GayLifeInAmerica.com REPORTS• Lazy Bear 2004
• IML 2004, Hmm... Wicked. Decadent. Nasty
• Invasion of the Pines, Hot and Sexy
• Rainbow Flag Celebrated its 25th Anniversary
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| We'd never been to IML (International Mr. Leather) before, but the time seemed right: we had the time off from work, we had the money, and after shivering and dodging raindrops the last two years spending Memorial Day weekend in Cherry | ||||
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Grove, Fire Island, we wanted to go somewhere warm and dry. We'd heard about IML from a few friends who had gone: a manfest, complete with sex in the hallways, sex in the bathrooms, sex in the hotel rooms, the relentless cruising. Hmm..... wicked. Decadent. Nasty. We didn't let that stop us, and bought plane tickets, booked the hotel room, and bought a package of tickets to all of the official events. We started seeing interesting men on the plane. Two big, muscle men, and another couple of big, hairy men. Coincidence? Don't think so..... it turns out there was a Bear Pride event in Chicago the same weekend. Looked like it was going to be a good weekend. We knew we'd made the right decision the moment we stepped into the hotel lobby. First, it was full of men, milling about, cruising, and saying hello to old friends. Second, the air was heavy with smoke. All kinds of smoke: cigarette smoke, cigar smoke, and pipe smoke. For two unashamed smokers, this was heaven. Chicago is one of those rare places where you can still smoke in public areas, hotel lobbies and hallways included. It's a good thing, too, because a lot of these guys smoke, and a fair amount of them are into cigars, so this is one event that couldn't be held in a state that's not tobacco friendly. Take a hint, Bloomberg, this is one convention NYC will never have. Too bad, too, because it brings in thousands of men for four or five days. That's a lot of hotel rooms, a lot of purchases at the leather market, a lot of meals, a lot of drinks, and sales tax charged on every single purchase. IML is a major revenue producer for the city of Chicago, and for the Hyatt, and they treat us like it. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency, a large and sprawling complex in the city of Chicago. The staff obviously knew what to expect: they were courteous, always smiling and helpful, and didn't bat an eye at a thing. When we checked in, we were given a one page flyer describing their commitment to IML and the gay community, and asking that we respect their other guest by obeying a few simple rules: shirts on in public areas (all the better to cover the chest harnesses with, my dear), and please, no chaps with naked butts hanging out. Hmm... we were curious as to how long these would last. The card keys for the rooms were not the ordinary ones, but rather made specifically for IML. A nice touch, we thought. The hotel rooms were in two towers, connected by a skyway over the street underneath. They had a large atrium with an open area bar, and several restaurants were downstairs. Convention and ballrooms on the lower levels hosted the preliminary events, the leather market, and the many parties hosted by various groups from across the country. You could enjoy yourself for the entire five days and never leave the hotel, which was very convenient considering the weather in Chicago is unpredictable, to say the least. Sunny and hot one minute, torrential rains and cold the next. Boystown and the bars where many of the off site parties were about twenty minutes away; we suspected from the start we'd be spending many of the nights at the hotel bar. Stephen doesn't like cramped bars and crowded dance floors where you can't move, and I don't like loud, throbbing music which renders conversation impossible. It's a small world, and our tribe mostly seems to go to the same vacation hotspots. Within the first few hours of our arrival, we ran into some men that we knew from either Ft. Lauderdale or Key West (including Buddy, who runs the Leathermaster in Key West, and his partner, Pat Corella, one of this year's contestants. The Leathermaster's a great store; it's always one of our first stops in Key West. If you can't get there in person, go there online at www.leathermaster.com). We met them, another guy we'd met in Ft. Lauderdale, we met their friends, we met their acquaintances, some other current contestants and a contestant from twelve years ago (and still looking good!)..... within hours we had new friends and drinking buddies, and all of them nice. And, since you're in a captive environment, you continue to run into them again, and again... and again. The only on site event Thursday night was the Opening Ceremonies, in which the contestants are introduced and their numbers are drawn. Some of the crowd's early favorites, according to the applause generated, were Mr. DC Eagle, Jason Hendrix, Fernan Royo, Mr. Florida Leather, Brian Kent, Mr. Eagle NYC, Saad Hassoon, Mr. Leather Europe, Eric Edelstein, Mr. North Coast Leather, and Julian David Marshburn, Mr. SF Leather. After the ceremony, they announced two unique ways to raise funds: the first was a book commemorating twenty five years of IML, and the second was raffle tickets for the motorcycle owned by the outgoing Mr. IML, who had donated it back to IML. We opted for the history of IML; $100 hardcover, and it went to a good cause, the Leather Archives and Museum. Towards the end, we endured a rather heavy handed appeal for contributions to the Leather Archives and Museum; actually, it was more than heavy handed, it was downright offensive. So, rather than making a contribution, we left. I told Stephen later that I know how Carrie Bradshaw felt when she was shoe shamed. The strange part was their cause was totally worthy; preserving the artifacts, photos, memorabilia and the very lives of members of the leather community. Reading the history of IML underscored the importance of this; programs from many of the early competitions no longer exist. It's an interesting read, as you learn how IML started as a small, local competition and has grown, over the years, to one of international stature. Rather than head to the bars in town, we elected to stay in the hotel bar, and it is hard to imagine having had more fun anywhere else. The crowd spilled over not only into the upstairs lobby, but the downstairs lobby and the skywalk as well. The upstairs lobby, since it overlooked not only the bar and the downstairs lobby but the escalator as well, quickly established itself as one of the prime cruising areas. Men, mostly in leather or uniform, packed the hotel. More leather than I've seen in years, and in every conceivable form: pants, shirts, tank tops, chaps, shorts, uniforms, and harnesses. It was crowded, but we found a spot in the back of the bar that didn't bring a wave of claustrophobia, and you could actually hear what men were saying. Many of the contestants attended, and we were fortunate enough to meet Mr. Italia, Cesarano Catello. He doesn't speak much English, but with some rudimentary sign language we found we could manage quite well. He's definitely as nice as he is handsome, and we look forward to his promised visit to New York. A few hours of drinking (and they even serve Guinness, so I'm surprised I came home), and we headed off to bed. We wanted to enjoy ourselves.... but also wanted to remember the events! This was our first IML; and we booked a room for the full five days of events, and one final day to rest and travel. Apparently, the hotel didn't have a minimum number of nights, and you could just come for the long weekend, as every time we walked through the lobby, more men were checking in. They kept coming, and coming, and coming. And the luggage some of these men brought was astounding….you could tell some of these guys weren't going for a simple chest harness and chaps outfit. The leather market opened the next day, and we were there when it opened. Chomping at the bit, so to speak. Almost a hundred vendors, and they catered to every fetish imaginable. Many concentrated on leather clothing, but they also included vendors who sold a wide array of B/D/S/M equipment and furniture (yes, furniture, including a Murphy bed which did double duty as a sling..... perfect for those of us who live in NYC and have limited space), rubber and latex clothes, tattoos and body jewelry, and videos. Explicit videos. Loud videos. Videos you absolutely have to stop and watch when you walk by, and can't leave until they get the money shot. If you're one of those into electric play, TENS units were for sale, and if you were curious you could even try one for size.... and current. Several tattoo artists were there, displaying their designs and ready to tattoo anyone who wanted an audience while enduring the pain. The bootblacks, also a part of the competition, were along one side of the market, and worked the same hours as the vendors. In other words, tirelessly, all in the effort to collect as many tickets as possible in order to be named International Mr. Bootblack. The array of merchandise was astounding, and we returned many times over the next few days. Each time offered the possibility of finding that treasure you'd overlooked the time before, and of meeting someone new or someone you hadn't met previously. There were no events Friday night, but various groups held there own parties, as they would throughout the days and nights ahead of us. It would be literally impossible to go to all of these: there were parties hosted by Texas, Canada, Chicago, the Bootblacks, and the Leathersirs and Leatherboys, to name a few. We didn't make it to any of these, but after dinner headed back to the hotel bar... we'd had such a good time there the night before, we thought lightning might strike three times. It did.... the crowd was even bigger, the men more handsome and sweaty, if possible. By Saturday, we had the entire hotel to ourselves, with signs at the entrances indicating that the hotel was open to registered guests only. In other words, enter at your peril, those of you with straight and narrow minds. Some "outsiders" were there; we met a charming pair of women in Chicago for a business trip. They were staying at the hotel next door, but proclaimed that our hotel bar was more fun, so they'd been coming by for drinks every night! The hotel was now ours, and the requested dress code was abandoned, discarded, and ignored. Half naked men were everywhere, in the lobby, in the restaurants, and in the bar. Some men, of course, were fully clothed, or encased, might be a better description. A sprinkling of leather and rubber masks were found, along with the boys and puppies on leashes, and we saw at least one man proudly wearing a diaper. No discrimination here, that's for sure. You can wear your fetish out loud and proud, and many did. Men here still use hankies as a code to their sexual preference, but if you don't know what they mean, the welcome packages had a hanky code card so you could avoid any unfortunate and embarrassing misunderstandings. Some men didn't stop at one, and had a veritable rainbow of colors sprouting from their back pockets. We were straining the capabilities of the hotel, and you had to adjust to waiting to get a drink at the bar, waiting in line for coffee in the morning, waiting for a table at the restaurant... you get the idea. We didn't see anyone become upset by the wait, though. It was just one more opportunity to meet an old friend or a find a new one. The bar was a great place to have morning coffee; and not only because you could smoke, but you also had a great view of the upstairs and downstairs lobby, as well as the escalator. We spent one morning having coffee with an online buddy from Michigan who was there working security, and were astounded to learn of the immense volunteer effort behind IML. Volunteers were everywhere behind the scenes: working security, registering guests, helping rehearse contestants, working stage and light systems and making sure the busses ran on time. It's a huge undertaking, and literally thousands of men and women give their time and effort to make sure it runs smoothly. And notice when I refer to the crowd, I frequently use people and not men. IML is primarily an event for men, but more than that it is an event which caters to fetishes of all kinds. Men are not alone in this; there were a sprinkling of women present (and one of the judges was a woman, also). They certainly seemed to be comfortable and accepted by the men everywhere we went. The political correctness didn't end there, either, despite what I've written earlier about the smoking, drinking, and sexual overtones. Every aspect of the competition had sign language interpreter for those that were hearing impaired. At least once each day, and sometimes twice, they held open twelve step meetings for those people in recovery.... and an event like this, fueled by alcohol and heavy with sexual tension, would be truly tempting for someone who is trying to abstain from anything. And despite the number of people and the copious amounts of alcohol consumed, we didn't see more than one or two messy drunks, no one obviously under the effects of designer drugs, and didn't hear of any overdoses or emergency room visits. (OK, we were in bed by two every single night, so maybe we missed some of that sort of thing..... but still, no sordid stories swept through the hotel at any time that we know of.) Back to the leather market to vote for our favorite bootblack, which meant having our boots polished. We stood in line with Jim and Dominick, each of us selecting our favorite bootblacks. Having someone else shine my shoes is something I've always avoided, far preferring to do it myself. Having a man on his knees, in a rather subservient position, for some reason never appealed to me. Go figure. So, this was a first for me. He rolled my pants up to the tops of my boots, applied the polish, and then proceeded to give me a good spit shine. Then just when I thought he was done, and much to my surprise, he licked the entire foot area of my boots. And you know what? It was not bad, not bad at all. Much to my surprise when your boots are licked, you can actually feel it. Like I've always said..... a fetish is just something you don't yet know that you enjoy..... Saturday night was the physique prejudging contest, or as it was referred to informally, "Pecs and Personality." We got there early, so we could get an unobstructed view. Once again, the men strode across the stage, one by one, wearing as little as possible. Jockstraps and boots were the costume of choice, with a sprinkling of chaps, chest harnesses and hats. It wasn't all about pecs and their bodies, but they did have to divulge some of their personalities, too. The MC (Tom Stice) asked each contestant one question, all of which were written by the judges. Not all were about sex, but covered a variety of topics….flowers, theater, movies….yeah, the event was all about leather and the leather lifestyle, but they're gay, too, so in that aspect just like many of the rest of us. After the night's competition, it was downstairs to the party hosted by the NYC Eagle. We met a few fellow New Yorkers there, as well as Derrick, the owner of the Eagle. Watch him... he wields a mean video camera. After that, it was off to the hotel bar for a few more cocktails, and to meet a few more men. Sunday was the night of the contest, and we were excited. We caught the first bus to the Congress Theater, and arrived an hour before the event began. Plenty of time to smoke, hang out, feel the electricity in the air..... and man watch. We ran into a new friend again; as a former contestant, he was sitting up in the balcony with other former contestants and a horde of this year's volunteers. The lights in the lobby flashed, and we went to our seats. After a few minutes, the lights in the theater dimmed, and the men immediately let out howls that would have done wolves proud! We were surprised to see a fair number of empty seats, and concluded that a lot of men go to IML just for the crowds at the bars and the parties, but the audience was full of men and women who were serious about the contest. The contest began with a musical number, complete with dancing men, and was followed by the customary introductory speech by IML's founder, Chuck Renslow. Traditionally, his opening remarks contain a lesson or a social commentary of importance to the gay community – one year about the dangers of barebacking, the next about crystal meth. This year's message was met with thunderous applause, was a simple one; the dangers of the Republicans, especially President Bush. Get out there and vote and get rid of him! I can't imagine that there were many Republicans in the audience, but if there were, I'm sure they wanted to crawl under their seats and hide. God knows, it made the rest of us cheer and clap. The format of the evening was very similar to that of a beauty pageant... with a few differences. The contestants were presented individually, walking down a set of stairs and then across the stage, and then were winnowed down to the top twenty. Each of the top twenty gave short speech on what leather and the leather community meant to them. Some of the speeches were obviously well rehearsed, while at least one contestant had nothing prepared and spoke from the heart. Some spoke of leather solely in a sexual context, while others expressed the love and acceptance they found in the leather community, and more than one stressed the importance of mentoring those new to leather. The format of the contest sounds pretty similar to a typical beauty pageant... but the MC's boy (and, just to be clear, "boy" does not refer to a man's age... but rather his mindset) had an electrical device attached to his testicles, and received a jolt every time the MC heard or said the word "contestant." Good stuff for those of you who are into such things. We heard one long, though witty speech from John Pendal, the outgoing Mr. International Leather. He took the title extremely seriously: with a year off from work, he traveled the globe going to as many leather and gay/lesbian events as he could. This was followed by a long, somewhat rambling and highly personalized account from the outgoing Mr. Bootblack. The length of these two speeches, coupled with several sets performed by a band that could only be described as abysmal, chased much of the crowd out into a hallway for an impromptu intermission, and we joined the men out in the hall smoking. Two cigarettes later, and we were back in the theater, and just in time to hear the announcement of the winners. The judges were obviously impressed with those contestants who stressed the importance of mentoring, as the top three had all touched on the topic. Once again, the contestants were paraded in front of the crowd, and the winners were announced. With the announcement of each name, the crowd roared their approval. The second runner up was Thomas Schooch, Mr. Fetish Switzerland, and the, the first runner up was Remi Alexandre Collette, Mr. Leatherman Toronto, and the winner was Jason Hendrix, Mr. DC Eagle. Alan Tunstall was named Mr. International Bootblack. The contest was long - five hours - and as we hadn't had dinner yet, we decided to pass on the parties in town and to head back to the hotel, so we waited in line for the shuttle back to the Hyatt. Almost midnight when we got back, and we were relieved to see the restaurant still open! It didn't matter that at that hour it was only buffet – it was food. And, then, you guessed it... back to the hotel bar. It was the last full night of IML, and even though there were several official parties going on elsewhere, the bar was packed and the energy level high. All in all, we had a great time, and plan on going back. The hotel was nice, the staff was great (though I think relieved to see us go), the men were handsome and really very friendly. We'll be going back, though maybe for three or four days, rather than six. Six days was a bit overwhelming, but for the first time better too much than too little. No matter your desire or fetish, I'd recommend you go to IML at least once. A friendlier bunch of perverts you'll never meet. And they're an organized bunch, too; their website (www.imrl.com) has information for IML for 2005 already. |
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