The Baton Show Lounge, 4713 N. Broadway, is looking for competitors for a new contest for Chicago's leather community — and the winner could be sponsored to compete in International Mr. Leather.
The inaugural Mr. Windy City Leather Contest is set for 8 p.m. April 17 at the Baton, calling back to the club's early history within the leather scene. The winner will be named Mr. Windy City Leather and have the option of competing in IML 2024 or 2025.
"We really want to give Chicago's leather, fetish and kink community another chance to shine," said William "Rubberwilli" Schendel, who is producing the contest with Jim Flint, owner of the Baton.
But the contest needs more competitors for the event to happen, Schendel said. Contestants must present as male, live in the Chicago area and be at least 21 years old. The deadline to apply is April 15.
The contest will contain five categories, starting with a closed-doors interview with a panel of judges, Schendel said. This section holds the most weight in scoring.
"That can be the make-or-break moment of the contestant," Schendel said. "That's really where the judges get to know who the contestant really is."
Other categories include Leather Image and Presentation, where contestants show off their best leather gear; Pecs and Personality, which focuses on physique and body confidence; On-Stage Question, where judges look to see how well competitors can command a room; and Leather Fantasy, a two-minute presentation that can involve props, music, voiceovers and more.
"The Leather Fantasy can be sexy, funny or a social commentary," Schendel said. "The audience is here to have fun and enjoy a show, so this adds a theatrical element to the contest for people to enjoy."
Mr. Windy City Leather builds on a history of connections between the Baton Show Lounge and the leather scene, Flint said.
Flint was a member and president of the Chicago Knight MC, a leather club that raised money for charity in the late '70s and early '80s, he said. He also owned two leather bars, including the Redoubt in the Gold Coast and the Redoubt 2 in Atlanta.
Flint was also a contemporary of IML founder Chuck Renslow, a legendary Chicago businessman and activist who died in 2017.
"I remember the first gay parade, they wouldn't let drag or leather in," Flint said. "So Chuck and I argued, and we finally got into the parade."
Flint has sent numerous contestants to IML in his career, including Christian Winkel, who placed first runner-up in 1982 and is featured on the Mr. Windy City Leather Contest posters.
Flint got the idea to send someone to IML again in February while sitting at the Baton during Code Night, a monthly gear night for people in Chicago's leather and kink community, he said.
"That's when the idea crystallized," Schendel said. "Then I put together a proposal for this contest and everything came together."
The contest is intentionally limited to Chicago-area performers and judges to bring more focus to the city's leather and kink communities, Schendel said.
"We're looking for someone to represent that community and build on the legacy that the Baton has established and that Jim has," Schendel said. "Someone to carry that forward into a new era."
