#iml2018

[muzzledjock-blog]

An adorable pic of @scubaccs curled up in one of my Marmot 8000 suits for a much needed nap.

[poetboy89]

Here is the real thunder cat!! #iml2018 #gaycosplay #panthero #thundercats (at International Mr. Leather)

[charcoen]

Starstruck • @iml.2018 #commission #pride #leatherpride #internationalmisterleather #iml2018 #ambassador #lgbtqia #loveislove #gaysupport #pride #pride2018 #dailysketch #digitalart #celebrity #gayhero #gaysuperhero #monday #leatherchristmas #christmastfetish #gayman #leatherchaps ... more @charcoen (bij Chicago, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BryNvw_AcvB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vzar1mqlkg1i

[charcoen]

Starstruck • @iml.2018 #commission #pride #leatherpride #internationalmisterleather #iml2018 #ambassador #lgbtqia #loveislove #gaysupport #pride #pride2018 #dailysketch #digitalart #celebrity #gayhero #gaysuperhero #monday #leatherchristmas #christmastfetish #gayman #leatherchaps ... more @charcoen (bij Chicago, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/BryNvw_AcvB/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rao6szm70sio

[putzquelegal]

#masculicidade #berlin #iml2018 #mrleatherberlin #mrleather #leather #couro @ronaldodonizeti @carlosrafaeldecampos #starwars (em São Paulo) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnIAXnHAhpr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mz0h1m4uadm7

[jaxkellypsp]

Australia, Asia and Europe

Wow! All the places I am set to visit in the next few weeks! The trip begins and ends with events that highlight my passion for HIV/AIDS advocacy. Next week in Canberra, the capital of Australia, I will be presenting a paper on the history of American AIDS at a convention of the Australian Historical Association. My co-author is Professor Clayton Koppes of Oberlin College. At the end of the trip we will be attending the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.

In between those events will be some fun time in Sydney, Hobart (Tasmania), Wangetti (Queensland). Then a few days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and a boat tour of the Mekong Delta. Next will be a visit to Hong Kong Disneyland before heading to Amsterdam.

If you will be in any of those cities in July, let me know. I’d love to get tips on where to visit and perhaps get a chance to meet you! I will be posting pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (search for “JaxKellyPSP” on these social media platforms). 

Also, be sure to visit the website PalmSpringsLeatherPride.org to learn more about the exciting weekend planned in the desert during October. Judges for the Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2019 contest will be announced there soon!

Jax Kelly, Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2018 

[jaxkellypsp]

My Last Pride Festival

Years ago, while I was stumbling half-drunk down Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood wearing a very short sarong over a floppy thong a fellow drunk described the celebration as “lack of” gay pride day. I may have been shameless, but I was still proud to be partying in the warm California sun with hundreds of hot men. This day stood in stark contrast to the pride day I marched past St. Patrick’s Cathedral shouting, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” directed at Cardinal O’Connor and his homophobia during the early days of AIDS.

Perhaps pride marches and festivals are at a turning point. Last year West Hollywood cancelled its parade and held a resistance march. It’s likely more straight people are attending pride festivals than ever as fear of gays has subsided. We may have already arrived at the day when gay pride celebrations appear the same as ones for St. Patrick’s Day. If I can be Irish for the latter, why can’t straight people be gay for the former?

I suppose gay people could try to take back the event exclusively for the LGBT community. I’d love to see a parade down the center of downtown Palm Springs with gay leatherfolk and kinksters. Our Palm Springs Leather Pride weekend (www.PalmSpringsLeatherPride.org) is already one of the largest gatherings of leatherfolk in the country. Maybe we can make it even bigger by having a parade? This would probably work for a few years until the natural diversity of our leather community would include straight kinksters (who would surely begin to outnumber gay kinksters, right?).

My drinking days are behind me and I find self-fulfillment in doing charitable and educational work. Palm Springs Leather Pride will be October 25-28, 2018 and Palm Springs LGBT Pride is the following weekend, November 2-4, 2018. I look forward to promoting charitable and educational events during those weekends. And I just may see you at the pride parade and festivals, too!

Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2018, Jax Kelly

[jaxkellypsp]

Afterwards

Nearly two weeks later, and I am still mentally and emotionally processing the International Mr. Leather contest weekend. First of all, congratulations to James Lee, IML 40. I will never know firsthand the experience of being IML so I’m counting on him to share his experiences with the rest of us.

I will admit upfront that my reflections here are less than 100% candid. I want future contestants to be encouraged to compete in this classic event. I respect the institution that IML has become. And more importantly, I appreciate the effort by so many people I respect to put this contest on. For many it is a labor of love and I was awash in it. I am grateful for their efforts, hugs and encouragement.

It takes a lot of guts to go on the Auditorium Stage in Chicago. Part of the courage comes from the juggernaut many of us have been riding since obtaining the title that brought us to IML. All of us represented someone back home who cared about who we are and the sash we wear. I couldn’t go on stage without knowing I wanted to do my best to represent Palm Springs.

The other part of being on stage is your willingness and ability to perform. With 71 contestants each of us had a very limited time to show who we are to the judges. My application had three questions, each limited to 400 characters (including spaces). So any pretense of being a good writer was thrown away in favor of brevity. “Commas are your friend” was the advice I received from IML. The judges’ interview largely consisted of very broad questions drawn from the application. Not all the judges asked questions. In eight minutes the questioning was over. The question asked of me onstage during ‘Pecs and Personality” made sense upon later reflection, because I could understand how it was derived from my application answers.

I didn’t get to see how most of the contestants performed—my interview was done with only the judges in the room and only 10 of us were on stage during any portion of “Pecs and Personality.” The winner, James Lee, told me backstage about his cartwheel as part of his answer to his stage question. That, and his 90 seconds speech about his experiences in the leather community likely sealed his appearance in the top 20 and his win. He was in the moment—entertaining and self-revelatory.

I can’t say I was equally on point given I didn’t make the top 20. In my group of ten, I was always the last. The last interview and the last with a “Pecs and Personality” question. By the time I got my moments to shine, we had already been standing for hours in rehearsal or standing for hours for presentations by past IML winners. For this desert rat who puts on a jacket at 70 degrees, standing backstage for a very long time in just a jock and harness was chilling. I found myself wishing the stage klieg lights were more blinding, if only to warm me up.

Don’t hate me Palm Springs, but I was somewhat grateful not to make top 20. I had my speech memorized and ready to go, mind you. But I felt both the joy of the top 20 and the disappointment when 17 didn’t place. All of that happened in the two hours I was licking my own wounds.

I told the judges during my interview the one thing I enjoy that I didn’t put on my application was riding rollercoasters. IML took me for the ride of my life and it was well worth it.

Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2018, Jax Kelly