International Ms. Leather

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International Ms. Leather
IMsLBB logo (2024)
Nickname	IMsL
Status	Active
Genre	leather kink fetish BDSM
Inaugurated	1987 (1987)
Organised by	IMsLBB LLC
Website	www.imslbb.org

International Ms. Leather (IMsL) is an annual leather subculture fetish convention and competition, originally focused on women but now inclusive of all genders. Since 1999,^[1] the convention has also included a Ms. Bootblack (IMsBB) contest.^[2]^[3]

After Ms. Leather events had been held in San Francisco since 1981, the first formal International Ms. Leather convention took place in 1987.^[4]^[5] The first International Ms. Leather was Judy Tallwing McCarthey.^[6]^[7]

In 1988, International Ms. Leather received the Large Club of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.^[8] In 2009, International Ms. Leather received the Chuck Renslow President's Award from the Leather Archives & Museum.^[9] In 2009, 2013, and 2017, International Ms. Leather received the Large Event of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards, and in 2018 International Ms Leather Bootblack received that award.^[8]

International Ms. Leather moved in 2014 from the SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco to San Jose.^[2]

The International Ms Leather (IMsL) Foundation began its work in 2015.^[10] The foundation’s website states, “We are committed to fostering healthy environments for Women to succeed in Leather and Kink spaces by providing education, programming, and financial support.”^[11] In 2016 that foundation received the Nonprofit Organization of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.^[8]

International Ms. Leather has had a focus on community leadership from the start.^[4] The contestants must meet objectives and deadlines set before the convention, and at the event are judged on costuming, speech, a fantasy performance, knowledge of the leather scene as demonstrated in a quiz and an interview, and also organizing skills as demonstrated in having two others set up an auction table for them at the convention.^[12]

Producers of the event have included Audrey Joseph^[13] and 1993's International Ms. Leather winner Amy Marie Meek (later Amy Meek-DeJarlais).^[1]^[14] "Amy Marie Meek – International Ms. Leather" received the International Deaf Leather Recognition Award in 2001.^[15]

Judges have included Kitty Tsui.^[16]

International Ms. Leather Winners

Year and contest location	IMsL winner	Winner's preliminary title or sponsor	Winner's city	Field of contestants
1987 - San Francisco, CA	Judy Tallwing McCarthey		Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona	15 contestants
1988 - San Francisco, CA	Shann Carr	Sponsored by Portland Power and Trust	Portland, Oregon	10 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
1989 - San Francisco, CA	Susie Shepherd	Ms. Portland Leatherwoman 1989	Portland, Oregon	11 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
1990 - San Francisco, CA	Gabrielle Antolovich	Ms. Southern California Leatherwoman 1989	Los Angeles, California	12 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
1991 - San Francisco, CA	Kay Hallinger	North Halsted Ms. Leather 1991	Bloomington, Indiana	12 contestants
1992 - San Francisco, CA	Blair Kituhwa	Ms. San Francisco Leather 1992	San Francisco, California	10 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
1993 - San Francisco, CA	Amy Marie Meek	Ms. Leather Nebraska 1992	Omaha, Nebraska	9 contestants
1994 - San Francisco, CA	Anne C.S. Bergstedt, later known as Spencer Bergstedt (Resigned on September 13, 1994, giving the title to Cindy Bookout; Bergstedt’s resignation was not related to his being transgender)^[7]	Washington State Ms. Leather 1993	Seattle, Washington	11 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
1994 - San Francisco, CA	Cindy Bookout	Ms. Oklahoma Leather 1993	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	11 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
1995 - Chicago, IL	Pat Ballie	Ms. LeatherMaster 1995	Phoenix, Arizona	19 contestants
1996 - Philadelphia, PA	Jill Carter (the first black International Ms. Leather)^[17]	TULSA (Tulsa Uniform Leather Seekers Assoc.)	Willow Grove, Pennsylvania	20 contestants
1997 - San Diego, CA	Genelle Moore (her brother Ron Moore had become the first black International Mr. Leather in 1984, and her win as International Ms. Leather in 1997 made them the first siblings to hold international leather titles.)^[18]^[19]	Sponsored by the Female Leather Exchange (FLEX)	Lincoln, Nebraska	11 contestants
1998 - Atlanta, GA	Megan (DeJarlais) Martin	Ms. Baltimore Eagle 1993	Baltimore, Maryland	18 contestants
1999 - Las Vegas, NV	Pam Meyer	Ms. San Francisco Leather 1999	San Francisco, California	14 contestants
2000 - Toronto, Canada	Jo Blas	Sponsored by Kim Wolf of Leatherwoman Productions	San Diego, California	10 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
2001 - Dallas, TX	Joni Perry	Ms. International Olympus Leather 2000	Springfield, Virginia	9 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
2002 - Omaha, NE	Russ Cosgrove	Sponsored by 3SM	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	6 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
2003 - Omaha, NE	Tammie Nelson	Sponsored by Kendra McClain & the Great Lakes Leather Alliance	Greenwood, Indiana	5 contestants, from the U.S. and Canada
2004 - Omaha, NE	Lori Ellison	Sponsored by HPL Productions of Colorado	Rio Rancho, New Mexico	5 contestants
2005 - Omaha, NE	Jessi Holman Ahart	Ms. Baltimore Eagle 2005	Baltimore, Maryland	4 contestants
2006 - Omaha, NE	Lady Faye Falconeer	Sponsored by Flesh and Fantasy & the Dallas Eagle	Dallas, Texas	2 contestants
2007 - San Francisco, CA	Lauren Ide	Southwest Ms. Leather 2006	Phoenix, Arizona	6 contestants
2008 - San Francisco, CA	Hobbit	Washington State Ms. Leather 1996	Seattle, Washington	4 contestants
2009 - San Francisco, CA	Lamalani Siverts	Washington State Ms. Leather 2008	Seattle, Washington	3 contestants
2010 - San Francisco, CA	Mollena Williams	Ms. San Francisco Leather 2009	San Francisco, California	8 contestants
2011 - San Francisco, CA	Sara Vibes		New York, New York	4 contestants
2012 - San Francisco, CA	Synn	Ms. Texas Leather 2012	Dallas, Texas	?
2013 - San Francisco, CA	Sarha Shaubach	Ms. Alaska Leather 2011/2012	Meadow Lakes, Alaska	?
2014 - San Jose, CA	Patty	Ms. Leather Toronto 2014	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	?
2015 - San Jose, CA	Sarge	Ms. San Diego Leather 2015	San Diego, California	9 contestants
2016 - San Jose, CA	Lascivious Jane	Ms. Philadelphia Leather 2015	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	4 contestants
2017 - San Jose, CA	Girl Complex	Ms. Alameda County Leather 2016	Oakland, California	7 contestants
2018 - San Jose, CA	Girl Ang	Sponsored by Lucrezia and De Sade	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	6 contestants
2019 - San Jose, CA	Haley	Ms. San Francisco Leather 2018	San Francisco, California	2 contestants
~~2020~~	Contest cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Virtual event held with no contest
2022	Virtual event held with no contest
2023 - Piscataway, NJ	Liquid^[20]	Northeast Leatherperson 2020/2021	New York, New York	4 contestants
2024 - Piscataway, NJ	Goddess Indigo^[20]	Ms. Texas Leather 2023	Austin, Texas	2 contestants

International Ms. Bootblack Winners

Year	IMsBB winner	Winner's preliminary title or sponsor	Winner's city	Field of contestants
1999	Leslie Anderson	American Leatherwoman 1997	Bosque Farms, New Mexico	4 contestants
2000	michael ann	Sponsored by High Plains Leather	Colorado Springs, Colorado	2 contestants
2001	Charlie Flake	Sponsored by The Denver Triangle	Denver, Colorado	2 contestants
2002	Kari	Sponsored by Centaur Motorcycle Club	Washington, D.C.	2 contestants
2003	Slaveboi Eddie (Donna Moran)	Sponsored by the Los Angeles boys of Leather & Bill Mitchell, American Leatherman 2003	Los Angeles, California	4 contestants
2004	izzy	Sponsored by the Great Lakes Leather Association	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	3 contestants
2005	Suka	Sponsored by Cellblock Chicago & the Lesbian Community Cancer Project	Chicago, Illinois	1 contestant
2006	Alex Bettencourt	Sponsored by the Great Lakes Leather Alliance & Ramrod	Medford, Massachusetts	2 contestants
2007	Miss V	Sponsored by the San Francisco Boot Black Studio	Alameda, California	4 contestants
2008	Q	SouthEast LeatherFest Bootblack 2007	Atlanta, Georgia	2 contestants
2009	Pony	Leather Rose's House Bootblack	Chicago, Illinois	3 contestants
2010	Jayson DaBoi	Ms. Rio Grande Leather 2010	Albuquerque, New Mexico	2 contestants
2011	kd	?	Portland, Maine	4 contestants
2012	Tarna	Bootblack Toronto 2012	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	?
2013	bella	Great Lakes Bootblack 2012	Louisville, Kentucky	?
2014	Dara	Oregon State Bootblack 2013	Portland, Oregon	?
2015	slave tabitha	Southwest Bootblack 2009	Phoenix, Arizona	5 contestants
2016	Meghan	Great Lakes Bootblack 2015	Louisville, Kentucky	3 contestants
2017	Elisa	Great Lakes Bootblack 2016	Detroit, Michigan	6 contestants
2018	Teagan	Southwest Bootblack 2017	Oakland, California	5 contestants
2019	Gretchen	Alaska State Bootblack 2018	Anchorage, Alaska	3 contestants
~~2020~~	Contest cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Virtual event held with no contest
2022	Virtual event held with no contest
2023	[vacant]	N/A	N/A	1 contestant
2024	SpankCake^[20]	S.A.K.E. (SoCal Asian Kink Events)	Los Angeles, California	4 contestants

References

^ ^a ^b Baume, Matt (August 18, 2017). "Inside the Changing Leather Scene". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
^ ^a ^b Horn, Tina (June 21, 2014). "Black Boots and Big Booties at the International Ms. Leather and International Ms. Bootblack Contest". VICE. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
^ Bannon, Race (April 24, 2019). "BARtab: Celebrating women - International Ms. Leather and Bootblack in San Jose". Bay Area Reporter.
^ ^a ^b Rubin, Gayle S. (1997). "Elegy for the Valley of Kings: AIDS and the Leather Community in San Francisco, 1981–1996". In Levine, Martin P.; Nardi, Peter M.; Gagnon, John H. (eds.). In Changing Times: Gay Men and Lesbians Encounter HIV/AIDS. Chicago: University of Chicago. p. 126. ISBN 9780226278568.
^ Rubin, Gayle S. (1994). The Valley of the Kings: Leathermen in San Francisco, 1960–1990 (PhD dissertation). Vol. 2. University of Michigan. p. 419. OCLC 68797881.
^ "Roll out the RED CARPET. Introducing Judy Tallwing McCarthey". August 15, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Lenius, Steve (August 10, 2001). "Leather Life: 15 Years of International Ms Leather".
^ ^a ^b ^c 🖉"Pantheon of Leather Awards All Time Recipients - The Leather Journal". www.theleatherjournal.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
^ "President's Award – Leather Archives & Museum".
^ "About". Mysite. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
^ "Home". Mysite. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
^ Bannon, Race (April 27, 2017). "Celebrating Leather Women". Bay Area Reporter – via Issuu.
^ Lord Martine (November 30, 2001). "Ace of clubs puts her cards on the table". San Francisco Chronicle.
^ Lenius, Steve (August 4, 2006). "Leather Life: International Ms Leather Celebrates 20 Years".
^ "International Deaf Leather | AWARDS". July 4, 2021.
^ "Kitty Tsui | Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community". apiqwtc.org. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
^ "> Selection Committee - Leather Hall of Fame". www.leatherhalloffame.com.
^ "Cuir Underground". www.black-rose.com.
^ @leatherarchives (23 May 2020). "The winner of International Mr. Leather 1984, Ron Moore, is announced by Colt Thomas. Ron Moore was the first black…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ ^a ^b ^c "HOME | IMsLBB". September 18, 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-09-18.

External links

Official website
Documentary "High Shine: 15 Years of International Ms Bootblack" (2015) by Christina K. Court

Categories:

Hidden categories:

International Ms. Leather Winners

International Ms. Bootblack Winners

See also

References

External links