Stitch ( above ) was chosen from a field of six contestants as Mr. Chicago Leather ( MCL ) 2018. Stitch will go on to represent Chicago at this year's International Mr. Leather ( IML ), now in its 40th year.
The contest was held in the theater at Leather Archives & Museum, Saturday, January 27. For those who could not get tickets to the sold-out event, a simulcast was shown at Touche, which sponsored the contest as well.
Speeches during the event on the topics of community service and leather brother/sisterhood were given by IML 2017 Ralph Bruneauwho also served as one of the judgesand outgoing MCL Daddy G. Contest organizer David Boyer presented Joey McDonald with the annual Chuck Windemuth Mentorship Award. John Pendal returned from England once again to emcee the show.
The contest was followed by a raucous Victory Dance at Touche.
Photos by Kirk Williamson