From Rochester to IML – via Oklahoma City

The Leather/BDSM Community remains vital and vibrant here in Minnesota. It is no longer just a thing to do in the Twin Cities, as there are members of the community that live beyond the 494/694 loop.

One such person is Michael Hughes from Rochester. Recently, he did the one thing that has never been done at Oklahoma City’s Mr. Route 66 contest – taking the title as a non-local winner.

It has been quite the journey for Hughes after 25 years of being a part of the Leather/BDSM community. “I first found the community in my mid-20s in Houston, Texas,” Hughes explained. “I was not heavily involved at that point, but wanted to be. I began my transition around that same time, from female to male.”

Hughes continued: “I ended up moving about a year later to San Diego, California where I began to get more involved in Leather. During this time, I was in a short, but very abusive D/s [Dom/sub] relationship, and once I got out of that situation, I swore off Leather. I didn’t want anything to do with it, or anyone involved in it. That was about 1998. In 2002, I met the person that would not only change my attitude towards the Leather community – but change my life.”

Hughes have been married to his wife Shay for 20-plus years. She also serves as Hughes’ Daddy in the relationship. “I wanted to represent the trans community and believe that we do belong – as well as share my love of Leather and the greater Leather community,” reflected Hughes.

Representation matters in our community. Not just because Hughes represents the Leather/BDSM community as a trans man, but he represents a geographical area that is not on everyone’s radar – Rochester, Minnesota. “It’s so interesting because there are Leather/Kink people in the Rochester area – I personally know some,” said Hughes. “But Rochester seems to have a complicated relationship with the LGBT community as a whole. We live in the shadow of the Mayo Clinic, which can be both progressive and conservative. We don’t have any actual LGBT bars here, which is unusual for a city this size, I think.”

Hughes continued to explain that “it can be hard to get the LGBT community out and organized. I’m sure there are far more Leather people than I know in this area, but Shay and I, and most of our friends, go to the Cities to socialize. I wold love to see Rochester come out of the closet, but not sure it’ll ever offer what the Twin Cities does for this community.”

The next step for Hughes is to raise funds to compete in the International Mr./Mrs. Leather contest in Chicago in April of 2024. That fundraiser will be held at the Eagle MPLS on November 18. “We will have a beer bust, a 50/50 raffle, awesome door prizes, donated by Bondesque as well as Sir Rat Leather in Houston, Texas,” explained Hughes. “We will also have some Kink 101 demonstrations going on for those new to Leather/BDSM and curious.”

“The event is to raise money for my travel fund to help me attend events around the country,” Hughes continued. “I have a pretty busy travel schedule, with trips monthly, some months, more than one! The proceeds will also help me in my IML run. My goal with the fundraiser, aside from being able to fulfill my mission as Mr. Route 66 Leather, is to connect people in the Leather community and invite new people in and provide a safe space to see what Leather and Kink are all about.”

The ultimate goal for Hughes is IML next year in Chicago. “I am so excited to step onto the IML stage and represent not only my title and the Route 66 title family – but also to represent the Twin Cities and showcase my wonderful sponsors,” said Hughes. “IML is the oldest and largest Leather competition, and such a revered part of LGBT and Leather history. Bringing my best to this competition, win or lose, makes me proud, and hopefully makes my OKC and MPLS families proud!”