News: Mikel Gerle, Employee for the City of West Hollywood, Wins Mr. L.A. Leather 2007
Mikel Gerle, Employee for the City of West Hollywood, Wins Mr. L.A. Leather 2007
Mikel Gerle, an employee of the City of West Hollywood has won the acclaimed Mr. L.A. Leather 2007 contest. The Mr. L.A. Leather contest is an annual competition made up of semi-finalists who are winners of one of the ten qualifying citywide "feeder" contests. Gerle recently competed and won "Oil Can Harry's Mr. Leather 2007" contest which qualified him to compete at the Mr. L.A. Leather competition. As the Los Angeles area representative, Gerle now has his sites set on the week-long International Mr. Leather contest located in Chicago, Illinois from Thursday, May 24 - Monday, May 28, 2007.
"All of the Mr. L.A. Leather contestants are normal people, with normal lives. At least we seem normal to each other," said Mikel Gerle, Mr. L.A. Leather 2007 and West Hollywood Management Specialist. "For me the contest was a very organic experience. I've received a lot of support, and while competing there was a sense of camaraderie and love with all the contestants that was just amazing," he continued.
In addition to being the newly crowned Mr. L.A. Leather, Gerle is a Management Specialist for the City of West Hollywood. He works closely with the City Manager, Paul Arevalo, and also works on a wide variety of special City projects. He also is a dedicated athlete and community activist. Last year he ran two marathons, the AIDS Marathon in Honolulu and the Los Angeles Marathon. Gerle also competed in his first AIDS LifeCycle, a seven day 550 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and will participate again this year in June. The combined total of his fundraising for the two events was more than $8,000 which helps fund AIDS research and assist those living with the disease. Gerle has also participated in fundraisers for the Van Ness Recovery Center and the LGBT sober convention, Alcoholics Anonymous Los Angeles. He has provided technical assistance to the Best in Drag Show which raises money for Aid for AIDS, and has been the web master for the West Hollywood Recovery Center.
Leather title contests are made up of four main categories in which contestants are judged. The first is the private interview with the judge's panel, which comprises 40 percent of the contestants score. Next contestants are judged in three on-stage categories each worth 20 percent of their score. The categories include a 90-second speech, and two physique categories in which contestant's are judged on "Bar Wear," and "Minimal," which is similar to the swimsuit contest in traditional beauty pageants.
Leather title contests are an extension of popular leather culture. Leather culture has its origins in the increased public and specifically gay culture that flourished in major port cities during and after World War II. Among gay men in these cities there were those who shared an interest in military life, its hierarchy and its honor codes, as well as its trappings, especially uniforms, close-cropped hair and leather attire.