IML: Daddies and otters and bears, oh yasssssssss

Daddies and otters and bears, oh yassssssssssssssssssss!!! It's that time of the year again fellas. Dust off that harness; give those leather chaps a good ole spit shine, though you might want to conserve your spit for other activities hehe, and lose your inhibitions for International Mr. Leather (IML) is next Thursday!

This time, the historic Congress Plaza Hotel, 520 S. Michigan Ave. will host the popular four-day, holiday weekend leatherganza, May 21 – 25. Men from all walks of life and corners of the world will be coming to our town to compete for the highly coveted title of International Mr. Leather.

The contestants will go through a series of interviews and events where they will be scored based on their stage presence, physique, overall personality, and other factors. At the end, one lucky winner will be crowned as International Mr. Leather and with my number as well as my home address...I kid! Luis Tipantasig will be representing Chicago in the contest, so let's definitely come out and show one of our own our support! I remember the first time I went to IML. I was a not-so-innocent twenty-something year old.

I was just coming from my job at Abercrombie & Fitch, I know I'm giving myself the side eye, so my preppy attire was as out of place as a condoms at Steamworks. Oh, such sights IML had to show me. From a giant life-size black balloon that housed two people doing even God doesn't even want to know to learning what dog play is all about, I was scared, I was shocked, I was surprised, but I was also intrigued. So, I kept on going back and with each time I lost more and more of my hangups and preconceived notions about the leather community.

The crowd at IML is by far one of the friendliest, inviting, and welcoming communities I've ever had the pleasure of dancing, laughing, and just overall having fun with. There's no "fitting in" at IML, which I appreciate. The leather community welcomes all body types to the scene. You got some love handles with a bit of a stomach? No problem, get your big ass on the dance floor with us. You're on the frail side with no definition. Who cares, come to the party! Tall with washboards, hell that works too! I just love how open and "let live" the leather community is and if you haven't been, you will as well.

Be sure to follow ChicagoPride.com on Twitter and Instagram @GoPride as I'll be doing a Twitter and Instagram takeover covering all the hot menziz at IML, and you already know that I don't got no types of sense, censorship, or behavior.

So, get yo adoption papers ready gurls, it' time to snag a leather daddy!

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