to the stage and Chuck Renslow announced the winners. Second runner-up honors went to Bob “Puppy” Pedder, Mr. Boston Leather 2000. First runner-up honors went to Scott Bloom, sponsored by Pistons Bar in Long Beach, CA (remarkably, this is the third year in a row that Mr. Pistons Leather has taken first runner-up honors in IML). In the contest’s finale, an exuberant Mike Taylor, Mr. Heartland Leather 2000 from Columbus/Cincinnati, OH was sashed as the new International Mr. Leather 2000.

The contest was over, but the parties were just beginning. Sunday evening’s official IML Victory Celebration Party at Chicago’s House of Blues was scheduled to last until 4 AM. Monday evening’s Black and Blue Ball, the traditional closing event of the IML weekend, was split for the first time into separate “Black” and “Blue” Balls, held at separate locations. (The change was necessary because the event has become so popular that one location was no longer enough to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend.)

The new IML, the runners-up, and many of the weekend’s judges met the press at the traditional Winners’ Press Conference on Monday. New IML Mike Taylor was asked, “Who’s the first person you called when you found out you won?” Taylor’s response: “I didn’t have to call anybody. They were all there.” Turning to second runner-up Pedder, he continued, “And Puppy was right there beside me. Puppy and I are from the same leather family.” Pedder chimed in: “And we’ve adopted Scott!” (referring to Scott Bloom, the first runner-up).

IML Chief Judge Dombkowski again waxed enthusiastic about this year’s contestants: “This was the most incredible group of men that we’ve ever dealt with. We were making jokes about the amount of Kleenex that we were using, but each and every interview was a catharsis. As I met each contestant coming off the stage, coming off the buses, in the lobby, they thanked me for what we did for them.” First runner-up Bloom agreed: “They managed to accomplish in one weekend what six months of therapy hadn’t been able to.”

New IML Taylor added, “These guys broke our hearts a million times backstage. I cannot impress that on you enough. We will be accumulating the sixty speeches, because every story’s gonna break your heart, and empower you, and focus you, and make the clan fight what’s going on.” Plans call for an IML yearbook containing each contestant’s speech and perhaps a journal item from each contestant. And an upcoming documentary will feature this year’s IML contest, including footage of some of the IML interviews.

Amy Marie Meek, another of the weekend’s judges, said she felt a renewed sense of pride in her community. “After being in the leather community and being around the title circuit for a long time, you become very jaded. And at times you lose heart, you lose interest in it . . . I’ve started to feel that way in the last few years . . . but because of these 62 [contestants] I, personally, have hope again. I’ve never seen a more impressive group of contestants.”

David Kloss, one of this year’s judges and the first IML, summed up the contest like this: “I’m kind of in shell shock right now. It was a very warming experience, and it’s important to point out the camaraderie among those 62 men. There was no backbiting—everyone reached out to help each other, no matter what you looked like, where you came from, or who won. They all supported each other. You could feel it, and we got reports back that it was true.

“We’re not really judging them, we’re trying to find out who they are. And that’s the hard part. When you look at each man up there, find his heart, find out where he’s coming from, mix that with what you feel would be the man who could go out there and speak for the leather community—it’s a very difficult and emotionally-draining job.

“The judging sessions were very emotional—with the stories that came from all of them, we went through five boxes of Kleenex. And every single man walked out of there, in our eyes, a winner.”

The dates for next year’s International Mr. Leather weekend are May 24-28, 2001. The host hotel will be Chicago’s famed Palmer House Hilton. For IML 2001 information and weekend package reservations call (800) 545-6753 or visit www.imrl.com. For hotel reservations call the Palmer House; mention IML for a special room rate.

Humor: The Mr. Leather International Contest

(Leather Life column published in Lavender Magazine, Issue #131, June 2, 2000)

(Suggested graphic: Photo of a leather biker’s hat, leather sash at an angle, and leather jeans and boots arranged as if someone were wearing them. That’s only one possibility—see if you come up with others.)

I just got back from the Mr. Leather International (MLI) contest, that perennial leather-community springtime institution. The contest is presented each year over Memorial Day weekend in beautiful Atlantic City, New Jersey (the garden spot of the garden state). Every year the sight of a bevy of leather Adonises in Speedos (black, of course) strutting their stuff on the Boardwalk never fails to inspire me. In keeping with the clean and wholesome image of this contest and title, all the competitors are certified steroid-free.

But it wasn’t just the contestants who were interesting—this year’s physique pre-judging on the Boardwalk attracted some notable celebrities. I spotted Al and Tipper Gore there with Hillary Clinton. I also saw George W. Bush taking in all the action and shaking hands; when asked how long he’d been interested in leather, he answered, “Oh, about fifteen minutes.”

Started in 1921, this was the 80th year for the contest and the 47th time it’s been on television (it’s always a ratings winner for its time slot). After having been on all three major networks through the years, it was fitting that this year’s contest was broadcast on Fox, the good-taste network. The MLI organization always prides itself on choosing the hottest names in entertainment for hosting duties—last year’s emcees were Donnie and Marie Osmond. This year the emcee duties were handled by that dynamic duo of daytime TV, Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford.

The show, which was jointly sponsored by Miller Brewing Co. and Wet International, opened with the requisite huge production number: Kathy Lee and 65 leathermen from around the world sang, danced and paraded to “Beautiful Men,” a reworking of “Beautiful Girls” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Follies.” (Sondheim personally rewrote the lyrics.) Then Regis introduced and chatted with each and every contestant in the “spokesmodel” part of the competition. Based on the spokesmodel scores, the field of 65 contestants was narrowed down to twenty lucky semi-finalists.

Those twenty lucky semi-finalists did another production number, “We’re Here, We’re Cuir,” penned especially for the show by Elton John. The Evening Wear (leather tuxedo) and Swimsuit segments of the competition were next; both swimsuits and tuxedos were designed for the contest by Bob Mackie. The Talent segment of the judging was next, and it was a good chance for the contestants to differentiate themselves from the rest of the competitors. Todd Olansky of Winnipeg, Canada did quite a mean fire-eating-and-breathing number, while Jason Jackson of Tupelo, Mississippi, combined a sub, a flogger, an accordion and roller skates in a scene the likes of which I’ve never seen before and don’t expect I’ll ever see again. From tiny Luxembourg, Georg Hanfelmann’s duct-tape-bondage-on the-flying-trapeze number went slightly awry, but tragedy was averted by a well-placed safety net.

The crowd reserved their biggest oohs and aahs, however, for Jack Hendries of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Dressed head-to-toe in leather and backed by a chorus line composed of the entire membership of the Cocoa Beach Astronauts (truly a fun leather club if ever there was one), Hendries and company tap-danced their way through a reworking of Marlene Dietrich’s classic “See What The Boys In The Back Room Are Having.” Hendries changed the lyric to “See What The Boys In The Back Room Are Doing,” and by the time the number was through most of the leather had been stripped off and it was pretty obvious what the boys in the back room were doing.

After a commercial break, it was time to narrow the field again, this time to ten lucky finalists, who went through the final judging event: the Pop Question. Philbin asked each lucky finalist the same question: “If you are selected as this year’s Mr. Leather International, what will you do to unify the leather community?” The finalist then had 15 seconds in which to give his answer before the microphone was turned off. (The other finalists were kept in an on-stage glass isolation booth so they couldn’t hear each other’s answers.) After each contestant had spoken, Philbin repeated his catch phrase, “Is that your FINAL answer?”, and the crowd went wild.

While the judges were deliberating, Kathy Lee entertained the audience with selections from her new CD, “Born For You” (fourteen ballads, both old and new, in stores now). Finally, it was time to announce the winners. The second runner-up, winner of a $5,000 scholarship, was Jason Jackson. Todd Olansky took first runner-up honors and won a $10,000 scholarship. And then, the evening’s winner: Pandemonium broke out as Jack Hendries was sashed with the MLI 2000 sash—he goes home with a $15,000 scholarship and a new Daimler-Chrysler PT Cruiser! As a finale, Regis and Kathy Lee invited all 65 contestants back to the stage for a rousing rendition of Jerry Herman’s “The Best Of Times Is Now.”

International Mr. Leather Contest, Chicago

Since I planned to be in Atlantic City for the MLI contest, I sent aspiring leather journalist Steve Harrington to Chicago to cover the International Mr. Leather contest, which was happening the same weekend. (That johnny-come-lately contest has only been going on for 21 years, but I guess it’s newsworthy too.) Well, the funniest thing happened—he was so taken with the contest he decided to enter it right then and there, and he wound up winning the title! And I haven’t heard a word from him since. But I’m sure he’ll have all the details of the IML contest next issue.

Register Now for Atons Gopher XIV Run

Friday through Sunday, July 21-23, The Atons of Minneapolis present their Gopher XIV Run: The Legend of Paul Bunyan. The men of Paul’s lumber camp, deep in the Northwoods, invite you to join them for a celebration of summer. Live the life of a lumberjack or loggerjill for a weekend. Huge meals, gargantuan games, and stupendous parties (not to mention their infamous dungeon). For more information and a downloadable application form visit www.atons.com/events.htm. Or call the Atons HotLine or e-mail runinfo@atons.com. (Save $25 by registering before July 1.)

Upcoming Leather Events (for Calendar section)

Atons Road Trip to Milwaukee Pride Festival
Friday-Sunday, June 9-11
The final Atons Road Trip before their Gopher XIV Run in July. On Saturday night this month’s Leather/Levi Dinner will be held at a restaurant in Milwaukee; the Atons will also host a club night at Milwaukee’s 1100 Club in conjunction with the Oberons of Milwaukee and the Castaways of Milwaukee (10 pm to closing). For more information visit www.atons.com/calendar.htm; for carpool information e-mail AtonsJim@aol.com or call Jim.