THE FIGHT SOCAL'S LGBTQ MONTHLY MAGAZINE JUNE 2019

Jack Thompson became
the first trans man of
color to win the title
of International
Mr Leather
last month.
BY VICTOR MELAMED
Jack
Thompson, the
reigning Leatherman
of Color 2019, beat
out 67 other titleholders last month to win
International Mr Leather (IML) 2019 on
Sunday, reported out.com.
The occasion, hosted in Chicago as
it has been each year over the 41-year
history of the competition, marked the
first time a trans man of color had won
the title.
He was accompanied on the platform by
Mr. Leather Ireland 2019 Fionn Scott who
was the second runner up and Mr. San
Francisco Leather 2019 Jawn Marques
who was the first runner up.
This year’s IML was the second to occur
after the death of event founder Chuck
Renslow. The weekend-long convention
and competition hosted thousands of
queer people for the well attended vendor
mart, dance parties, Kink U classes, and
more, reported out.com.
Over the span of the competitions,
contestants gave a variety of speeches,
many touching on how the outsider status
of being fetishists make the community
revolutionaires, and how community members
must and have embraced that. Some
also touched on SESTA/FOSTA, a bill
passed by Congress last year and signed
by President Trump to curb online sex
trafficking, that also ended up limiting the
L-R: FIRST RUNNER UP MR. SAN FRANCISCO LEATHER
2019 JAWN MARQUES, IML WINNER LEATHERMAN
OF COLOR 2019 JACK THOMPSON, SECOND RUNNER
UP MR. LEATHER IRELAND 2019 FIONN SCOTT
“THERE’S PEOPLE IN
THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW
THAT DON’T BELIEVE
I’M MAN ENOUGH TO
BE ON THIS STAGE… IF
YOU’RE ENOUGH FOR
YOU, THEN YOU ARE
ENOUGH. PERIOD…
I’M JACK THOMPSON,
AND I’M A PROUD
BIRACIAL, OPENLY
TRANSGENDER, HIV
POSITIVE MAN AND I
AM ENOUGH.”
abilities of sex workers.
Jack Thompson, however, made an
outsized impression, reports out.com.
During the physique competition where
contestants show off not only their
body but their confidence, he wore a
Transgender Flag jockstrap.
During his speech he said: “There’s
people in this room right now that don’t
believe I’m man enough to be on this
stage…If you’re enough for you, then you
are enough. Period.”
“I’m Jack Thompson,” he continued,
“and I’m a proud biracial, openly transgender,
HIV Positive man and I am enough.”
At Cleveland Leather Awareness
Weekend in April this year, Thompson
told Out that he was initially afraid that a
rumored IML policy would bar him from
competing. That policy was said to require
all contestants to have a male gender
marker on their government issued ID.
Thompson was assured by IML organizers
that this was never a policy of the event.
Thompson’s win follows the win of
Tyler McCormick who was the first trans
man to win International Mr. Leather in
2010. The occasion also marks the first
time that two members of Onyx have won
the sash in a row. James Lee took home
the IML sash in 2018 while Lucky Rebel,
who is also a member of Onyx, was his
IMBB (International Mr. Bootblack).
22 THE FIGHT | www.thefightmag.com