- People, the world's teeming with them.
I'm a person, you're probably a person
and everyone you know, they're people, too.
And we're all different.
A bus driver isn't the same as a candlestick maker.
Your local mail carrier isn't the same
as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
And that's great because the world would be
kind of stupid if we were all the same.
So let's see what we can learn
by talking to a real person.
Let's see what we can learn by talking
to Mr. Leather.
(upbeat pop music)
We've all seen beauty pageants.
They're kind of weird, a little out of touch,
maybe a little polite.
I mean, look at this.
What are these, what are these hoops?
What?
This is boring.
- [Voiceover] Oh okay, see.
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
What you're seeing here is Mr. Los Angeles Leather 2016.
Whoever overcomes the stiff competition
will go on to compete against fellow Mr. Leathers
from around the world with the hopes of
becoming International Mr. Leather 2016.
This hallowed contest has been held annually
since 1979, but before we dig too deep.
Can you sum up Mr. Leather in a few words?
- Miss Universe of the gay, leather world.
- Alright, yeah.
That's a few words.
That man on the right, the one
that looks like an ad for sex cologne,
is International Mr. Leather 2015, Patrick Smith.
- The Leather Community is largely
a subset of the LGBT community.
It's for guys who dress up in their leather
and it makes them feel confident and sexy.
Leather culture's been around since, they say
it probably dates back to post-World War Two,
when a lot of the guys came back from overseas
and they remained in the coastal cities
and wore their hypermasculine, leather uniforms.
Nowadays, though, you see leather
including all sorts of people.
Masculine, feminine, it doesn't matter.
- [Shane] And the contestants vying for the title
of Mr. Leather are all different sorts of people.
Young and old, Djs, business owners,
community activists, fathers.
But they've all got one thing in common,
they're damn proud of who they are.
♫ Gave proof through the night
♫ That our flag was still there ♫
- [Shane] What's involved with the contest?
- You go out, you give a speech
wearing your full leather uniform.
- I look out into the audience tonight
and I know there are a lot
of hot, kinky (beep) out there.
- I would be very proud and honored
to represent us as L.A. Mr. Leather.
- Do you wear like one sort of outfit
for the whole thing or is it like a--
- No, it's all sorts of different looks.
- It's like Whoopi Goldberg at the Oscars.
- Exactly.
(sexy Jazz music)
You slowly start shedding the clothing
throughout the night.
- [Shane] Yeah, yeah.
- So it goes into the harnesses, getting a little slutty.
- That's how it happens, yeah.
See, just like Whoopi Goldberg at the Oscars.
As the outgoing International Mr. Leather,
Patrick sits behind the judges' table this year,
prepared to give up the title,
but it's been a busy year for him.
The title is more than just looking good
in a piece of cow hide, there's a
philanthropist side as well.
- I spent four years up in Canada
working in politics and a lot of people
have done very political things and activist things
with leather titles.
So that was sort of what drew me into
that aspect of it.
So I've been traveling all over the world
to places where it's pretty scary to be gay still.
So I went to Uganda, I went to Egypt and Morocco
and the Ukraine and places where people
are jailed or murdered just for being openly gay.
So my goal was to go out to these places,
learn what the situation is over there
and come back and do fundraising and raise awareness
for their situations.
- [Shane] And in the same way that they fight
for the rights of the LGBT community at large,
these guys also fight for each other.
- Some point in my life, I stopped including myself.
But it was my leather family, they were
the ones that came and said, "David, come back.
We want you just the way you are."
- [Shane] When it comes down to it, the world
isn't as accepting as we'd like to be,
but in spite of that, there's a lot of love out there.
- The friendship, the support, the diversity,
the mentorship, it is what defines us
and it's what makes us strong.
We open doors for each other.
That is why representing this title for you
has been among the greatest honors of my life.
- [Shane] How's it feel after this year?
- You know, it's bittersweet.
On one hand, it'll be nice to have lazy Saturdays
on the couch back.
On the other hand, it's a really cool feeling
walking into a venue and everybody knowing who you are
and what your name is and everything like that.
- [Shane] You're not gonna be forgotten though.
- No, I'll fade slowly into obscurity is more like it.
- You'll just disappear.
- I love you, Los Angeles.
It has been a privilege and a honor.
Thank you.
(audience applauds)
- [Shane] I learned a lot from Mr. Leather,
but above all else, you should be passionate
about the things that make you unique.
Wear your identity fiercely, even if that involves
throwing on some nice, ass-less chaps
and letting those little butt cheeks hang out.
Yeah, that's a good thing to learn, I guess.
(gentle music)
- [Voiceover] Your Mr. L.A. Leather 2016,
Jeffrey Erdman.
(audience applauds)