Chuck Renslow, Iconic Founder Of International Mr. Leather, Dead At 87
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jun 30, 2017 9:28PM
Photo via Leather Archives & Museum
Renslow, a Chicago native who suffered long-term health problems in recent years, is known in Chicago and beyond for founding a plethora of LGBTQ bars, bathhouses, clubs and events, as well as a photo studio and multiple gay publications, venues and bookstores, according to the Windy City Times. Gold Coast, the bar he founded in 1958, is known as the country's first leather bar—a bar devoted to the gay leather subculture.
A longtime political activist, Renslow was on the board of directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, was the U.S. representative to the International Lesbian and Gay Association, and founded the Prairie State Democratic Club. He was a champion of civil rights and supported local and national Democratic politicians as a former Democratic Party 43rd Ward precinct captain, among other distinctions.
Perhaps most notably, Renslow founded the International Mr. Leather competition in 1979, which is now the largest leather contest in the world. Renslow was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1991—the same year he helped to found the unparalleled Leather Archives & Museum in Rogers Park.
International Mr. Leather organizers posted a memorial to Renslow on their website Friday, praising his longstanding contributions and commitment to his communities:
"Born in Chicago on August 26, 1929, Chuck Renslow grew up during an era of repression, yet he boldly chose to live his life as an openly gay man," the statement says. "As an out gay man in an era that was anything but accepting, Chuck managed to become a dynamic force in Chicago politics."
Renslow was also an accomplished photographer, and he encouraged the artistic works of several of his lovers and friends.
The Leather Archives & Museum issued a statement on Renslow's death and enduring legacy, saying:
"As LA&M’s co-founder, Chuck gave deeply and worked with great passion for over 26 years to save the names and faces of Leather, kink, BDSM and fetish people, communities, and history, and he fought to ensure that Leatherfolk were the ones who would ‘tell' their own stories so that they might better understand and bring enhanced visibility to 'Leather history.' As co-founder, longtime President and, most recently, Chairman of the Board, Chuck has left his mark throughout our institution and touched each of us very deeply. He will be missed."